Putting Your Health First

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

nurses-health-first-job.jpg.7924d7f5f49afc4d0b51bdb4db9d2894.jpg

I had to have my gallbladder removed last week. I have been home for the last 6 days. My follow up appointment is April 14th. I was scheduled to go back to work today but called yesterday to let them know I was still having to take pain medication and was unable to bend over or lift patients. I was told to let them know if I felt better later because it was busy. I don't have a cold. I had surgery. I can work with lift restrictions but I still can't eat without getting sick and I'm still having a lot of pain. I'm not a robot. So frustrated. 

3 Votes

This sounds like a situation of ask/guess culture.

If someone is an asker, they figured asking anything, however outrageous it might seem to you is okay, since you can always say no right?

A guesser, would presume that a person who had surgery last week is not the person to ask. Social rules and context apply and you don't want to put another person in the awkward position of having to say no. 

1 Votes
Specializes in school nurse.
49 minutes ago, RNperdiem said:

This sounds like a situation of ask/guess culture.

If someone is an asker, they figured asking anything, however outrageous it might seem to you is okay, since you can always say no right?

A guesser, would presume that a person who had surgery last week is not the person to ask. Social rules and context apply and you don't want to put another person in the awkward position of having to say no. 

Interesting way of looking at it- I've never heard framed like this.

1 Votes
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

How was it determined that you would be expected back at work one week after surgery?! This seems a bit unreasonable to me unless it was emergent and you had no chance to prepare anything related to work before you had the surgery. I can't imagine a workplace would even want you back on the floor before your follow up appointment because of the chance of something going wrong and you being hurt. Don't you need a letter of clearance to return to work?

I think that you should have a conversation with your manager ASAP to set the expectations for going forward. You should be out at least until your follow and then, only if you surgeon clears you to return. Good luck!

3 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care.

You should certainly look out for your own well-being, and be wary of the excessively self-sacrificing view we sometimes fall into as nurses, but I don't think your employer is being unreasonable, it sounds as though there may be some misunderstanding about your recovery timeline.

You mentioned that were unable to return to work when you were scheduled to return, typically for something like this your return to work date is based the medical certification from your doctor which indicates the expected amount of time to be unable to work.  Usually for a lap-chole, this is 7 days with activity restrictions for the first week if it's a physically strenuous job (like nursing).

This is based on the expected recovery timeline for most patients, if your recovery isn't progressing as expected then you should notify your Physician.  Continue to require pain medications, by that I assume you mean opiate pain medications, and being unable to eat at 7 days out is not the expected course.  Aside from alerting your Physician to an abnormal recovery, they would also extend your medical certification for leave from work if indicated.

4 Votes

My manager said she went back to work the next day after gallbladder removed. I went to the doctor today and got a note. I can go back on Saturday if I'm feeling better. 

1 Votes
Specializes in CNA, Nursing Student.

I still feel immense guilt for calling out for health related reasons. First it was COVID in November. Then in February, I went to dig my car out of the snow in the middle of a huge snowstorm and fell and hurt myself at 30 weeks pregnant. Then just 2 weeks ago I had to call off again because I had norovirus and had to go in to L&D to get a bolus of fluids. I was so close to going in to work that day that it's not even funny, but I knew I couldn't put my patients or my baby at risk. I still felt guilty for dialing that call off line number. 

Health care sucks when it comes to taking sick time. "Don't come in to work if you're sick! Oh, but also, just don't get sick because we need you and you're letting your team members down."

4 Votes

When we're all dead and gone those institutions will still be standing. Please take care of yourselves and don't feel guilty about it.

6 Votes
+ Add a Comment