Ugh. I'm going into the second or third day of a vicious head cold. No, I don't have a fever, but I have postnasal drip, a sinus headache, and already my brain is fried after being awake a few short hours.
I took a couple of Tylenol, ate something even though my stomach is somewhat queasy, and I think I have to call off because I'm not thinking clearly. I keep losing my train of thought.
I don't get an official day off for another few days. Should I take the chance that I'll feel better tomorrow and call off tonight? Or should I tough it out and be a warm body at work?
What would you do?
Would you try to go to work or stay home?
How sick to you have to be to call off? Dead on your feet or just off your game?
I'm one of those who call in once a year or less. But if I feel sick, like I don't think I'll be able to function for the next 12 hours, I call in and don't feel the least bit guilty for it. We are allowed 6 call-ins a year (used to be 8), but I come nowhere near that. So if I say I'm sick, I expect them to believe me.
I do agree that we should get mental health days. I'm a peds oncology nurse. Last May, a very dear patient of mine (we shaved our heads together, she crocheted me a doily, I made her a quilt) died. I was so upset/heartbroken, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to come back. But I did, and I was numb for a long time. Other patients' families assured me that I was making a difference so I continue on. But I believe a mental health break would have been very appropriate - I have over 400 extended sick leave hours I will probably never use unless I have to have a major surgery.
Specializes in Med-surg; OB/Well baby; pulmonology; RTS.
If I feel like I would not be able to take care of my patients properly and safely because I am coughing, sneezing, can't talk due to sore throat, or having to run to the bathroom so much because of nausea/vomiting/diarrhea-I stay at home.
Vomitting, diarrhea.... oh yeah, the potential for disaster will make me call out. Also usually if I have anything going on with my head where I can't think and function, no problem calling out... but I usually only call out when I am sick as a dog, and I think that doesn't tend to be too often.
I usually only call in when I a) have a fever, b) am throwing up or having diahrrhea, c) when one of my kids is sick. However, there has been the rare occasion when I just couldn't face a day at work. I believe in the concept of mental health days. I just am astounded that we don't demand them, giving the things we do every day.
Take care of yourself !!! we take care of sick pts with compassion/patience..but when it comes to each other we're not very understanding....guess what ? we're human tooooo...if you're sick stay home..that's what sick days are for..as long as you're not calling in ALL the time...we know the ones..ill every weekend..lol...take care and feel better soon :)
Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.
I was rather fortunate this year! I got the worse of the horrid cold this year on my days off! YEAH! So I only had to go in when I was starting to feel it, and the 'just nose' deal!
BUT, if I had been feeling so brain fried I couldn't think straight, or serious body aches, or fever (now remember..not all colds have a fever! That isn't a clincher for me!), I will call in. If I think I will be more than a few days...I would usually go into the MD and get a note. Sadly my insurance just changed and now I have to save up 2500 dollars into a special health savings account before I am covered even 80%...so now if I do that...I have to pay 100% and any meds! OUCH, that isn't going to help!
SO I guess I can't be sick or injured for months...great!!!!!! And yes, if I do not provide a MD note for 3 days of illness I loose my job...so, I guess I will wear a mask when I am around folks...isn't that a new trend??? LOL!!!!!
I very seldom get sick, however I did catch a cold about 3 weeks ago, and I did call in for a couple of days.
I don't take much sick time, but I DO believe that when you have a cold you should stay home. And you don't necessarily have to have a fever for it to be contagious. I caught my cold from another staff member because she came on to work because her unit was short staffed. And she didn't have a fever either.
It spreads the germs to everyone, staff and patients. And patients especially, already have enough to deal with and they don't need our cold germs.
My job requires a doctor's note after 5 days, so colds can pretty much be taken care of without having to go to the doctor, if that's all it is.
I work in stem cell tansplant land - if we go in to work sick - they will send us home - and at that point finding a replacement isn't going to happen. So it is prefered to call in with a bit of notice so a plan for staffing can take place.
Personally I prefer folks stay home if they are sick and stop spreading it around - that includes going to the grogery store etc.!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i used to drag myself to work sick when i was younger. i'd cough and hack and the patients would feel sorry for me and the docs would offer advice and i'd feel like supernurse because hey -- i dragged myself to work! i worked one christmas with a 103 fever! had laryngitis so bad i was writing notes to the patients and having the na answer my phone calls. i'll never do that again!
