Guilt/Frustration Missing Work

[peds_cna]

This might sound awfully silly, but it's what I'm feeling at the moment. On Monday, I was in the ER for the day with double severe pneumonia. I was on IV's for a few hours and sent home with antibiotics for 10 days. It was one of the worse experiences I've ever had and I was openly balling from the pain. I'll be missing about 3 days of work and while I sit here at home getting better I can't help but feel bad or somehow like my boss will be mad. I know that's more than silly due to the illness but I can't help it. I'm almost tempted to go in but I a) do not want to give it to anyone especially patients and b) need to get fully better. It's just so hard to just sit here and do nothing!

[Batman24]

Only 3 days off for double pneumonia?! I would check that as chances are you will need more than that. If you rush back chances are you will end up in even worse shape. Are you doing a follow-up with your personal physician?! Feel better.

And yes, it is silly to worry about this however I often do the same thing to myself. If she's mad because you are so ill that's her prob. Don't give it a second thought.

[peds_cna]

I'm sorry guys for the confusion! I got it on Monday, was supposed to work Tuesday and Saturday/Sunday, so it's more like 5/6 days off! I'm hoping this will be enough for me not to get sick again.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

Please don't feel guilty. You're very sick, you need to rest up and get yourself better!!

I called off work the other day because I was sick, they told me to "feel better soon and get some rest". If your boss, co-workers, or anyone else gets mad, gives you a hard time, or tries to make you feel guilty ...... then shame on them and that's not a good environment to work in.

Feel better soon!

[november17, ASN, RN]

If you work in peds, and you had pneumonia badly enough to require IV antibiotics, you really had no business being at work. Don't feel bad, you're just protecting the patients. I'm sure the unit will find a way to manage without you :) Unless of course you go into work on monday and the whole place has literally fallen down in your absence

[whipping girl in 07, RN]

I lived through the ICU flu epidemic of '02, where all the nurses gave each other the flu (and some of us ended up with pneumonia to boot:o) because NO ONE WOULD CALL IN SICK TILL THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO DIE!

Never again...if you're sick, stay home. Don't feel guilty...however, if you are "sick" of work and calling in sick from the beach, feel guilty, dang it!

I'm heading back to work tomorrow after having strep. I was lucky, I only missed one day and got to spend my days off sick! :icon_roll

Yeah, that was a joke. I'm just glad I didn't have to burn too much ETO as I like vacations!

Feel better soon!

[bluesnurse]

Why are we so loyal to our workplaces when the loyalty is rarely returned to us? It makes no sense.

I feel no sense of guilt when missing work. When census drops, management feels absolutely no shame when they send employees home for the day. Why, then, should I feel bad about not being at work for a legitimate reason?

To the OP: Relax, recharge, recover, and recuperate. Do not feel bad about being at home, because no one else will take care of you.

You are so right. It burns me up that we can be "downstaffed" on slow days and forced to use PTO to cover it. Yet my employer has a policy that after four "events" (i.e. call-offs) in one calender year, you are given a warning and with five you can be disciplined or even terminated.

2007 was a very bad year for me -- first I had strep, then pneumonia, then mono, then a severe exacerbation of my bipolar disorder. I reached five "events" in August and was written up, despite having a written MD's excuse for every single absence. I finally applied for and got FMLA, which I only used for two days, but it protected my job.

I was :angryfirefurious:angryfire at the write-up and asked my manager (who is not even a licensed healthcare professional) if she would rather I ignore my MD's advice in the future and come in with a communicable illness. Her reply? "Well, I don't make the rules, but it's my job to enforce them."

No wonder we feel guilty, even fearful, to be out sick. As if it's not stressful enough.

I'm actively looking for another job, but I don't care how long it takes. Id rather take my time and find the right fit than jump into the first offer. Even from the day of my interview there were signs this woman was a bean-counter drone with no conscience (of course, she has no qualms about taking unannounced half days to get her hair done.) Live and learn.

Lots of healing vibes on the way to the OP, and take as much time as you need -- stick up for yourself -- get WELL before you expose others or set yourself up for a relapse. :paw:

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Off topic

Is anyone else bothered when a patient tells you about their severe, severe illness they had, but were sent home...? If you were sent home you are just sick. You might feel like crap, but you aren't going to die.

I saw on COPS a woman and her husband on the beach, and she went on about his severe, severe heart disease. Honey, if it was so severe he'd be in the hospital. He's here lying on the beach catching some rays. Sure, he's got problems, but let's not overdo the drama.