Last evening I was woring as the charge nurse in my small town LTC (I'm done with MDS...they wanted an RN in the position). Anyway...at about 8:15 PM, the phone rings...I pnder not answering, but we all know that would go over like a ton of bricks, so I pick up. One of the night aides (night shift starts at 9:45 PM) informs me she is sick and won't be able to come to work...she also informs me that she has called "everyone" and no one can work for her. I ask why she waited so long to call and she says that she kept hoping she would feel better, but finally decided it wasn't going to happen. So...per policy (which I honestly disagree with) I tell her she needs to come in and be assessed by a nurse (me) and that she should plan on working anyway...she can wear a mask whenever she has contact with the residents and since nights are quiet (ha ha ha ha ha) she can rest in between lights and rounds. She starts screaming and calling me names and swearing...she also says she is going to sue me and that she will not only have my nursing license, but my house and my car and my savings account (I'm shaking in my Birkenstocks). I again remind her of the policy and she slams the phone down.
About ten minutes later the phone rings again...it is the DON, who says that she talked to the sick CNA and she told the CNA she can come in at midnight so she can get some extra rest...after that she can wear a mask, etc.
I had to stay late to finish some medical records (not my job, but the medical records person quit and I am the only one left who knows the computer system) and when I left at 12:30 AM, the CNA still had not arrived. The CNA that was on duty told me that the night before the sick CNA was calling everyone on the schedule asking them to work for her and that she told her that if she didn't find someone, she would be there, but she would not be happy about it. I didn't remember until I was ready to leave last night that when I pulled into town, I had seen the sick CNA at the local drive-in type burger joint pigging out on burgers, onion rings, and a shake. And...one of the CNAs from my shift remembers seeing the sick CNA in the facility around two in the afternoon and heard her talking on the cell phone saying something like, "Yes I will be there...cough, cough, cough,,,I sound sick don't I?"
And people wonder why so many managers are suspicious when people call in sick.
Personally I HATE the idea that people are expected to work if they really are sick, but I hate the fact that people who just want a night off have a way of getting time off and making things a lot harder for the rest of us.
I believe the OP said that the policy is that staff who call in sick close to the start of their shifts are required to come in and be assessed. That is a common requirement that I've found in every place I've worked. For some facilities the deadline was two hours before the start of shift, in others it was four hours. Call in after the deadline and you will have to come to work to be assessed by the charge nurse on duty. The policy is in place because it's so hard to find replacement staff so close to start time, and it is also to discourage staff from accepting that last minute invitation to that great party and such like.
I have also worked in places that asked staff to find their own replacements when calling in, but it was enforced mostly during holidays or during periods of low staffing numbers in order to prevent frivolous call ins and to discourage staff who were chronic call ins as it was unlikely that anyone would be willing to cover for them under those circumstances.
I think if anyone ever had to staff the facility after all these call ins and listening to the bullcrap excuses you KNOW are lies, then they would understand the policy of come in and let me assess you. i cant tell you the times i've had CNAs call saying they are deathly ill but when i tell them they have to come let me assess them to see if they really are running that 105 temp they say they are or whatever...they miraculously are cured!
it's the people that made the constant call ins with bullcrap excuses that make it hard on everyone else when they are REALLY sick.
i know after doing staffing for the last 5 years, i dont even believe my own boss when she calls in, lol.
Gotta agree with southernbee girl. So many call-offs are crap. I have honestly NEVER called in sick in over 35yrs of employment. I would never call a cough/runny nose, sore/achey body a reason to call in sick. The reason for this great WORK ETHIC? My first boss, explained to me...the only reason you should ever call in sick...is if you literally can not drag yourself up out of that bed and get here to work.
Now saying that, there are definately times one should call in sick. It's the system is so abused. I work my *ss off at work and when someone, whether a nurse or CNA call in, it makes it that much harder to give good patient care. I've been at my new job only 2yrs and the stats are so correct. Its 10% of the people who do 80% of the work, and its 10% of the people who account for 80% of the call-ins.
My young formative years where spent on a farm, the cows needed feeding/milking and the eggs needed gathering and the wood needed chopped and water hauled EVERY day. Life and our survival depended upon it. Imagine calling in sick, it could have and would have been a matter of life and death.
Realizing it is not the "old" days, however, it does seem like ALOT of call-ins are the "younger" employees. Look around and take note, how often is it the "older" nurse calling in sick? It's almost like there is a sense of entitlement to call in sick.
This field has a very high burn out rate. Some of this can be attributed to the constant working short staffed, not because they don't schedule someone, rather, because of all the call-ins.
Specializes in Cardiovascular critical care, research.
The whole situation is redonkulous!! If she calls out sick, so be it. If there is a pattern or suspicion that it was not a real sick call, then the DON/ manager should handle that descretely without having the rest of the staff involved in an employees personel matters. She definitely should have been spoken to for yelling at you, but then again, if I call out sick, I'm not coming in. I don't need to tell you the nature of my illness, my doctor's name or anything unless it is an extended absence. Then I would bring a doctor's note to my DON. NOT for everyone else to read. GEEEEEZZZZ!
