Sick employees in the workplace

[KDSkyy44]

Hello all

I had a question regarding others experiences with their facilities and what is considered appropriate and the norm for nurses and CNAs in healthcare.

6 days ago I came down sick. It started as an irritated cough in my throat. The next morning I was god awfully sick with severe jaw and neck pain that turned into headaches shoulder aches occasionally on and off body aches/joint pain. The cough continued, dry, sometimes productive sometimes not. I eventually almost lost my voice it would come and go or be deep and raspy. I walked into work with a low grade fever. They gave me Tylenol and sent me to work. It is a LTC facility so we are always short staffed and I know I can't call out. I only have once. I got chewed out for even requesting to leave at 10 pm that night if my assignment was done since we usually are sitting around for the last hour anyway. The nurse ended up having to send me home early at 9 that night because she said I looked too sick. I went in the next day with no voice and then mustered through my busy weekend. It's now 6 days later and my days are better but the nights I'm up coughing really bad, in such severe pain I can't sleep, and running fevers runny nose and sometimes green; It was 8 hours of torture. I'm apparently ill enough that I shouldn't be working. I am weak so I tell the aides I need assistance with allllll my transfers so I don't put anyone at risk.

With that said, I was wondering what then constitutes a sick day. How does it work in your facility?

Your insight is appreciated.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

You should be seen by your MD. Especially working in LTC, the residents are at risk if one is working and is that ill. See if your MD suggests treatment, and if your MD suggests that you need to be off of work.

You should never walk into work if you are ill and could be contagious.

[RLtinker, LPN]

You should be seen by your MD. Especially working in LTC, the residents are at risk if one is working and is that ill. See if your MD suggests treatment, and if your MD suggests that you need to be off of work.

You should never walk into work if you are ill and could be contagious.

I second this. If you been sick for nearly a week, then why haven't you been to the doctor?

[klone, MSN, RN]

I agree with PPs. I totally get being short-staffed and not wanting to call out, especially if the culture there frowns upon it. But you sound seriously sick (like, "need a doctor and some abx" sick), and you're exposing your coworkers and your patients when you come in in that condition. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

If you work in LTC, then you are most likely working with frail elderly and immune compromised residents! It is totally inappropriate for you to work sick.

[Despareux]

Are you at least wearing a mask when you're around these patients?

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

You should have called in. You should not go to work sick with a fever, you could be contagious. Putting other staff and frail elderly patients at risk. I totally understand not wanting to call in because of staffing, but working when sick helps no one. Go to see your PCP and get treatment.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Are you at least wearing a mask when you're around these patients?

​What about the co-workers, too? No one wants your creeping crud. Stay home and go to the doctor.

[BellionRN]

Easier said then done to stay home.

While I agree that it's inappropriate to go to work sick & especially contagious, and everyone always says "don't come to work sick, you'll make everyone else sick", what they really mean is "I'm just saying that to sound good... come to work no matter how awful you feel because if you don't you'll be put on a disciplinary program EVEN THOUGH you have accumulated more than enough sick hours by working all the time and are entitled to use them. In addition, we'll ***** & moan & be judgmental about your sick call".

This drives me nuts. We accumulate sick hours based on how many hours we work (like vacation). However, you're only allowed to use 40 hours in a year if you're 50% PPT and 80 hours in a year if you're Full-Time, because "that's the average". Doesn't matter if you're in a temporary full-time position or have a part-time position and work full-time hours, you're still expected to use only 40 hours or less in a year. If you use more than the "average" (not sure who came up with this average...) you get a letter about how you're an awful person for using the sick hours you have banked... and some units even put you in a program where you're not allowed to pick up any OT if you've been sick however much. Now that rule I understand to a certain extent because I've seen some nurses abuse it, for example calling in sick for their scheduled shifts (which they get paid for), and then coming in for a booked OT shift and getting paid the OT rate. However, if you're sick you're sick, you have these hours available to you for a reason. If you don't want them used, why are you allowing us to accumulate & bank them?

