Working while ill

[saustin]

The hospital where I work has a new DON. He has implemented a new policy where missing more than three days in four months due to illness will result in termination. Now we have nurses working with elevated temperatures, vomiting, URI's etc. I will add that we do not get paid sick days anyway. A fellow nurse was ill, saw the doctor, had a written doctor's statement that she was to ill to work and DON said no go. She had to work or get fired. I could not find any information on my state's Dept. of Labor website about this subject. Any suggestions? We certainly aren't helping patients by reinfecting them with our own illnesses.

Saustin, RN

[Furball]

I USED to come into work ill...sometimes very ill. (whatta dummy!)That stopped when our hospital started a heart transplant program and the tele floor became inundated with immune suppressed pts. It really magnified why it's so wrong to come to work in a hospital sick on ANY floor. No way will I jeopardize their fragile health with strep throat or whatever else I catch here and there. That's just plain lunacy to force nurses to come into work sick. The local news would definitely be interested I would think. The public would be quite irritated by it too...at least the ones who have a brain.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

There is a potent federal law called the Family Medical Leave Act. What your DON is doing (especially if one has a valid dr's excuse) is almost certainly in violation of this act. DON had better watch out, or the hospital will be shelling out big bucks in fines and lawsuit settlements.

Personally, I would not stay in such a place. I would be out of there so fast that there wouldn't be time for the door to hit me on the way out. (I hardly ever call in sick; it's just the principle of the thing--NURSE ABUSE/NO RESPECT.) Why put up with such abuse when there are so many facilities literally BEGGING for nurses nowadays????

[dawngloves, BSN, RN]

This has made me think of all the nurses AND docs I've seen at work that are sick. It's almost like a martyrdom.

" I feel awful." "My temp is 101*" " HACK HACK HACK!" " BARF!"

Well what the heck are you doing around these already sick people that can't afford another illness?!?! Does Nosocomial mean anything to you? Are you trying to win an award?

And don't try and make me feel guilty about calling out. I won't have it on my concious when my stomach virus runs rampant though the unit!

Just my little side rant. : )

[hapeewendy]

that DON guy is crazy, plain and simple

and highly uneducated about illness also from the sounds of it. I would go above him , to hospital management, infection control, human resources, occupational health, heck whoever could offer some reason to this poor fool who is clearly lacking common sense.

I used to haul butt to the hospital even when sick,and have seen many of my co workers do the same, which would be fine if your performance as a nurse could be unaffected by your illness, if you could cope with the multitude of stasks in a day while youre spiking a temp or having the runs, and if your patients couldnt end up sicker merely by you being there.....

too bad thats not the reality of the situation

sick staff leads to more sick staff and sicker patients, what might be a simple little bug to you or I could kill that cute little 94 year old lady with sepsis, pneumonia, DM, etc, you get the point

I'd have to say that although I'm not one to cause conflict and pretty much roll with the punches

I would make a big issue out of this one!