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[color=#2f4f4f]i've noticed that as i get older, i'm both less able and less inclined to work sick. 13 years at my last job cured me of that . . . i'd drag myself to work dragging a pail to puke into, and they'd give someone else the day off. someone healthy who had asked for the day off to go antiquing or sailing or who just asked off every damned day they were scheduled! i stopped dragging myself to work sick and started to use my sick time! the one time they questioned me, a short list of my symptoms elicited apologies instead. (that was the time i had pnuemonia -- there was a rare snowstorm in seattle, and half the shift called in sick. they called everyone and asked just how sick they were -- i think they knew from the moment i answered the phone that i was sick!)
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[color=#2f4f4f]i've called in twice in the past year -- once when i had a bad case of shingles on my face. my doctor warned me against going to work until the lesions were gone. and the other time when i was in er being ruled out for an mi. (some of you may have read that story of profound stupidity on my part!)
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[color=#2f4f4f]this hospital has a policy that if you have three incidences of using sick time in a year, you're eligible for counselling at the least, disciplinary action at most. i think that's a crock! we're exposed to so many different bugs at work, it's silly to expect that we're not going to pick up a few of them! and, as i get older i find i'm having more chronic health conditions as well. (there was the time i was out for a week with an idiosyncratic reaction to my new bp meds -- so even if i'm generally healthy, i have had a bad year or two!)
Ugh. I'm going into the second or third day of a vicious head cold. No, I don't have a fever, but I have postnasal drip, a sinus headache, and already my brain is fried after being awake a few short hours.
I took a couple of Tylenol, ate something even though my stomach is somewhat queasy, and I think I have to call off because I'm not thinking clearly. I keep losing my train of thought.
I don't get an official day off for another few days. Should I take the chance that I'll feel better tomorrow and call off tonight? Or should I tough it out and be a warm body at work?
What would you do?
Would you try to go to work or stay home?
How sick to you have to be to call off? Dead on your feet or just off your game?
Feeling like crap is my only parameter. I don't care fever or no, contagious or no...I just go by how I feel. The way I look at it - how would I live with myself if something happened to a baby because I wasn't on top of my game? What if I missed something because I wasn't feeling well? Especially when it would all come down to the fact that I *KNEW* all along that I wasn't in any condition to be caring for patients - it would have been entirely preventable, but can't be undone once it happens. Better to be safe and wait until you are feeling better than to wish you had. Besides, I find that whenever I try to "play hero" and go in when I am sick, it doubles or triples (at least!) my total recovery time. I find that I would have been back to normal much faster if I had given myself time to recover.
In short, I try to follow the advice I would give to a patient (if I took care of adults, that is :) )
Ugh. I'm going into the second or third day of a vicious head cold. No, I don't have a fever, but I have postnasal drip, a sinus headache, and already my brain is fried after being awake a few short hours.
This was exactly me yesterday! I've learned by experience that if I'm feeling this way, if I don't nip it in the butt, it will evolve down into my lungs and become bronchitis. I'd rather be laid up one day than feeling horribly for weeks on end.
Hope you are feeling better. I'm not feeling 100%, but definitely able to carry on. I'm also sure that my co-workers prefer me not to spread my germs all over the place.
I keep losing my train of thought. 
crazyearrings
31 Posts
I'm one of those who call in once a year or less. But if I feel sick, like I don't think I'll be able to function for the next 12 hours, I call in and don't feel the least bit guilty for it. We are allowed 6 call-ins a year (used to be 8), but I come nowhere near that. So if I say I'm sick, I expect them to believe me.
I do agree that we should get mental health days. I'm a peds oncology nurse. Last May, a very dear patient of mine (we shaved our heads together, she crocheted me a doily, I made her a quilt) died. I was so upset/heartbroken, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to come back. But I did, and I was numb for a long time. Other patients' families assured me that I was making a difference so I continue on. But I believe a mental health break would have been very appropriate - I have over 400 extended sick leave hours I will probably never use unless I have to have a major surgery.