RN never feels guilty when calling out

toomuchbaloney · Apr 27, 2015

In my experience nurses who work for chronically understaffed units and facilities feel guilty when they take time off sick. They feel guilty because they are caused to feel guilty by management practice. That is a form of bad management which uses the empathy of employees against them in order to foster an environment where people do not feel that they have the flexibility to take a day off work without preplanning. In my view it is a form of abuse.

~PedsRN~, BSN, RN · Apr 27, 2015

I have horrible guilt when I call out, because I know that it means that more than likely I am going to be leaving my unit short and struggling. I harbor no guilt towards my administrators or the hospital... but to my teammates that I am about to screw? I absolutely feel guilt.

Farawyn · Apr 28, 2015

Ugh, I did call out and my sub couldn't work and the agency couldn't send anyone. So no nurse. They called the mom of the kid who gets Diastat for seizures (just in case) and my secretary is probably losing her mind.

So, I feel awful. But, diarrhea knows no guilt.

guest449786 · Apr 29, 2015

What's to feel guilty about? It can be very subjective, much like pain, but if you're legitimately sick then there's nothing to feel guilty about. Unless you intentionally got yourself sick just to have off. Highly unlikely, but I used to work for a major fitness chain that is now bankrupt, and a coworker was caught throwing himself down the steps to collect disability. Same goes for "psychological" sick days, if you don't feel up to it and don't think you're capable of giving safe care that day then call off guilt free. You aren't doing yourself any favors and ultimately you aren't doing your patients any favors.

toomuchbaloney · Apr 29, 2015

I have horrible guilt when I call out, because I know that it means that more than likely I am going to be leaving my unit short and struggling. I harbor no guilt towards my administrators or the hospital... but to my teammates that I am about to screw? I absolutely feel guilt.

I disagree that when you call off to utilize the paid sick time that is part of your compensation package that YOU are somehow SCREWING your co-workers. Instead, the correct interpretation would be that when you utilize your rightful benefit and your employer does not replace your man hours, THEY NOT YOU are screwing the remaining staff.

ClaraRedheart, BSN, RN · Apr 30, 2015

I called out once in my short (so far) career as a nurse. Once for pyelonephritis.

When I was in nursing school, and working as a tech... I went to the school doc because I got a cold. A patient had mentioned "Why are you here if you're sick? You could make the rest of us more sick?" I felt guilty of course, and paid what little $$ I had out of pocket to go see the MD. He said "You're going to get sick. You work in a hospital. If you don't show up, there might not be enough to care for the patient's. It's a risk that needs to be taken if you can control the symptoms. Use good hand hygiene."

That's been my mentality since. Like Elsa (Frozen) "Conceal don't feel, don't let it show". Last time I was miserably sick at work, I blew an eardrum not long after getting off because of serious sinus congestion. I was in excruciating pain the entire time at work, and it was hard not feel resentful while pushing dilaudid for my patient who had an 9/10 pain while playing candy crush on her tablet and laughing on the phone. Grr... I'd have paid TWICE what I made that shift to just go home.

Granted, I'm not a martyr, and if I'd have felt like that BEFORE coming in to work, I'd have stayed home. I'm NOT going to leave my co-workers with a mess though. My sense of responsibility is greater than my perception of pain, most of the time.

cardiacfreak, ADN · May 2, 2015

I am part of management and I DO feel bad when my staff is short. We are having staffing challenges currently and I have worked the last 6 days out of 7 even though my schedule is 3 12 hour shifts per week.

If there wasn't a call-in or tardy policy can you only imagine the amount of call-ins? I don't enjoy writing people up but I have to think about the unit as a whole. And if we are going to be real honest, how many people call in and are not sick? I have had nurses call off and post pictures on Facebook with their family at the zoo!

If you are sick you should not feel guilty for calling off, but some peoples idea of sick is not really being sick...IJS

macfar28 · May 2, 2015

I commend you cardiacfreak for covering the unit. Sadly, that has never occurred in my career.

My hospital has a no fault policy and they truly don't see a difference between calling out because you're in the hospital or calling out because you're at the beach. So some employees reason, then why should I care? It seems to me if an MD's documentation is good enough for FMLA, why isn't it for an absence?

And speaking of FMLA...

We have some employees who frequently use their FMLA to get time off. One tech I work with calls out every Sunday because she doesn't like working that day and then makes it up on Thursdays. No guilt there.

cardiacfreak, ADN · May 2, 2015

I commend you cardiacfreak for covering the unit. Sadly, that has never occurred in my career.
My hospital has a no fault policy and they truly don't see a difference between calling out because you're in the hospital or calling out because you're at the beach. So some employees reason, then why should I care? It seems to me if an MD's documentation is good enough for FMLA, why isn't it for an absence?
And speaking of FMLA...
We have some employees who frequently use their FMLA to get time off. One tech I work with calls out every Sunday because she doesn't like working that day and then makes it up on Thursdays. No guilt there.

Please don't get me started on FMLA! I know it is a good thing for people who need it and use it appropriately, however, I have a few nurses who are abusing it, and there is nothing I can do about it.

Mama Jules · May 6, 2015

I call out if I'm afraid what I have is contagious (i.e., fever, sore throat, chills, diarrhea, n/v) but not for headache, fatigue, soreness, general aches and pains ( I'm almost 50 with too many 12 hour shifts on cement floors).

However, I have always been a strong advocate for separating general "PTO" days from actual "sick leave" days (the latter only being used when out 3 or more days with a doctor's excuse). My employer lumps all PTO days together, but continues to stick to his guns concerning the above mentioned qualifying events for "sick pay". In other words, if you schedule PTO ahead of time for purposes other than being sick, it is granted; but if you generally feel sick enough to stay home but not sick enough to go see a physician, you cannot get your PTO time authorized. What is happening is that staff is catching on and going to ER's or stand-alone clinics where the physicians are all too happy to give them work excuses and taking their money for what could be managed with a day or two at home. I personally couldn't care less, because it's a crappy policy (I do hate that some of our employees that make just above minimum wage have to pay for a doc's excuse) but I can never bring myself to do it. And, I don't have co-worker guilt. I am presently employed as the only full time MDS coordinator so my work waits on me to return. I've just never been able to say I'm sick when I'm really not, and I HATE coming back to an overloaded work desk. :)