I got one of these "bad girl" letters because I had the flu 4 times in a year and I had a back flare-up... I used 70 hours in a year. I was in a temp full-time position for 6 months of this, and the other 6 months I was in my part-time picking up full-time hours... so really I should have been allowed the 80 hours, but no, of course not, that would make sense. When you think about it, even 80 hours in a year isn't very much. Our full-time rotations are 48 hours in 4 days... so if you get the flu (the kind that knocks you on your butt for a week), that's one stretch wrote-off right there.

Anyway! I'm the type that if I'm sick I stay home, because of the reasons mentioned above; I worked in an ICU and didn't want to put my already compromised patients at risk. Now I work in Emerge so I don't feel as bad (jk). I just hate the BS that goes along with calling in sick for your shift... it's annoying and gives me more stress on top of being sick and feeling bad that I'm leaving my co-workers short.

Haha sorry that turned into a rant. Rant over. Proceed.

PS: OP, I hope you're feeling better! Sounds like a miserable time you've been having!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Just friendly caution - per the terms of service, we don't allow asking or giving medical advice. Thanks.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Easier said then done to stay home.

While I agree that it's inappropriate to go to work sick & especially contagious, and everyone always says "don't come to work sick, you'll make everyone else sick", what they really mean is "I'm just saying that to sound good... come to work no matter how awful you feel because if you don't you'll be put on a disciplinary program EVEN THOUGH you have accumulated more than enough sick hours by working all the time and are entitled to use them. In addition, we'll ***** & moan & be judgmental about your sick call".

This drives me nuts. We accumulate sick hours based on how many hours we work (like vacation). However, you're only allowed to use 40 hours in a year if you're 50% PPT and 80 hours in a year if you're Full-Time, because "that's the average". Doesn't matter if you're in a temporary full-time position or have a part-time position and work full-time hours, you're still expected to use only 40 hours or less in a year. If you use more than the "average" (not sure who came up with this average...) you get a letter about how you're an awful person for using the sick hours you have banked... and some units even put you in a program where you're not allowed to pick up any OT if you've been sick however much. Now that rule I understand to a certain extent because I've seen some nurses abuse it, for example calling in sick for their scheduled shifts (which they get paid for), and then coming in for a booked OT shift and getting paid the OT rate. However, if you're sick you're sick, you have these hours available to you for a reason. If you don't want them used, why are you allowing us to accumulate & bank them?

I got one of these "bad girl" letters because I had the flu 4 times in a year and I had a back flare-up... I used 70 hours in a year. I was in a temp full-time position for 6 months of this, and the other 6 months I was in my part-time picking up full-time hours... so really I should have been allowed the 80 hours, but no, of course not, that would make sense. When you think about it, even 80 hours in a year isn't very much. Our full-time rotations are 48 hours in 4 days... so if you get the flu (the kind that knocks you on your butt for a week), that's one stretch wrote-off right there.

Anyway! I'm the type that if I'm sick I stay home, because of the reasons mentioned above; I worked in an ICU and didn't want to put my already compromised patients at risk. Now I work in Emerge so I don't feel as bad (jk). I just hate the BS that goes along with calling in sick for your shift... it's annoying and gives me more stress on top of being sick and feeling bad that I'm leaving my co-workers short.

Haha sorry that turned into a rant. Rant over. Proceed.

PS: OP, I hope you're feeling better! Sounds like a miserable time you've been having!

No, I'm saying it because several years ago I wound up getting very ill because someone came in to work febrile, hacking and snotting all over the place. I wound up in the hospital, and the damage I had from the subsequent respiratory infection caused permanent harm. So yeah, I really mean it.

In my experience, people who come in to work that sick aren't doing the rest of us any favors. They're dragging around and need the rest of us to pick up their slack. Just stay home, get better and come back able to work.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

No, I'm saying it because several years ago I wound up getting very ill because someone came in to work febrile, hacking and snotting all over the place. I wound up in the hospital, and the damage I had from the subsequent respiratory infection caused permanent harm. So yeah, I really mean it.

In my experience, people who come in to work that sick aren't doing the rest of us any favors. They're dragging around and need the rest of us to pick up their slack. Just stay home, get better and come back able to work.

Agreed. Don't be a martyr. Stay home if you're sick.