Report or not?

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I work 32 hours in 3 days every weekend as a GNA while going to nursing school. I get off of work @ 730 am on Sunday morning and have to be back @ 3pm Sunday afternoon. I usually wake up around 130pm to try to get as much rest as I can. When I woke up this past Sunday I felt kinda sick. I still got myself ready for work. As I was getting ready I felt worse and worse but by this time it was 200pm and I had to be there in 1 hour. I didnt want to call out so I decided to go in to work to talk to my supervisor face to face so she could see that i didnt feel well and then let me go bk home. Well when I go there she was nowhere to be found so I had to wait for her to call on my unit to check staffing. The charge nurse told me to wait in the back because she could visibly see that I felt terrible. So when the supervisor called she said YES!!!sounding very irritated...I told her that I didnt feel well and that my temp was 99.7. She begin to tell me that is not an extremely high temp. I told her my temp usually runs low so 99.7 is high for me. She says "Did a doctor tell you that your normal temp is low cuz thats sounds abnormal to me."...She says y didnt u call out. I said cuz it was so late and I didnt wanna call out an hr before the start of my shift so I thought it would look better if i showed my face. Then she goes on to tell me that calling out with my symptoms would have been better (this i know is false because she wouldve been giving me this same attitude). I told her I dont feel well and she asked "So what u wanna go home?"...I said yes i do and she said "BYE" and then hung up the phone. I was so upset because I have been working every weekend at this place for the past 3 yrs without any problems and rarely call out, if so only for my daughter who has major health issues. I mentioned the conversation to my charge nurse and she said she talked to her like that too when she called out and I should report her...What do u think?

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Specializes in pediatric and geriatric.

I would not report her. I think one hour notice would have been better than just showing up and wanting to go home. She was just frustrated and needed to go make some calls to cover your shift.

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Specializes in cardiac, oncology.

IMHO you should have called in even at one hour. Now you have left them with no time to get coverage. A temp elevation of 99.7 is not a fever (no matter what you average temperature is). I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but you are an adult now and if you are sick stay home. If you come in and we send you home, it will still count against you as an absence.

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I didnt WANT to hear anything. I was just curious as to what others thought. Maybe you are right,but this lady doesnt know how to talk to people and I dont think her attitude is professional regardless of the situation. Thanks for the input.

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She may have responded the same way if you called in an hour earlier but an hour's notice as other's have said is better than no notice. I've been a charge nurse and when people come to work sick and then expect to go home because they are sicker than they thought it makes things very difficult.. It is much harder to find extra help on a moment's notice than an hours notice.

You also don't have to have a temperature to be too sick to work so whether your fever is 99.7 in irrelevant if you don't feel well you don't feel well.

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If it were me, I would not report. If it is still bothering you then maybe you should go directly to her. Tell her straight up that you felt she spoke in an unprofessional manner (in a non-hostile way). It will probably just open up a new can of worms, but I really think communicating with the person directly is better in these kind of situations (although usually not what moste people want to do). Sometimes people don't realize how they come across...sometimes they don't care.

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I will know better next time. I had no intention at first of not going to work...I wanted to work at least until 8pm to get my people in the bed. It wasnt until I was on my way there that I realized I couldnt work like that. I didnt want to leave them shorthanded. The only reason why i mentioned what my temperature was because I just took it. In the future i will just call out.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

As a manager I had rather the employee call off, even if it is not within the established minimum time, instead of showing up and immediately wanting to leave. Once the employee shows up my staffing is already in place, and it's tough to arrange for someone to come in for a shift already in progress.

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Specializes in ICU.

When I worked as a CNA I'd rather have had a coworker call in as soon as she thought she wasn't going to be able to make it, rather than show up feeling awful and asking to get sent home. With an hour notice my hospital could get - if nothing else - an agency CNA in there in time for a smooth shift change. When a CNA shows up but wants to leave right away, she's already been assigned a team. If she leaves, her patients get reassigned to the rest of us, slowing down report and getting started on vitals, and giving everyone extra patients when we're already stretched as thin as we can go. I would MUCH rather a coworker call out as soon as possible rather than her show up and want to leave right away. :( Sure, sometimes things come up. Sometimes you get sick right before you need to be there, sometimes you get sick on your way there, sometimes you get sick walking in the door. I would call and explain as soon as you can, let staffing deal with it, and then get some rest. I totally understand your supervisor's frustration, although she probably shouldn't have taken it out on you by being rude. I would just handle it differently next time.

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If this was the worst attitude you have ever received from her, consider yourself lucky. She was perturbed at the entire idea of being bothered and having to attempt to get a replacement at the last minute and it reflected in how she talked to you. Very, very few managers would have given you the tea and crumpets "there, there now dear" speech that apparently you were expecting. You need to develop a thicker skin for the workplace.

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Specializes in Case Management.

The other issue would be bringing your illness with you to your place of work and possibly spreading it to others.

As far as reporting her, I don't think I would go that route. You are going to meet a TON of inappropriate and rude people, some of whom will be your superiors. You won't be getting any satisfaction out of it may as well learn to grow a thick skin and don't let her attitude bother you.

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Specializes in LTC.

I have to admit that I get irritated when sick cnas come to work just to ask to go home. We don't need to see that you are sick in person. Calling out even one hr would be better than coming in. Ofcourse I'm a nice person so I never be mean about it. The supervisor should have had a better tone. But don't report her. If you reported every rude nurse or don you will be reporting all day. However do stand up for yourself and demand respect.

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