Going to work when you should of called out. What's your thoughts on this?

chare · Mar 5

At both my current and previous facilities callouts for COVID, flu, and norovirus would all be excused absences. If you haven't already done so you should review your facility's callout policy.

Best wishes.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 5

If you are getting sick that frequently, It's time to get another job. Seems like your immune system can't handle it. I hope you take probiotics.

RUNNER87RCC, EMT-B · Mar 5

Been there,done that said:

If you are getting sick that frequently, It's time to get another job. Seems like your immune system can't handle it. I hope you take probiotics.

Literally been taking 20 different supplements since getting sick all the time for last few months from prebiotic, to multivitamins, magnesium, zinc, elderberry, vitamin D, and so forth. Then add in monthly script of antibiotics and steroids for whatever bug I have. I just got wrecked this Winter with viruses.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 5

RUNNER87RCC said:

Literally been taking 20 different supplements since getting sick all the time for last few months from prebiotic, to multivitamins, magnesium, zinc, elderberry, vitamin D, and so forth. Then add in monthly script of antibiotics and steroids for whatever bug I have. I just got wrecked this Winter with viruses.

Private duty home care could work for you. My advice is to get out of the hospital setting.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 5

chare said:

At both my current and previous facilities callouts for COVID, flu, and norovirus would all be excused absences. If you haven't already done so you should review your facility's callout policy.

Best wishes.

Here, a call out is a call out. Most are "excused" and accepted until it becomes excessive. Fair or not, viruses or not, excessive call outs warrant attention unfortunately.

To the OP, do not go to work with a communicable illness. You're going to have to face whatever you have to face. Get well soon.

JohnHood, BSN · Mar 6

In Washington State and I'm sure the same is true in others. If you knowingly come to work ill and infectious. You are subject to disciplinary action by the State Board of Nursing.

beachynurse, ASN, BSN · Mar 11

Been there,done that said:

If you are getting sick that frequently, It's time to get another job. Seems like your immune system can't handle it. I hope you take probiotics.

I disagree with this thought. When I was a new nurse many years ago, I tended to get almost every illness that walks through the hospitals door. I was very frustrated, as I had always been very healthy. It turned out that after the first 6mos to a year, I stopped getting sick as often, and went back to my normal cold once in a blue moon. I just needed to get exposed to the various illnesses, and build up my immunity. I've had other friends that were nurses have the same experience. I say just be patient and wait it out.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 13

beachynurse said:

I disagree with this thought. When I was a new nurse many years ago, I tended to get almost every illness that walks through the hospitals door. I was very frustrated, as I had always been very healthy. It turned out that after the first 6mos to a year, I stopped getting sick as often, and went back to my normal cold once in a blue moon. I just needed to get exposed to the various illnesses, and build up my immunity. I've had other friends that were nurses have the same experience. I say just be patient and wait it out.

Appears that Op has run out of time. Only 4 months in and close to losing the position.

barcode120x, RN, NP · Mar 13

Unless your hospital has a policy on excusable call offs (which I would imagine most don't), a call off is a call off and it likely doesn't matter what conditions you have. I don't mean to rub off on the wrong way, but it really doesn't matter what you called off for. Management, admin, HR don't care about your conditions, only if you can come in to work or if they need to find someone else. I mean that's any employer in general. Work is work. If you are out that many times so far, you can consider taking a leave of absence. Talk with your nursing manager on how to approach that. If these illness may be a life long thing or you have other conditions that you know will affect your work and you need time off, look into FMLA (this may be difficult if you are that new of an employee).

Other than that, as some have said, tough it out. I would gladly call off on days that are important (family stuff, personal stuff, etc) and work on days where I was actually really sick. Heck, I was miserable after I got COVID in 2021. I was off for two weeks per employee health, but couldn't get more otherwise it was a call off. I just toughed it out that third and 4th week because I'd rather save my call for important life stuff. That's life of a nurse. I can't necessarily agree with "time to find a new job." I honestly think that bedside nursing is pretty lenient to calling off considering we have so many days in a year to call off as opposed to a standard office/corporate job where it really is frowned upon to call off for even one day.

beachynurse, ASN, BSN · Mar 13

Been there,done that said:

Appears that Op has run out of time. Only 4 months in and close to losing the position.

I think that she needs to check on the attendance policy. As long as an MD note was produced, the absence would be excused and not count. The hospital I had worked at kind of expected new grad nurses to be out a lot the first year because of the exposure to various illnesses.

JayHanig · Mar 13

I assume that those points clear after a year. If that's the case, then mark the date you last called in on your refrigerator or bulletin board (whatever you've got at home). From that day on, religiously keep track of the dates as you accumulate them. Scratch off any date that is now a year old as the clock would reset as of that date. Make sense?

I did this with my last employer and always made my decision predicated on how close I was to getting a warning. Just try to never go over your limit. Being close doesn't matter as long as you don't.

As a coworker, the last thing I want to see is another coworker coming in with a highly infectious virus. Talk about working with "Typhoid Mary"! The staff doesn't need your norovirus; nor do patients; nor do their families.

When I was in nursing school, call outs were *highly* discouraged. I developed a case of walking pneumonia (diagnosed in an urgent care facility - I was sick as a dog). But I did not call in. I went to class and sat down as far away from everyone as I possibly could and proceeded to cough my lungs out until they threw me out. *That* was acceptable. I didn't call out, now did I? They sent me home and I never heard another word about it.

Food for thought.