Needing to vent R/T attendance policy vs chronic illnesses

[Lorie P.]

:oneed to vent and get it off my chest. to start my day off i was called into the nm's office and asked to give an overview of what was happening in my life.

just some back ground info; i have cad s/p cabg 9yr ago, pkd, htn, hypercalcemia and s/p parathyroidectomy. all within an 18 month time frame along with emergency c-section/hysterectomy bringing my one and only child into this world 16 weeks early and weighing in at 1.4 lbs. these health issues started during pregnancy when bp went to 260/150 due to flow-blown exclapmsia.

(it was after all this that i became a nurse, because i was so inspired by several nurse during this whole ordeal)

also dx with infectious ibs after salmonella last summer. another issue on it's own

i missed one day in may due to complications with ibs.

missed 4 days of work in july due to cardiac issues that ended having to have another heart cath.

aug this year missed a night of work due to a job injury on the job and given a night off.

well monday night after eating dinner, went to lay down to get a nap before going to work 11-7. after about 45 min woke up extremely nauseated, throwing up and severe ruq pain. called in sick 4 hours before cut off time.

now back to this morning, was called in to see the med-surge director who is filling in due to nm leaveing ( position not filled yet) and asked if these were legit reasons for missing work.

explained everything calmly and stated i had doc excuses for all but last night. well i was put on an action plan for not keeping my attendance up. that i have the following options;

get another schedule besides 7on/7off

go part time, which i can not do due to the whole health insurance and besides i need to work to help support my family.

or switch to a day shift ( been trying to do that for 2 yrs) but was told in the next breath that no lpn's could fill a dayshift position because that is not how "the organization" is set up.

yes, he said he was sympathetic, yet said that even though the absent days were excused due to policy, i have to be put on an action plan and no call in for 90 days no matter the problem! i wasn't being picked on , just that i am not forfilling my contract of working when i said i would and that i must improve or else other means such as supension or termination would be the results.

he would work with me and try his best but it was entirely up to me. to take a few days to think it over.

was also asked if i had checked into jobs at the surrounding rual hospital.

needless to say i am bummed, down in the dumps, pissed off and feeling totatly depressed.

i understand the policy, yet at the same time i know of several other people that have missed more days and so far nothing and even bragg about not getting into trouble.

i have to work full-time because i need the health insurance, (dh is back in school till dec 14,07.)

was denied disability 3x in the past 7 years and besides i love being a nurse and want to work, it's just that i have no control over my health issues, so what am i suppose to do?

i don't want to live off the so called system. i take 9 pills a day to keep the bp in control, the heart rate and rhythum in control , watch my diet. i am very complient with my meds, diet, etc and yet this is the payback i get.

the butt kicker of this is that last year they did the same exact same thing because i was in their hospital for 6 days with salmonella and bacterium and missed a total of 2.5 weeks from work by orders of infection control and infectious disease doc.

i am just so:o:devil:.

thanks for letting me vent and get this off my chest before dh gets home and i unload on him.

[Lorie P.]

although it is correct , that your employer must still provide you with your benefits like health and life ins. it is also true that you have to pay for them. we had to send a check every week for our part, that was normally taken out of the check before we get it. if you use it intermittently, i wonder how that works, or if they don't bother to collect. i know we also had to pay for three weeks, before h. collected his shortterm disability payments. and even then we did not receive the payments until he had been off for 7 weeks, and the first was for weeks 4-7. so you have to be prepared to pay for a few things to keep them up. we we told that they can choose to keep you on should you exceed twelve weeks, but don't have to do so. also, be very careful not to use more than the twelve weeks, as then he had to wait a year to use them again. so, i don't see how that works if used intermittently.

their policy states that fmla can be intermittently in increments as low as 1 hour if needed. so shouldn't have any problems going over hours if the average i miss a year is 32 hours at the most.

perhaps it is different in each state. the fmla rights should be posted in a common area, maybe by the tmeclock, or lockers, etc. get the number and call if you have questions .

nope been down for over a year while 49 mil $'s are being used to upgrade the facility.

[EmmaG, RN]

nope been down for over a year while 49 mil $'s are being used to upgrade the facility.

ah, really?

by law it has to be posted :)

[Lorie P.]

Ah, really?

By law it has to be posted :)

Have only seen 2 posted and they are right outside HR's office with the typical. job posting, minum wage, worker's comp etc, etc. . It is in a seperate attached building, 3 buidlings away!and the only one actually posted in side the hospital is the one right beside Admin and Executives area way at the front away from the lower class employee entrance, but right by the Physician ONLY entrance. No Physican ID, no entering here!!

How's that looking??