"Taking A Mental Health Day"

Nurses Stress 101

Published

Hi,

Just wanted to know everyones take on taking a mental health day. I had to take one today. I work on an extremely busy med-surg-tele-oncology floor and i am also a new nurse, almost 9 months into my career. I rarely ever call out but since we have been short staffed the past couple of months i have called out twice due to overwhelming stress and just being dog tired. Just want to know everyone take on taking mental health day and have you taken them?

:typing

Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

The only trouble with taking a "mental health day" is that it leaves your coworkers short and in need of a "mental health day" so when you come back they call off and next you need another "mental health day".... If you are sick and are contagious-call off I don't want your germs and neither do the patients. If you are feeling a tired and overwhelmed- schedule some LOA time next week or next mos to regroup and recharge- that way the floor can adjust the staffing and the rest of us don't get burnt out from working short. If the floor is chronicly overwhelming to you maybe it isn't the right place for you to work. If it's chronicaly overwhelming to everyone then it's going to take more than a few "mental health days" to fix whats broken with the system If that's the case I would look for a new position before a your "mental health days" becomes professional burnout and what brought you to nursing gets extiguished.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I want to take a mental health day. How sad is this, I am planning my mental health day in June. I am apart of nursing admin. and people may think that we sit in an office all day but we don't. I am on call 24hours a day 7 days a week. I am on the phone with the RX when meds aren't sent, I investigate all of those incident reports that are never filled out correctly. I am talking to all of the families that are high maintance.

I am talking to all of the nursing staff that called out over the weekend and explaining to them that they are on the schedual to work the following weekend. If some one calls out on 11-7 shift I am there. My boss does not like when I take off a monday or a friday because they are the most busy.( I havent taken one off yet).

This is such a stressful job and I do need a day off but I feel guilty leaving things not done. The thing is that I can spend 17 hours their and still not get everything done ( done that I want to get done.) I know that deep down It would benefit me.

Honestly their are days that I want to take a mental health day just so "I am Missed" for the day and others can see what I really do.

Ok. Thats it! I am going to take a day to myself for myself. I will not clean the house on that day also! I will keep you posted if I really do it! :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I want to take a mental health day. How sad is this, I am planning my mental health day in June. I am apart of nursing admin. and people may think that we sit in an office all day but we don't. I am on call 24hours a day 7 days a week. I am on the phone with the RX when meds aren't sent, I investigate all of those incident reports that are never filled out correctly. I am talking to all of the families that are high maintance.

I am talking to all of the nursing staff that called out over the weekend and explaining to them that they are on the schedual to work the following weekend. If some one calls out on 11-7 shift I am there. My boss does not like when I take off a monday or a friday because they are the most busy.( I havent taken one off yet).

This is such a stressful job and I do need a day off but I feel guilty leaving things not done. The thing is that I can spend 17 hours their and still not get everything done ( done that I want to get done.) I know that deep down It would benefit me.

Honestly their are days that I want to take a mental health day just so "I am Missed" for the day and others can see what I really do.

Ok. Thats it! I am going to take a day to myself for myself. I will not clean the house on that day also! I will keep you posted if I really do it! :yeah:

Good for you!!:yeah: I'm in the same boat (nursing admin), and if I don't take the occasional mental health day, I am NOT a happy camper. I honestly don't know how any nurse can maintain a five-day-a-week schedule.........I did it for six months recently and got so burned out that I almost quit entirely.

I never had this problem when I worked in factories, probably because it kept my hands busy but did little to occupy the mind. Nursing is challenging physically, mentally AND emotionally...........all I can handle is four days a week, and if I could afford it I'd only work two or three days.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

I am told : You should never let the job get to you that much. we all have bad days, Your upsetting the other nurses, SMILE, don't go into the med room to re-gain your composure. Folks this kind of nursing we are doing now is swo much different than my early career. If you don't get frustrated and feel that your letting the patients down, at times then your working out of apathy. Any nurse who thinks they can really gives the best of the care to 6-8 pts along with all the PR (public relations) BS, and all of this "Share Governace" stuff. I find the more electronic we get the farther from pt gave we are driven. just my opinion...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

How about a mental health month?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.
How about a mental health month?

Ya got my vote!!

But on a more serious note. With all the extra problems in nursing and with all the extra diseases sprending around and sickness in the general population. I think it's time to increase the amount of sick days in general for us. I don't care how much we take our precautions we still get more exposure then the general public. However we don't get the concern that the general public gets. It's kind of like the tales we.ve been told about lifting patients "if you use proper lifting techniques you will not hurt your back" fact is a 300-400lb pt is going to strain every muscle in your body... opps getting of tract.. well gotta take my lexapro and motrin....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med-surg.

sick days? you mean we actually get those?! the hospital i previously worked at didn't give us any. wouldn't even take a doctor's note!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

you know it seems so odd that as nurses we are one of the strongest work forces in this country but still it seems we have no power. In reality without us healthcare would cease...Wheres Woody Guthrie when we need him?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
How about a mental health month?

I took the month of November 2009 off. It was amazing. I came back so refreshed and ready for work.

I usually take two 2 or 3 week vacations a year (benefits of being in one facility 18 years and not being sickly). I don't routinely take a mental health day. In fact I haven't missed a day of working in about 2 years, enjoying robust health. Taking long vacations definitely helps. I'm taking two weeks the end of this month and having something to look forward to makes me less likely to burn out and call off for a mental health day.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cath Lab, EP.

I take a mental health day every couple months. I work hard, and I earn that time. I don't feel guilty at all.

I look at it like this:

1) I am not so special that the whole show is going to stop because I'm not there one day. They can transfer patients, use the float pool, pay one of the nurses who is on financially rough times to do some OT. They'll figure it out. That's why the manager gets paid the big bucks.

2) They are quick to cancel people at the drop of a hat when census is low. Why should they be able to make last minute decisions about how I use MY time off but I can't do the same thing?

3) If nurses started taking off MH days, maybe it will become apparent that we are over worked. Maybe work conditions will change for the better, or our work weeks will be shortened....okay, maybe I'm being a little too ambitious.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

I highly recommend mental health days; they have saved my sanity and career quite a few times especially during my first year of nursing. I wouldn't even claim to be sick.I would just tell my boss I needed a mental health day and that it would be better for me and the patients. She was very understanding and helped me survive those horrible days.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Mental Health Days are necessary to sustain us through the double double toil and trouble of life. I highly encourage the use of Mental Health Days, as they are rejuvenating when taken in reasonably good health. We take Sick Days in an attempt to get back to Status Quo. One of the things that helped me to feel better when I took a Sick Day was telling myself, "At least I'm getting paid for all this suffering".

However, I no longer take Mental Health Days. I work nine 8 hour shifts per pay these days. Compared to my history of working at least two different jobs, my current situation feels like I have two extra days a month off.

I've also noticed that I rarely take a Sick Day anymore. I believe that less work = less stress which = less illness.

Dave

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment