Not falling for that old trick

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You know when they beg you to come in sick making all kinds of promises. You can leave if it is too much, we won't give you a big assignment, the charge nurse will help you. Just for a few hours, or just until 11. Well you know what? I fell for it once before and you know what i got? Berated for being too slow, admissions dumped on, and when I started vomiting I was not allowed to go home because "there is no one else you just have to stay". 12 hours is just TOO long to suck it up when you are not well. The person on the phone that makes all the promises, well she leaves at 7pm. We have all witnessed this happen to each other time after time and well, it does not give you incentive to try to suck it up.

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yet another reason to develop a thick skin in nursing.

and if you are susceptible to guilt trips (generally speaking), you need to recondition your way of thinking.

we are no good to anyone until we learn to care for ourselves first and foremost.

a hard lesson to be learned, more often than not...and especially in nursing.

stay strong and stay true to yourself.

leslie

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Just don't answer your phone. When I was new, I would answer my phone and they would somehow guilt-trip me into coming in on days I hadn't planned on. I've learned a lot since then. For one, it's pretty hard to guilt-trip me. And, two, I know when my job is calling (it shows up as 'UNKNOWN'), so if I don't feel like working, I just don't even bother picking up or giving them a chance to try to convince me.

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I had to call in sick. They try not to let you every single time.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I got the " but two other RNs have already called in!" . Found out later one was because she did not bother to come home until 3am and felt too tired to come in. Made me feel a lot less guilty for sticking to my guns given I was puking my guts up.

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Oh yeah. They will promise you everything over the phone. I only come in when I WANT the extra hours.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Really? My work place is the opposite. If you are sick you are told to stay home.Usually you can't come back until you have been symptom free for 48 hours. They will send you home if you come to work sick.

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If I agree to come in, it's for real things they can offer me. No one can tell you what kind of shift you'll have. But they can take you off the schedule next Sunday in exchange for coming in on a super short day this week.

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Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.

I was offered a free lunch once to stay over and work 7-3 after I had just worked the night shift, and that was after I had already pulled two consecutive 16 hour shifts. Lunch? Really? I told them I was exhausted and wasn't going to risk making med. errors for a free lunch and went home.

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If I call in, I'm calling in. If I was well enough to work, I wouldn't be calling in.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I learned very quickly never to agree to come in for a few hours. If it's bad enough that they're begging me to come in, it's bad enough that there's no way I'm leaving after 4 hours. It wrecks havoc on my body to do a full night shift if I haven't napped and eaten appropriately during the day to try and prep myself for it. They called me at like 6pm and asked if I could come in at 7. I told them no. They asked if i could come in till 11 or 12- "To get them over the hump." I agreed to. My coworkers made sure to tell me what a wimp I was to need a nap to stay up all night, while simultaneously begging me to stay. Finally things had slowed down enough for me to leave- at 5am. There was really no point in me leaving at that point until day shift came.

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Unionize

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