I had to call out one night because a tree fell on my house, car, etc. It landed on my babies' bedroom while they were sleeping. Needless to say we were all pretty rattled. I had no phone, power, or anything since the tree took out the power lines, etc. The charge nurse said to me, "oh well, you can come in for 11 o'clock, okay?" I said to her, " I don't even know where my family will sleep tonight (since we were without heat), so um..... NO, I will not be in at 11. Thanks for the offer." I think more information is worse sometimes. It's like they think you are asking them for their opinion. No, it's a statment. I WON"T BE IN. Simple. I have been a charge nurse and always remember that situation and always said to the person, feel better and left it at that. I know it sucks working short. We have all done it. But that is not the way to handle it.
#1 All I do in a case Like this is tell that employee know that they did Not call in enough time and sick or not this is an unexcused absence and will be written up as such.
I expect a Doctors note. in the AM or before they can come back to work.
I go by the policy book. We track this very closely. We have terminated those who call in a lot.
Our employees need to call 3 hours prior to their scheduled shift, or it is a tardy. Two tardies equal an absence. Three absence is a verbal warning; 5 absences is a first written warning; 7 absences is a second written warning; 9 absences is a one day suspension and the 10th absence is termination. This is within a 12 month timeframe.
Employees are expected to tell the Dept Head or Charge nurse what their symptoms are; if they are running a temp then they can not work for at least 24 hours after being afebrile. They can call in up to two days in a row and the 3rd day need an MD slip to be able to return to work.
Also, upon intitial hire while on their 90 day probationary period, they are allowed to call in once. The second call-in they are termed.
This policy is followed very closely and holds up to the union and unemployment.
In our facility, PTO is all in one basket with your sick time. Because of that, I don't think it's anyone's business whether you call off sick or for another personal reason. As a weekender, I can only call off twice a year or I'm off the weekend program. The other FTE's can call off pretty much up until the supervisor decides there's a problem and they need a reprimand. I mention that only to show that I'm a person who never calls off - I've called off twice in 3 years. But if someone calls in and tells me that they can't come in, I don't even ask why and I don't get mad about them taking personal time if that's what it is. We just tell the house supervisor and she pulls any extra nurse from another floor if one's available, or starts calling from our list to get someone to come in. It's never been a big issue in our unit, and we rarely ever run short just because someone called in. Certainly there are a couple of people in our unit who are chronic absentees, but the vast majority of us play by the rules.
The reason for needing to know what the symptoms are is due to the H1N1 and the Seasonal flu. We have had a couple of employees come down with them and have been told by the medical communities that we need to be this cautious.
Where I work, if you call in sick, you have to find a replacement. I was sick last sat. I had been in the ER friday night. My boss didn't care. She said if I couldn't find a replacement, I would have to come in. It didn't matter I had chest pain, shortness of breath, and a fever. That made me feel very unappreciated. Like all I am is some piece of meat. I've been there since aug. That was my first time calling in, and I was really sick. ER DR wrote a note for 3 days off. That didn't happen!
One facility I worked at back in early 2000, had an incentive absentee policy designed by their own employees. It went like this: More than 8 abscences in a year, you were fired, period. Anytime you covered for someone else, even if that was your only shift that week, you were automatically paid double time. This place was another wonderful place I worked in. Unfortunately for me, I exceeded the abscenses due to hospitalization, and was fired. They didn't accept doctor's excuses.
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
As someone who has hobbled to work on crutches with a broken foot and gone to work with an IV running through a mid line, you can tell it's obvious I don't much like calling out nor do I like people who do it for little to no reason. I've worked in many places and have heard every excuse there is. If you're truly sick, stay home but please don't call out because you think so little of your job and your co workers that you partied too much the night before and are now hung over. I'm very sorry if one of your kids is sick, but bringing in a note from THEIR doctor doesn't excuse YOUR absence.
I live in what some consider a resort destination. There are many distractions here during the summer months. One facility gave a bonus to employees who didn't call out during the summer months. There were 2 pay out periods...one from May through June and the second from July through Labor Day. The chronic callers out still called out but not as much, and those employees who did the right thing and went to work got a bonus. It was, I think 25 or 50 cents an hour for every hour worked during those 2 time periods.
pennyaline
348 Posts
I believe the OP said that the policy is that staff who call in sick close to the start of their shifts are required to come in and be assessed. That is a common requirement that I've found in every place I've worked. For some facilities the deadline was two hours before the start of shift, in others it was four hours. Call in after the deadline and you will have to come to work to be assessed by the charge nurse on duty. The policy is in place because it's so hard to find replacement staff so close to start time, and it is also to discourage staff from accepting that last minute invitation to that great party and such like.
I have also worked in places that asked staff to find their own replacements when calling in, but it was enforced mostly during holidays or during periods of low staffing numbers in order to prevent frivolous call ins and to discourage staff who were chronic call ins as it was unlikely that anyone would be willing to cover for them under those circumstances.