Should I call off?

No Stars In My Eyes · Jan 8, 2015

I've seen facilities that have signs posted on all the outside doors NOT to enter if you have certain symptoms; yet these are the same places that get bent out of shape if any of the staff calls in sick. There's always been a double-standard in health care, in that the staff is not 'allowed' to be sick and are treated suspiciously for taking care of themselves first. IT IS DOWNRIGHT STUPID!

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Jan 8, 2015

I think rule of thumb is if you have to ask strangers on the internet if you're too sick or not to work, they answer is probably yes.

We have a running facial expression lately here at work. The front will send a message back "Mrs. X is on the phone, she has XYZ symptoms, but wants to know if she should still come in b/c she doesn't want to get behind on her shots". Um, yes, by all means, come in and infect a dozen of us. Then we'll have to cancel patients when you've infected our MD and 100 people will get behind on their shots. :madface: So now we can tell when someone is reading one of those messages, just by the facial expression~~

forgivenfaith119 · Jan 8, 2015

For heaven's sake, a doctor's office is for sick people. Sometimes management WILL hold call outs against you. Anytime I have called out due to being ill, I went to the doctor. I have never had management hold my call outs against me due to always having documentation and following the policy. ðŸ˜ŠðŸ‘

forgivenfaith119 · Jan 8, 2015

This is my opinion and experience though. We all have different opinions! ðŸ‘

RNKPCE · Jan 8, 2015

There is no way I am running to the doctor every time I am sick(which is not often) usually a day or two and I am better. I am not paying a co-pay and dragging myself out of the house to see a doctor only because my call out will look better. I go to the doctor when I need to. I think at my work you need to be seen after 4 sick days in a row, not 1 sick day, which seems more appropriate.

I also don't get how the OP was told she was calling off sick too early??? I've heard of too late(but even then if you have to call off late or leave work because you become sick you have to).

I'm amazed at how many post there on on this forum about "should I call off?" etc. or guilt about calling off. If you are legitimately sick, call in end of story. It must be because some employers give staff such a hard time. Fortunately I have never had to worry about that with my employer.

calivianya, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2015

I wouldn't call out unless I was dying, personally. I would say look at your P&P. In a perfect world, you should call out, but if you are going to put yourself in a really bad spot I wouldn't do it. My job only gives us four call out days per year, for example. Two days of calling out in a row also counts as two call out days not one. It's a rolling year, too - I called out once in October so I only have three more days to call out until next October. There is no way I'm risking that unless I am so ill I'm about to be hospitalized, and I wouldn't expect anyone else to risk it either. I just wear a surgical mask all shift long and go about my business.

I feel guilty for possibly spreading the crud around, but I do still have a mortgage to pay. Last week, so many of my coworkers were sick that the healthy nurses were wearing masks, too. You know it's bad when there are 15 nurses working and 11 of them have that awful congested productive cough and several of them look nearly ready to pass out.

toomuchbaloney · Jan 9, 2015

I think if my employer is going to require that I go to the MD office when I am sick I am going to require my employer to pay my co-pay for the visit and reimburse my travel expense.

canigraduate · Jan 9, 2015

I personally call out when I need to, whether I'm sick or having a mental health day.

I don't enjoy working with people who are going to get me sick, or who can't do their job well because they are barely functioning. It actually makes me really angry.

I used to work with a bunch of martyrs who would get us all sick and make the rest of us cover their butts during the shift. I still get angry thinking about them.

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2015

Speaking as someone who ended up working with a 38.5 degree C temp (101 degrees F) who ended up making a med error that could have had disastrous results. Stay home and get yourself better.

Your work mates and residents dont want or need your bugs.

I am a BSN student working at a nursing home since June as a CNA. I have never called off from work for being sick until now, and am only consciously thinking so because this is my first healthcare related job. Anyways I am working 2nd shift tomorrow. I am achy, coughing, sneezing, have a headache and a fever of 99.8 (or close to a fever). There are a lot of sick people at the facility currently, both patients and staff. I am unsure of my ability to work effectively, and really don't want to spread it around. Is calling off okay? I don't want to be a sissy or anything, but I am sure if I go to work in my current state, I will infect someone. I'm gonna wait till tomorrow morning to be sure, but I'm not sure where to go on this.
Thanks for any help you can give.

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2015

if you are sick, call off asap, giving mgt. greater time to find replacement

This.

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2015

I got turned down. She said to call in tomorrow morning. Said it was too early for a "priority" call off or something. She sounded like she didn't believe me though. Maybe its just me. Idk.

Get a doctors certificate. My managers were sceptical of a recent absence due to illness. Until I took the hospital discharge paper work into them detailing my six days off work due to illness and surgery

Libby1987 · Jan 9, 2015

I think calling in 18ish hrs before your shift was premature with your symptoms, they could have improved and been mild enough to work. Not that you're not sick enough but I'd have asked to wait as well and see how you felt in the morning.