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.
Bronchitis so bad I could barely breathe and had a fever. No way was I going to compromise my patients or fellow workers. My mom died unexpectedly. I threw my back out, could not stand straight (the straightest I could stand was with my back at about 45 deg), no pain med worked, and the doctor said my back was gone for anything over 50 lbs.
Sorry youhad to deal with all of that, hope you are better.
I'm taking off work tomorrow and Tuesday because I'm passing dual kidney stones right now in the ER. They're discharging me and then hopefully I pass them tonight or tomorrow and can see the Urologist tomorrow or Tuesday.
I had a job interview. It just so happened that the best day for the interview was a day that I was scheduled to work. I didn't get the job but I'm not sorry that I called off sick. I was sticking my toe in the water of finding a new job so just getting my resume together, applying and going were big confidence boosters.
I've only called in at my current job twice in two and a half years. One time I had norovirus and was exploding out of both ends. The second time was last Halloween last year. I was in school full time (still am) and Halloween itself and the day after I had classes. They knew I had class during the week, and rearranged me onto Halloween anyway.
Nobody would switch with me - not even to have Saturday off in favor of working Monday (Halloween). I called out sick because going to my classes was way more important to me than going to work. I felt bad about that one because they were already short 6 nurses, and me calling out made them short 7... but honestly, they should have known better than to rearrange me onto a day I couldn't work. Very few people on my unit are in school full time.
First job, my first call in was to try to stay over another night with a guy I'd just met on a dating website, who I'd hit it off immediately with. I had just gotten broken up with a week before by a guy I was really deeply in love with and this new guy felt like a lifeline at the time. Didn't work out in the long run, and they gave me such hell that I went into work anyway. That was the only time I even tried to call out at that job.
I love how we have two topics circulating. One is "Preventing call ins" and the other is "What is the real reason you called off?"
Mental health days are definitely needed and necessary. I also called in after I worked all the winter holidays and had to work on my anniversary. I needed to spend some quality time with my hubby.
Anxiety, though I wasn't entirely untruthful when I called out for "GI Symptoms" because I was experiencing them...they were just due to psychosomatic causes. But that's what happens when a toxic work environment has left you wondering if you even want to be a nurse at all.
About 7 years ago I had a FT and a couple busy PRN's. I overextended myself and needed a break. It wasn't long after that I quit both PRN's. I agree, there is nothing wrong with needed a mental health day.
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 had a similar issue back in those days. I was working as a nursing assistant/med tech in an assisted living community. These days, I sport a pastel rainbow of unnatural colors, but combo of night shift/liberal area/patient type has made it less of an issue.
I don't go to work when I am truly sick but fortunately that only happens maybe once per year.
I called in when my daughter called from the ER after hearing from the surgeon that she would be needing emergency surgery.
I did work at a place that used mandates to fill in all the schedule holes so we got mandated often. I did call in a few times NOT because I couldn't work my shift, but because I had plans for after work and knew I would get in trouble for refusing a mandate. It was a messed up system but we didn't get in trouble for calling in sick, but got in trouble for refusing mandates. Managers even said childcare was not an excuse to refuse. So if someone had young kids at home it was the expectation they would find childcare for 16 hrs every day "just In case" they got mandated.
And they were surprised they had a bad reputation around town for being a poor place to work.í ½í¸ƒ
I had to call off once for "having a baby." She was a few days early :)
My favorite of all time came from a CNA's husband "yeah, she won't be in tonight. She has a real bad yeast infection." He went on to describe all the issue she was having in full graphic detail.
I'm not a nurse yet but at my current job (EMS) I called out to see a band. I usually don't work days that I go to school but I had randomly picked up a shift after class. At the last minute a hardcore punk band from my youth announced they were playing a show in San Francisco. I looked at the schedule and saw I had no partner, so I called out and as soon as I got out of class I headed over. Its the only time I have called out and it was worth it.
Kooky Korky, BSN, RN
5,216 Posts
Sorry youhad to deal with all of that, hope you are better.
Is Kakamega near St. Olaf?