Where's the Professional Respect?

southern_rn_brat · Jan 5, 2006

Amen.

Kelly_the_Great · Jan 5, 2006

I don't know Dalemarc, I'm having more and more moments of...WTH!!???

I don't work in the hosp. environment but I work in HH doing after-hour phone triage. We're supposed to be there to take calls R/T patient health status from pts. & workers and scheduling conflicts as well if someone's calling in sick, pts. gone to the hosp., we determine if they need a PRN, etc.

However, I am getting more and more calls from nurses calling in 2 hours late (after the fact) for shifts, calling @ 2000 for payroll issues, screaming @ others (kids/husbands/whatever) while they're on the phone w/ me, @ the pts. home & don't even know the client's name, not identifying who the hell they are when they call - you know like..."hello, my name is ----- I work for ---- client for ----- dept.", not returning pages b/c they're @ a baseball game, etc.

Yeah, it's bewildering & disheartening.

Harleygirl · Jan 5, 2006

Sigh....

I see this general lack of work ethic in nearly every business. I don't know if it is the general trend, but it is very disheartening.

I grew up without much and it was expected that you go to school EVERY DAY and I guess that just stuck with me that you go to work EVERY DAY. At least every day you are scheduled. I have to be near death before I call in to work. I have missed maybe 3 days of work in the past 10 years. One time I had pnemonia, once my husband was in the hospital, and one time had a 104 temp.

I have to pay my bills. The bank does not want to hear why I couldn't get to work. I have often wondered how people pay their bills, especially when I was working as a DON. That was one of the major frustrations of the job, and I heard just about every excuse why staff couldn't come in. I just got plain sick of it, and I am not a rude person by nature, but you can only put up with so much. I got to the point when someone would call in, I would say "Yeah, right." and hang up.

And when someone does this to you on a holiday? I'm sorry people, but patients and residents do not all go home on holidays and they still need you to come in and work.

Sorry, venting....

Harleygirl

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 5, 2006

It's a darn shame but this is not just limited to nursing. My military dh is having serious problems w/disrespect in among the younger ranks,too. To the point he has had to threaten them with Article 15 punishments (military formal sanctioning). Seems to me we are seeing this everywhere from Walmart to the US Military (among some).

fergus51 · Jan 5, 2006

Are you sure she wasn't really sick? I'm just throwing that out there because one of my coworkers was sick with pneumonia for Xmas and the nursing manager tried to guilt her into coming in. Yes, pneumonia. Just like hospitals don't stop during the holidays, neither do illnesses that affect staff.

If she just called off to be lazy and have Xmas off, I suggest your facility start requiring doctors' notes to excuse absences especially those that fall on major holidays.

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2006

Hi

I see this attitude more and more. I've been in nursing for 40 yrs. and only recently have I seen this attitude.

Like you say, there are many areas nurses can work & have weekend s & holidays off. But it makes life so much easier when working in a 24/7 institution to just work your everyother holiday and quit complaining!!

When I say this to people lately they look at me like I'm crazy--one girl said--well, I NEVER had to work a weekend or holiday until I came here to work!! Well, Gee, then why did you choose a hospital In-pt. unit?????????

Makes life rough!!

mary Ann

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 5, 2006

I guess the OP is premising this on the response he/she got as to why he/she feels this was unprofessional. I would have to agree. Calling out sick need not be a rude affair. (although sometimes management makes things worse in their response).

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jan 5, 2006

I agree with fergus, maybe she was really sick.

If the most common response to sick calls is "are you sure you can't make it in" then the disrespect is running in both directions.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jan 5, 2006

I find that in places were employees aren't feeling respected, or not feeling valued...the call in rates increase big time, especially holidays/weekends. I mean, why work if you can stay home with friends/family that respect you instead of going to work with patients if you don't really feel your skills/work is appreciated.

I found this to be too true in the last place I worked. The staff was WAY overstretched, cut backs making it worse, and what was once a happy place to work suddenly became a horrid place where people drove in crying on their way to work. The call ins were astronomical and daily...which compounded the probelm ten fold! Because of mismanagment by the facility...the employees were suffering and that meant the patients were really going to suffer!

I stuck with that company because I felt if I left...who would care for my residents!?!? In fact, I stuck with it 3+ years before they cut my days down to 8-9 a month! Then I had no choice...I had to get another job to make my bills. From what I hear, things were worse after I left...many more people started calling in sick, then quit. I still fear for my residents and what type of care they are getting (and those poor staff members having to take on the job of many on their own!).

But now, I am doing agency at a hospital that doesn't seem to have that particular probelm! The wages are good, benifits are good, employees are treated with respect and enjoy coming to work! In fact, I like this hospital but they don't usually need me often...bummer for me but sings volumes for a good managment and happy employees!

I believe it starts with good managment combined with people willing to feel free to use those good work ethics! If you come in crying, you don't feel like you want to do anything for anyone except go home, but if you are happy...you are more apt to help others, do those extras for pts that make their day, and fill in when people are really sick!

And generally...happy people don't get as sick as often as overwhelmed, sad, depressed folks...

fergus51 · Jan 5, 2006

I agree with fergus, maybe she was really sick.
If the most common response to sick calls is "are you sure you can't make it in" then the disrespect is running in both directions.

For sure. I don't call in often at all, but when I do I expect to be treated with the same respect I show my manager (by calling in early enough to cover my shift for instance).

Q. · Jan 5, 2006

I agree with fergus, maybe she was really sick.
If the most common response to sick calls is "are you sure you can't make it in" then the disrespect is running in both directions.

Good point.