Working while sick!

Specialties Geriatric

Published

This is gnawing at me and I don't know what to do!

There is a policy at our LTCF that if you're sick, you have to find your own replacement. I was sick one nite a couple of months ago and ended up working because I could find no replacement.

Well, a week or so ago, I came in for my 11-7 shift, and the evening shift nurse was sick with an URI. She sounded awful, and her face was hot and flushed. I found out later that she'd tried to find someone else to come in and couldn't and the DON told her 'too bad, it's your problem'!

Well since then, some of the residents have come down with an URI, and one had to be hospitalized with pneumonia. Don't know if there is a connection or not.

This same DON will come in to work as a cna if they're short, but she will not do the nursing. It's not like it's been years since she practiced either - she's been a DON for 6 months - before that, she worked med-surg at the hospital.

This doesn't seem right to me - I've decided that if she ever insists that I work sick again, she'll get my resignation on the spot.

Thank god I work in a place were a nurse was sick, she can stay home and get well.

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I just left that LTCF!! :cool: In the 6 months I worked there, I missed one nite, and that was because I was throwing my insides up! As usual, I tried to find a replacement - no one will do it - the DON was unavailable, as usual, so I finally called the administrator. She did take care of it by having evenings stay over and days come in early.

I felt bad for them, having to do that, but was able to pay the evening nurse back a couple of weeks later when her kid got hurt, and I went in and worked the last half of her shift.:)

The reason I got sick to begin with was because a CNA came in, throwing up, and spread it to me, and a couple of the residents. She had tried to call someone, as usual, but no one would do it - so she came on in. I was irritated with her - and talked to her about spreading germs around to all us old folks - but I was also irritated with the policy of a place that has all their employees too scared to take a sick day. I expressed my displeasure to the DON about that policy once again, because even tho, I only missed one nite, I felt bad for a whole week.

I don't have a problem with people trying to find a replacement - and I understand that some people ABUSE sick call! In that case, get rid of them.

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Specializes in jack of all trades.

When I did scheduling for my unit we all took a night of "unofficial" on-call incase someone called in or for an emergency that someone was unable to make a shift (death in family, car accident, sick children etc.). I just went down the line and everyone knew if you were listed for that night then dont make major plans. It worked out very well as this way a nurse didnt have to break her back or beg getting someone to cover the shift. But they did have to give at least a 2 hour notification. Crap happens not only illnesses that keep someone home beyond thier control. I would rather a sick nurse not come in then end up with 1/2 my staff or myself out for a week or worse yet bringing something into our patients whom are already compromised.

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Specializes in psych, geriatric, foot care.

We've had LPN's and Rn's who've had to stay sick b/c no one could come in and it burns my ass we have such a shortage of casual nurses that the ones we do have get to pick and choose what they want b/c if they leave there is no shift coverage. A few weeks ago one of the LPN's left after working the last half of her shift very ill, she went to emergency when she left and was hospitalized. Some of the casuals are so overworked because they won't say no when they should (not that management minds that) and the others just don't answer their phones. I don't know what the solution is but boy I wish there was one.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.
OMG! Where is the HUMANITY? Nurses really, UNIONIZE!

I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think this has anything to do with unions. It seems to be more related to the needs of the unit and the attitude of the particular nurse in charge. Regardless of whether you have a union, you get DONs/charge nurses who tell you to go in regardless of whether you are sick.

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Specializes in psych, geriatric, foot care.

I agree with Augigi. Our facility is unionized and I doubt their is anything that the union could do when there is no one else to work.

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We're expected to come in if we are sick and can't find a replacement. The worst part is that we are short staffed already...everyone is working 48-60 hours a week. We literally have no one to come in if someone gets sick. Today, I worked with just me and a CNA from 0600-1800...it will be just the CNA and the evening charge nurse until 2200. The DON's argument was that since it is Sunday and there are no baths that the two of us should have been able to handle the 20 residents. The administrator told us to call the DON and tell her she had to come in...when we tried, the DON didn't answer her phone. It is probably better that the DON didn't come in...she rarely works the floor and when she does, she has the med aide do her meds...and she NEVER fills a CNA position.

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I have told the story here before....finding smoke coming out of my basement as I was on the way out the door to work. Got family out, called 911, firemen arrive with full gear to put out fire, condemn my house, I call the supervisor and tell her my house is on fire, her response "Just get here when you can". OMG, I said "I'm homeless", she said "OK, come at eleven then". I can laugh now but it really hurt to be treated so poorly.

And there is an answer, its not rocket science. Have paid on-call staff to cover sick calls . We used to have a float pool but it was abused, they would book that staff weeks in advance to cover vacations. It is never OK to go to work sick and contagious. My rule of thumb is if I have a fever I dont go.

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Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.

I disagree with a policy of making people find their own replacement...that is what a manager is for, and an employee is far more likely to tell a co-worker "No, I'm not coming in for you", than to a manager who is in a position of authority.

My grandma used to keep a log of nurses that called in and she looked for patterns...like every Friday, Mondays, the day before or after a scheduled day off or other holiday. Only the employees that were clearly abusing the system were penalized by having to find their own replacements, or come to the hospital to be examined by a doctor there.

The honest folks didn't have to worry about it.

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I disagree with a policy of making people find their own replacement...that is what a manager is for

I totally agree. It is not my responsibility for staffing; that is what the manager, supervisor, or scheduler is for. Workplaces should take into account that everyone gets sick, and that if they don't want the illness to spread, the employee should call out.

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Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.

Nurses are human. Do we not merit the same compassion we give to our patients. If a nurse is sick the last thing she needs to do is find a replacement for her shift. Those DONS' need to hang their heads in shame at expecting sick nurses to come into work. :o

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Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.
I have told the story here before....finding smoke coming out of my basement as I was on the way out the door to work. Got family out, called 911, firemen arrive with full gear to put out fire, condemn my house, I call the supervisor and tell her my house is on fire, her response "Just get here when you can". OMG, I said "I'm homeless", she said "OK, come at eleven then". I can laugh now but it really hurt to be treated so poorly.

And there is an answer, its not rocket science. Have paid on-call staff to cover sick calls . We used to have a float pool but it was abused, they would book that staff weeks in advance to cover vacations. It is never OK to go to work sick and contagious. My rule of thumb is if I have a fever I dont go.

That is horrible! I can't believe she did that.

I posted this in another thread, but when my brother was in a horrible car accident (at the time my father called me we still didn't know if he was alive or dead), I went on to work instead of calling them and told them I had to leave right away and drive 5 hours back home to be with my father.

They told me it was my brother, not me, and she told me to start working and to wait. I went straight ever her head to her boss, I just walked away, didn't even continue the conversation and I told her what happened and said, "My father lost his wife of 52 years just last year, and I need to be there for my father, I have to go, and I'll call you next week to see if I still have a job." ...and I just kept walking and left the building.

They fussed about it when I got back, but I still had my job. I stayed gone for a week because my brother had a business we had to figure out how to run, and the hospital was over an hour from where we lived, so somebody, had to be at the house.

You get people that call out over a paper cut, and when a true emergency happens, they flip out over it.

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