Hosptial call out policy

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jun 3, 2016

I think ours is 7x in a rolling calendar year, but I've yet to see someone actually disciplined for legit callouts. I'm pretty sure I've exceeded that once, when influenza and GI illness struck my house over the span of 6 weeks. I think I called in 3x in that 6 weeks, twice for myself and once for a sick child while Daddy was working 2000 miles away. Our manager is a smart woman and doesn't want RNs working while sick.

As for the MD note, I think for most that's poor policy. I know for myself, >90% of illnesses I get are viral (probably for my kids too). In whose world is it best practice to go to urgent care for a viral illness?

hayleyh31 · Jun 4, 2016

We are on a points system. We get 14 points in a rolling 2 year span with no excuses or exceptions made. This is what it looks like:

Weekdays: 1 point for each call-in unless you are calling in for the same thing multiple times. (Ex:stomach virus makes you call in M,T, W only equals 1 point). If you are tardy, you get 1/2 a point.

Weekends and Holidays: 2 points for each day you call in even if it is for the same issue. 1 point if you are late.

I moved to a different hospital within the entity and we are now allowed to bring in a doctor's note and we are encouraged to get intermittent FMLA because the hospital management realizes this is a super sucky policy from corporate. It's a pretty ridiculous policy and it really turns people off from wanting to work for our hospital system.

calivianya, BSN, RN · Jun 4, 2016

My hospital's policy is three times in a rolling calendar year. Disciplinary action starts with the fourth call out, and by the fifth, termination is a possibility. Also, calling out two days in a row counts as two days which really sucks, but calling out 3+ days in a row just counts as two days.

In other words, I come to work half dead because I am terrified I will be too sick to even move off the couch one day, and being that sick could eat up at least two days. I called out once in October of 2014 because I had a really violent case of norovirus, but that was the last time I called out.

LongislandRN23 · Jun 4, 2016

Some of these policies are absurd! My hospital recently implemented their "unexpected absence" policy which is basically the call out policy. We get 10 sick days a year as per our contract. As per our new policy if you call out sick twice within a 3 month period that is an automatic write up. After 3 write ups in general for calling out or coming in late or anything else you can be terminated.

I would suggest copying your policies and faxing a copy to the state department of labor to make sure if some of these practices are legal.

It's very shocking that employers will punish employees for getting sick. Exposing our patients to illness I would assume would be considered a hospital acquired infection. If your really sick and don't want to call out : go to work, show up and tell your supervisor you need to go to the ER and your not feeling well, they cannot write you up for that as far as I've seen.

CelticGoddess, BSN, RN · Jun 4, 2016

The facility I work at counts occurrences. (And these include missed clock in/out). Each missed punch is .5 occurrence. Each absence is 1 occurrence (except holidays, if you call out, you better go the ED or it's 2 occurrences. 1 if you go to ED). If you leave in your shift, more than half worked, is .5 occurrence and less than half worked is 1 occurrence.

4 occurrences is a verbal warning, 5 occurrences is a write up, 6 occurrences is suspension and 7 results in termination. This is in a rolling calendar year.

Our former manager failed to follow policy and some of us actually have 9, 10 or 11 occurrences. (I have 11 but most of them are missed punches. I am so bad about that! Especially clocking out.) But, because he failed to follow policy, we were verbally warned. I have only known 1 person to get sacked for absences, and she was a no-call no-show x4. After 2 no-call no-shows, you can be terminated.

I think we have a fairly generous absence policy.

WheresMyPen · Jun 4, 2016

I never call out so I actually have no idea what the policy is...should look that up. But I have a few co workers who call out more than a few times every couple months. They don't get in trouble

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jun 4, 2016

Some of these policies are absurd! My hospital recently implemented their "unexpected absence" policy which is basically the call out policy. We get 10 sick days a year as per our contract. As per our new policy if you call out sick twice within a 3 month period that is an automatic write up. After 3 write ups in general for calling out or coming in late or anything else you can be terminated.
I would suggest copying your policies and faxing a copy to the state department of labor to make sure if some of these practices are legal.
It's very shocking that employers will punish employees for getting sick. Exposing our patients to illness I would assume would be considered a hospital acquired infection. If your really sick and don't want to call out : go to work, show up and tell your supervisor you need to go to the ER and your not feeling well, they cannot write you up for that as far as I've seen.

I don't think the employer is intending to punish people for getting sick; the policy is intended to punish those who have attendance issues. The hapless employee who just gets legitimately ill has to suffer.

MendedHeart · Jun 5, 2016

3x in a rolling calender. On the 4th we get a warning, 5th is a write up

Mandychelle79, ASN, RN · Jun 6, 2016

the only portion I know is if you call off a weekend day you have to make it up on your weekend to be off the next schedule period. I'm not 100 percent sure what our call off policy is because in 5 yrs I've only called off 3 times. My other 2 sick days were there were enough on the schedule to cover but couldn't guarantee a downstaff and daughter had a psych appointment