Ok. Maybe that isn't a fair title. Perhaps some of the excuses are true. But I would like to see what others have been told as far as why someone called off. Here's a few of my favorites:
1. My babysitter is in jail so I can't come in.
2. I burned my hand on some food so I can't work today.
3. I forgot I had to work today, so I stayed up too late and am too tired to come in.
4. My child got stung by a bee (several hours ago) so I don't want to come in.
5. I'm mad at (supervisor) so I'm not working today.
I have used "I'm stressed to death and am taking a "mental health" day today." Yes, I was wrote for an absence, lol. But I was being honest. Anyway, what have you heard?
Not a call-off, but one place I worked we were orienting a new nurse and she excused herself from a meeting to go to the bathroom...and never came back. Ever.
I would say pretty good for an exit without drama.
I don't believe you need to give an excuse, but my facility wants one. I just won't be there, okay? Simple as that. If they're using it to determine who is just trying to get out of work, look at the call-out patterns, not the reasons given.
I had just bought my first new house, I needed a ceiling fan hung. A co-worker's husband was an electrician, she offered his services to hang the fan.
Like a loon. I accepted her offer. He fell though the ceiling landing on my brand new couch and coffee table, bringing down a ton of fluffy fiberglass insulation. I was scheduled to work 3-11, and called in that I had a 6x6 foot hole in my ceiling. I never got all the insulation out of that sofa, and his wife never spoke to me again!
They only gave me $50 toward the $250 repair bill.
Our one director called in with so many odd episodes. She told us her son had his appendix out at least 3 times. We loved her, she was very pro nurse. There used to be a calendar of best call in excuses. We bought one and slipped it under her door. Another director quit over the phone on her first day. We were all waiting to welcome her.
One night I was charge nurse and during the day shift there was a brand new travel nurse that completed her first day of her six week travel assignment. She left at about 8:15 which is pretty good time. Just slightly over the 7:30 goal. She called me at about 9:00 saying she was never coming back again. She couldn't believe how late she had gotten out of work and wasn't going to do that ever again. Seriously, 45 minutes? Most days I'm thrilled to be out with only 45 minutes over.
A new-ish intern dropped her keys down the garbage chute when taking out the trash and decided to jump down after them. Fractured her ankle on the way into the chute and was stranded in the garbage until someone heard her pleas for help several hours later. turned out to be a true excuse, they brought her to the ED for her fx, and there was garbage all over her. That one hit the hospital grapevine and people are still giggling about it.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Altitude sickness. Nearest mountain waaayyyyy far away. Coulda been true I guess, but she had a history of absentee creativisms. :-) Another lady had more d*** sick grandsons.....just when one should be getting better another grandson would appear!
Ruas61, BSN, RN
1,368 Posts
I would say pretty good for an exit without drama.