mental health days

beckymcrn · Sep 12, 2003

I absolutely agree!!!!!!

I use my PTO as fast as I get it. As an oncology nurse my job is draining and depressing at times I need some mental health days every once in a while. Problem is I am now a clinic nurse so when I get back the work has just stacked up.

(I love this little guy)

sjoe · Sep 12, 2003

Why not just use your sick days for this, like the rest of us?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 12, 2003

I just use my "personal days off" when I'm in no condition emotionally or physically to work. Usually though I lie and say I'm sick, because too much judgement involved.

It would be nice however, to be able to call in for mental health days. Everyone does it anyway.

KLS · Sep 16, 2003

yes, employers should give nurses MH days in Addition to sick days

2 or 3 a year, depending on PT/FT seems fair

Susan Fisher · Sep 16, 2003

Yes! I think nurses might be able to handle stress better if our employers would actually acknowledge that our positions are stressful rather than just paying us lip service.

Susan

caffine addict · Sep 16, 2003

Did you say mental help days?

I think I might need one of those.

Query? What behavior must one display in front of the administrator to get them?

Would they add it to the behavior log?

I wonder if there is a care plan or a RAP for that.

I once had a funny expericnce with an administratior. Activities was selling head bands with antennae on them with smiley faces on top of them. The Adm. bought a pair and put them on her head. Well, she went to her office to do some work, answered the phone and began a very angry discussion with the caller. The CEO walked into her office to find her behind her desk with this funny thing on her head yelling at the phone with a scowel on her face. She forgot she had them on and couldn't figure out why he kept looking at her head untill her sec, pointed it out.

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 16, 2003

where i work people are known to take mental health days under their PTO/sickday umbrella.

that is what this time is for.

being perdiem, i am entitled to neither, paid. but i DO take mental health breaks on my own. it's essential!

good luck selling the concept of additional paid time off for mental health.......

ha.

The Y factor · Sep 16, 2003

just give me and extra sick day or two and ill use that for mental health day. if you were to use pto you have to preschedual it. as opposed to having a rough shift the night before and saying im using a MH day or im calling in sick.

oceanblue · Sep 16, 2003

I agree!! Mental Health Days would be nice, but we don't have them, we also just use our PTO days and say we're sick.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Sep 16, 2003

Mental health days because of the stress of nursing!! What a wonderful idea, too bad it will NEVER happen. It takes an act of Nature to get a day off without it being scheduled weeks in advance. Pto covered my call ins for mental health. I am no longer there, but I hear it is getting worse by the shift. All I can say is, I will never be associated with an HCA facility again. Promise me the moon but just allow me to do the job and get off my back about coperate issues I have no control over. If the feds think they cleaned up the mess with these people they need to take another look.

live4today, RN · Sep 17, 2003

YES, YES, YES!!! Nurses NEED mental health days........two a month would be a nice beginning.