What was the REAL reason you called off

Nurses General Nursing

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As I'm sitting in my doctor's office waiting to get a flu swab, I thought I'd start a thread. I called in yesterday from the flu. The worst of it actually began tuesday, I had a fever Wednesday, and I still went to work. When I was still feeling pretty drained yesterday, I called in. My nurse manager used scare tactics with me and told me that I had to get tested to be sure it WAS the flu. That pissed me off. I have the right to give no excuse period. Anyhoo...

We've had threads where we've posted the funniest, dumbest and most amusing reasons people have given to call off. So I thought I'd start a thread asking....so what was the REAL reason you have called off when giving an excuse? This isn't meant to encourage unethical behavior, but I thought it would be fun.

One time I called in sick when the flu was going around because I had not had an ounce of sleep in 4 days. I had already called off for that before, and boy was my DON pissed. (I've suffered from crazy insomnia issues for years and have worked with my doctors to no avail.)

My managers clearly didn't get the severity of my sleep deprivation nor care how dangerous it would be for me to be on the floor with lives in my hands saying it was my responsibility to get proper sleep at night, as if I had control over it. So I wasn't about to say it was due to sleep again. So I called in sick saying I had the flu.

How about you all?

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I've taken sick days, mental health days, and "I'm sick" interviewing elsewhere days. The last two due to management practices that created a toxic work environment that the majority of staff are looking to escape.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I recently had to call out because I backed out of the garage without first opening the garage door. Bent the door enough that I couldn't get my car out.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
As you said, you do NOT have to give a reason. Management cannot ask the reason, or ask for your PHI.

I have called off because I could not sleep. I have also called off because it was time for a mental health day. Neither are unethical.

Exactly! Regardless of what my reasons are that I've called off, they aren't unethical and they are justified to me. I have never abuse the system and have never gone above my "allotted" sick calls for the year, so regardless of why I call off it is none of their business. I have told them the same thing every I have called off over my years, whether it was because I was truly sick or because as others have stated I needed a mental health day. It is not their business why I am calling off.

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I recently had to call out because I backed out of the garage without first opening the garage door. Bent the door enough that I couldn't get my car out.

You must have been exhausted = time for a mental health day. Had a nurse call of in the Blackout of 2004, her garage door opener did not work:sarcastic: . This ICU nurse could not figure out how to open the door manually. NOT an excuse per administration.

Be well.

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Specializes in ER.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=0ahUKEwiP96i QvYnSAhVh9IMKHWlMCD8QwqsBCDwwBA&usg=AFQjCNF1sHlk2z 9QIx28jtvfnGP_UlkifA

You must have been exhausted = time for a mental health day. Had a nurse call of in the Blackout of 2004, her garage door opener did not work:sarcastic: . This ICU nurse could not figure out how to open the door manually. NOT an excuse per administration.

Be well.

Thanks to Google, now I know

[video=youtube_share;CDoDCYP9MBc]

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Specializes in Care Coordination, Care Management.

The last time I called off - I was on my way to work, pouring rain, and my windshield wiper messed up - it somehow caught and then flipped. My position is very flexible in regards to calling-off.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

"My hair is sick."

Really!!! Had to call in for a sick day when my hair turned a bright cherry neon pink, back in the days when it was NOT the fashion to have such colored hair. And I was in a job position that was not typical nursing, but was business office oriented

I used to use temporary hair color rinses; they would rinse out by the third or fourth shampoo. It was supposed to become a light coppery auburn red. A normal auburn.

But I bought a new brand rinse without really checking out the box or pictures. 'Foxy red'. It was NOT intended for my hair type, but I used it anyway after checking it out. I carefully followed the instructions, but after just a few minutes (NOWHERE near the prescribed time), my hair was a flaming cherry pink!

Over that weekend, I washed my hair 16 times. I even went to my hairdresser later for help to tone it down. But I could only let it fade out on its own.

But that Friday, I had to call out - "my hair was sick".

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My rule is that I call in sick if I can't stand up, or if I can't control one or more of my bodily fluids. I think I did take a sick day once years ago when I was interviewing for another job.

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I worked at one facility that routinely mandated its nurses to cover any and all holes in the schedule. It was bad. So when I was asked to be the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding, I was terrified of getting my vacation request denied. I called in that one day. They still tried calling me in to work mere hours later... "No, still sick..."

Other than that, all my call ins have been due to illness or daycare closings. Pretty boring.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

The most I call off for is bronchitis/laryngitis. I lose my voice to the point of gravel-ly, deep, scratchy, barely understandable low volume; where my doctor literally told me not to talk for three days during one episode.

I can barely tell staffing I'm not coming in, and they assure me that noone wants a nurse that sounds like that.

And of course, the time I took off 7 months for a double mastectomy and a whole lot of chemo and radiation. Went back light duty during the 2nd bout of chemo, and during the 7 weeks of daily zapping. Funny, nobody called to see if I could "come in anyway" :whistling:

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If I put myself in a patient/visitor's shoes, and if I would be grossed out to see me care for that patient, I stay home. Like I am tonight.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
My rule is that I call in sick if I can't stand up, or if I can't control one or more of my bodily fluids. I think I did take a sick day once years ago when I was interviewing for another job.

This! In 10 years I've called in twice for legit illness as above, once for a car accident on the way to work the car was totaled and twice when I was so disgusted with things that I was on my way out. So the tally in a decade is 3 legit and 2 where I wanted to burn some of my sick time. The truth is if they had offered PTO which I could have cashed out when I left instead of sick time I wouldn't have called out for the latter either. Actually the sick vs PTO is a suggestion I'm going to add in the other running thread about sick calls. :)

I'm pleasantly surprised and would love to work with most of you who have posted here as it sounds like you are dedicated employees.

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