Mental health days

Nurses Stress 101

Published

I got in a (almost screaming) fight with one of my coworkers today over mental health days. Our staff chronically calls out, we know they aren't sick because they tell me ahead of time what their plans are. It annoys me to no end! I have not called out once since starting my job 2 years ago. I don't really get sick and their has never been an event important enough to screw over my coworkers. We have to stay (16 hour shift) if this happens. They do try to get us a float but it doesn't always happen.

I don't know maybe I am the odd one out? I just can't wrap my head around it. I get needing a "mental health day" but I don't think it should be days you work! Use your days off for that. She said it was none of my businesses why people call out but it is when I am stuck working for them. And if you do it, don't go around telling everyone about It. At least act sick! There is an attendance policy but it is not strictly enforced.

I am just annoyed and wanted to see if I am in the minority.

Specializes in geriatrics.

Calling in regularly is unprofessional, if it's just because you feel like missing work.

However, when someone is legitimately unwell, or they require a "mental health" day, that's different. There are times when we are not fit to practise, and we need to be aware of this. I would never advocate regular call ins.

However, nurses need to take care of their health because no one else will.

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.

I understand mental health days, and I've used a few. If your work environment is unduly harsh and stressful, some days it's hard to find the strength to go in and fight another day. To me, "sick" doesn't just necessarily mean febrile or vomiting. I understand why some nurses just cannot face it and call in. I also get calling in for plans. At my last hospital job, the manager was notorious for not approving time off requests. She truly didn't care about non-refundable plane tickets, family weddings, graduations, and other non-negotiable, immovable events. No matter how early you put in a request, the answer was invariably "we'll see." (her plans, though, were always firm and it didn't matter what happened on the unit, she got her vacation days) After a couple of years of this, and a few ruined plans, the nurses began to put in their requests for time off, and then they would not come in, regardless of her approval or not. If a nurse had hotel reservations and the manager still wanted to dangle a possible low census out there instead of just granting the request, the nurse would just call in. Didn't bother me a bit, even though I had to work a couple of extra shifts. We were all doing it, and usually we would warn the nurses who would be affected. No one got their panties bunched up because we knew it was going to take something like this for anyone to get to have a life outside of work.

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Our house supervisors refer to payday as "Fmla Friday" because SOOOO many sick/fmla calls conveniently are taken every other Friday. For a while our floor was out of control with sick calls. Some even had it figured out that how often they could call in based on the rolling calendar they had so as soon as one occurrence would drop off they would call in again. I realize you have personal problems but so do I and I still go to work. when you call in every pay period I stop feeling sorry and start getting annoyed.

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Don't hate the playa, hate the game.

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[TD=class: text, colspan: 3][Do not fault the successful participant in a flawed system; try instead to discern and rebuke that aspect of its organization which allows or encourages the behavior that has provoked your displeasure.]

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Specializes in NICU, OB/GYN.

I get less than 5 call-outs per year before I get penalized by management.

If I want to use one for a mental health day (which I have in the past), I will gladly do so. I don't use them to go to the beach, or to go on vacation. I use them to recharge my batteries. I find it comical that so many nurses here seem to be ignoring the mental aspect of health.

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PediLove I agree, it is aggrevating when ur coworkers are not reliable and u are left picking up the slack. However, just say no! Don't work all those double shifts. At my old facility, if the house supervisors could not find someone to fill in for the shift, then they would call the unit manager and tell them the situation. If they couldn't beg and plea someone to come in..... They were expected to work if it came down to it! Now, too much of that and a change is bound to happen!

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.

Okay, I should not have said I am annoyed with those who take mental health days. Those I understand (to a certain point.) I am talking about people calling out because they have friend's birthday parties or other events that do not warrant a call out. Ask for the time off, our manager is very generous with days off and working 36 hours makes it very possible to get what you need.

I am not a matyr, I guess I am just someone who thinks taking your job seriously is worth something. I am sick of complaining about it though so I don't plan on making it a big deal again. I will do my thing and they will do theirs. I was just very upset coming home from work the other night and needed to vent. The coworker mentioned I might have been MORE upset because I had such a crappy day, maybe she was right.

ETA: I may have made the doubles sound like they happen more often than they do. AND my manager had a meeting with everyone, alone about their absences so maybe things will change. Again, maybe should have cooled off before posting. :unsure:

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

No, you're fine posting what you did. I can relate, because I have my share of employees who reliably call in on weekends, holidays, and the first sunny, warm day in spring. Or they call in with what irritates me the worst---I call it the "bottle flu" ( IOW, hung over out of their gourds).:rolleyes:

However......mental health days are sometimes necessary in order to keep functioning at work. Sometimes all we need is a breather; as we all know, nursing is unbelievably stressful and once in awhile we reach critical mass---we get to the point where we can't handle one. more. shift. without having a meltdown.

I reached that point a little over a week ago. Thankfully, I work four 10's and have Friday-Saturday-Sunday off, so I've got a built-in "mental health day" every week. But there are times when even that isn't enough, and even though I haven't taken a mental health day recently, I'm not very effective right now because of anxiety issues, and I probably shouldn't be trying to tough it out. But my facility is in crisis, and while other managers are taking vacations, I'd feel guilty if I said "that's it, I'm taking a week off to get my head back on straight".

But, like someone else already said, if you don't take care of your mental health, you can't take care of anyone else. You cannot pour from an empty vessel. So please, folks, try not to be too judgmental when somebody calls in because they can't deal....someday, it could be you.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

And then.......there's the mental health week. As in your psychiatrist saying, "You either take some time off and get away from the stress NOW, or you go inpatient. Your choice."

Well, now there's a no-brainer---I guess that means I'm taking time off. Starting today, and I'm not allowed back until the 22nd. I even have a note on official letterhead and everything.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I need the time off desperately, and I'm actually grateful to my doctor for taking the decision out of my (still shaky) hands. And yet I have the sense that this is likely to be a career-killer. If I'd had a heart attack or been hospitalized for DKA, there'd be no questions asked and I wouldn't even need to have this conversation with my boss. But because it's a mental-health issue, I feel guilty, and that stinks on ice. :mad:

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.
And then.......there's the mental health week. As in your psychiatrist saying, "You either take some time off and get away from the stress NOW, or you go inpatient. Your choice."

Well, now there's a no-brainer---I guess that means I'm taking time off. Starting today, and I'm not allowed back until the 22nd. I even have a note on official letterhead and everything.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I need the time off desperately, and I'm actually grateful to my doctor for taking the decision out of my (still shaky) hands. And yet I have the sense that this is likely to be a career-killer. If I'd had a heart attack or been hospitalized for DKA, there'd be no questions asked and I wouldn't even need to have this conversation with my boss. But because it's a mental-health issue, I feel guilty, and that stinks on ice. :mad:

This is totally different than what my vent was regarding. I understand the need for a TRUE mental health day, even week! We recently had a co-worker call out multiple times over a course of a month. I was kidding with him and told him he needed to come to work once in a while and he told me he was having a hard time at home. I said simply, to speak with our manager and get some time off. He did. That does not bother me AT ALL. It's people calling out for stupid reasons, ask for the day off if it's your best friend's birthday and you want to get drunk.

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These are two different things. "I have great plans next Tuesday and will call in sick" is NOT a mental health day. "OMG I'm so exhausted and depressed by my job that I cannot possibly go to my job today," IS a mental health day.[/quote']

Thank you! Perfectly worded.

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