Was I wrong to call in sick?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2005

Of course you did the right thing. If you're sneezing and coughing, you are contageous.

Sometimes we are sick and it's inconveinent for the institution and that's just the way it is.

Take care of yourself.

boulergirl, CNA · Sep 26, 2005

Would you have felt better if you got your patients sick?

Of course the supervisor was not pleased--calling out means you inconvenience them and then they have to find you a replacement. NOT YOUR PROBLEM.

BTW, when our boss made us watch CNA training videos--for the umpteenth time--there was a part that made us all chuckle. It's the skit where someone calls in sick and the supervisor says sweetly, "Okay, thank you for letting us know. Now you just stay home and take care of yourself." Yeah right! :rotfl:

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2005

You know, it has always driven me nuts that places of employment will say they don't want you coming in to work if you are sick with cold or flu because they don't want the patient's catching these things. Yet, call off and you get flak--especially if it happens a lot as it tends to do with people who have small children. Then, the employers start harping about following the attendance policy.

The answer to your question is that in a perfect world we shouldn't go to work if we are sick. However, in the real world you will get into trouble with your attendance if you call in sick too much. I've never yet heard of a supervisor or manager go up to a nurse with a stuffy nose, cough, and sneezing saying, "I think you better go home." It's never going to happen. Sorry, but welcome to the real world.

As for getting the "attitude" when you called off. . .when I was in supervision we took a lot of the call-offs. I never gave anyone attitude. We had a huge ledger where we wrote the name of the person calling off and the time along with a reason if they gave one. As far as I and a lot of the other supervisors were concerned it wasn't our business why people were calling off. It would be the manager's concern to track their attendance. The most shocking call-off I ever got was a young lady who called off and calmly told me she had been raped. "Raped!" I nearly shouted. "Are you OK?" "I'll be fine", she told me and hung up. She never came back to work. I still wonder to this day what happened to her. Getting back on subject here, I do know of some managers, supervisors and staffing office clerks who will argue with people calling off and want to know why and try to get them to come in to work anyway. That irks me to no end. We're all adults and there is no reason to be treated like a delinquent child.

L&Dnurse2Be · Sep 26, 2005

We're all adults and there is no reason to be treated like a delinquent child.

I completely agree!!! :yeahthat:

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2005

You know it is inconvenient when somebody calls in sick lets not pretend it isnt. But you know what is more inconvenient and that is when the person who came in with the cold and flu generously passes around all the staff and patients and then it becomes an epidemic, and not just an inconvenience.

If your sick stay off I dont want your flu, because I always have to resemble a dying person with it.:rotfl:

misschelei · Sep 26, 2005

It's always annoying when you are not feeling well to begin with and you get a heaping dose of guilt to go with it for trying to do the right thing. Get a Dr note if you can to CYA and get some rest.

Judee Smudee, ADN, RN · Sep 26, 2005

Time for someone to do a study. What they should do is encourage people who are infectious to stay home. They should punish managers and supervisors who put a guilt trip on people who call off. Then they should see what happens to call offs. I bet they will go down! My managers and supervisors always took the stance that all call off were unnecessary. This resulted in infectious persons coming to work and spreading the infection and the number of call offs would go up. IF there is a small number of persons who abuse sick time focus on them when frowning on sick time. My experience is that most employees come in sick as opposed to that small number that abuse it. It is time for someone to figure out if what I know as only a gut feeling is true or not.

BabyRN2Be · Sep 26, 2005

Maybe your super was thinking you didn't have a cold, rather allergies with coughing and sneezing. There are some people who think that you should be able to work with a BAD allergy attack. After all, you aren't contagious. But people might want to think about a few things:

1. If you have allergies, chances are that you're on medication whether OTC or prescription. While they do alleviate symptoms, you're possibly left with side effects such as sleepiness, or not feeling as mentally alert. Anyone smell possible error? Medication or otherwise?

2. How does that look to the pts when they have a caretaker who is sneezing and coughing all over them? It doesn't look good when caretakers have the appearance that they are possibly contaminating their patients, even though it is allergies.

This is especially timely since we are in the middle of ragweed season. My husband and I suffer terribly from allergies. We both go around with red eyes, sneezing, coughing during the night and generally not feeling well. If either of us takes an antihistamine, both of us hate the "spaced out" feeling.

I just wish some people would give those of us a break who do have legitimate problems, whether it be a cough/cold or allergy problems.

Anyhow, that's enough of my rant... back to the real world.

nurseinmo · Sep 26, 2005

Is it me or does it always seem like the more you call in the less they care and those of us who only call in when we really are sick are the ones who are treated poorly? Hope you feel better soon! :rolleyes:

Blackcat99 · Sep 26, 2005

Thanks all.:) I am glad I called in sick. I work in hospice. If I had a "dying" parent and some nurse would come in coughing and sneezing all over my "loved one" I would be furious. :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Sep 26, 2005

I would not have wanted you as my nurse if you were sick.