How often do you play hooky?

Published

  1. How often do you play hooky?

    • 105
      Never or rarely (less than once a year): It violates my work ethic
    • 26
      Never or rarely (less than once a year): We are too understaffed
    • 82
      1-3 times a year
    • 43
      3 or more times a year

256 members have participated

Or, to put a better spin on it, how often do you take a mental health day? That is, use one of your sick days for something other than being ill or taking care of an ill family member?

Specializes in Med/Surg.

we are so understaffed that I used to not call in even when legit sick. Decided I needed to start taking care of numero uno after asking to be first on call one morning as I was leaving shift as I had already been vomiting at work. (Census was running low) They didn't call me off that night, so I went in still nauseated to find that another RN had been put on call that night.:angryfire The supervisor swore she tried to call me first (after I confronted her about it) but couldn't get a hold of me. Funny my phone never rang that day, the # wasn't on my caller ID, and no one left a message. From now on they will just have to scramble to find a replacement for me.

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First nurses, nurses-2b, etc.....being "sick" does not always imply something is "physically" ailing you.

Being "sick" may be due to emotional and mental stress as well as physical ailments one suffers.

I have taken "mental health" days when I need them. If I need to be the patient who needs nursed, I do not feel guilty in doing so.

That said, I rarely have called in to work. If I do, I'm truly sick...physically, or emotionally/mentally stressed to the max. :nurse:

I checked "1 to 3 times per year" on the poll.

:yeahthat:

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Well, it may be pathetic, but I've called in 6 times this year!! I had valid reason's with Dr.'s notes everytime. 5 of those 6 times were because my little 3 year old was sick, real sick, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, ear infections, walking pneumonia, you name it, he had it!! We had put him in Day Care for the first time, and he's caught everything imaginable!! I'm sorry, but I just couldn't leave him as sick as he was! Thankfully his immune system seems to be toughening up and he hasn't been sick in a couple of months.....knocking on wood!!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Hey, MTP! Wanna play hooky w/me??? I know a Starbucks close by.....

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

In nursing school - 1-3 times. We'd get a day to make up or we could just do the hrs another day in the week with our preceptor. School and 12 hr clinicals can really drag down a person and I don't want to be dangerous.

I can't call in just for the heck of it, though - I'd be too wracked with guilt and feel like I am missing out. When I start working for real, unless I'm contaigous or a danger to myself/others, I'm there.

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I've been a nurse for 2 years and this is the first time I've called in "sick" when in all honesty, I could have worked. Don't get me wrong, I had the flu on my days off and the first 2 of 3 shift, had post-viral syndrome. Went to the Doctor and felt much better on Day 3. But at our facility, the policy states that you can only call in 4 times a year, whether it's for 1 day or 10. Of course, they require a doctor's release if you're out for 3 or more... but I get so sick of other's calling in once a month or more and nothing ever being done about it. So yeah, this was my mental health day...lol;)

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Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
I've been a nurse for 2 years and this is the first time I've called in "sick" when in all honesty, I could have worked. Don't get me wrong, I had the flu on my days off and the first 2 of 3 shift, had post-viral syndrome. Went to the Doctor and felt much better on Day 3. But at our facility, the policy states that you can only call in 4 times a year, whether it's for 1 day or 10. Of course, they require a doctor's release if you're out for 3 or more... but I get so sick of other's calling in once a month or more and nothing ever being done about it. So yeah, this was my mental health day...lol;)

Where I work, we'd all be out of jobs if we could only call off 4 times a year. I don't work in a hospital, though.

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