Would you accept this call out excuse?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Thursday night I got a call at 7pm from a night shift CNA saying she was tired and didn't sleep that day and couldn't come in for her shift 11-7.

I told her that I that I would write up the call-out slip, but I didn't think being tired was an acceptable excuse. I got a string of profanities and then "fine, I'll come in"

I called my DON and double checked with her and she backed me up....but wow....if you are going to call out, come up with a better excuse, please!

@brithoover........YES IT CLEARLY IS RIDICULOUS!! 2hr 58min......whatever job she calked off from better be lucky she even called off having to deal with a situation like that. Sime people kill me always trying to split hairs! But if the shoe was on the other foot it would be an entirely different story. Smh!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Neuro-trauma.

I live several hours away from any family. I was rushed to the ER after actually passing out at work while attending a meeting at our facility so they were more than aware of my situation. I only saw PA's until 10 minutes prior to being admitted to the floor when I finally saw an actual doctor. As soon as the doctor informed me of my test results/being admitted I phoned my facility. When I spoke to my boss her exact words were "you do realize it's less than 3 hours before your shift. Therefore I must right you up for a no call no show regardless of your medical condition. I started to explain and she said frankly I don't care, rules are the rules. Next time plan accordingly." Uhm excuse me? I wasn't expecting that diagnosis nor was I expecting to be admitted given the fact that I had absolutely no prior symptoms until the incident and my facility KNEW I was at the hospital. I left in a dang ambulance!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Neuro-trauma.
Pardon me but my comment will based on my own opinion and may or may not be used as an argument for your question. First things first I am not fully aware of your physical condition, considering PE as Pulmonary Embolism, when you were rushed to the ER, were you conscious, was the doctor able to discuss with you on your condition at the time, were you in pain , labored breathing, or unconscious at the time or the whole time while in ER. For with PE and you were conscious at the time, if in pain you would be given medication to ease the pain experienced, do you have anyone, friend or relative, with you prior to to the 3 hour call in period. I myself , based on an incident with my son who had a similar PE condition, we were able to do the call in required by the company he worked for, after he was given pain medications , while being observed by his doctors and awaiting further tests, even took pictures of him while on the ER medical stretcher/bed. The only acceptable reason that your emergency room and PE condition will be deemed acceptable is if you were unconscious the whole 5 hour period while inside the ER and if you had any relative with you , had no idea of your work call-in requirement. All else would be an invalid excuse for not performing the proper call in.
I'm sorry, but the last thing on my mind while going through chest X-rays, CT scans, blood work, constantly having nurses in and out of your room asking you a million questions, and the like, would be whether or not I need to call my facility and give regular updates as to if I would be coming to work that night. Especially when they already knew what had happened. To me, this is something very valid. I brought in all my paperwork, discharge papers, and a medical excuse and I STILL got written up for it. Ridiculous.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Ridiculous. I might not remember to call at all if I was being worked up for a PE in the ER. I would hope I would, but I am not so sure..........................

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Knew a nurse. Admitted on a vent. Md did not dx severe PNA. Same co. Told family hopeless. Pull plug. When she did return to work they tagged her on attendance.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
Pardon me but my comment will based on my own opinion and may or may not be used as an argument for your question. First things first I am not fully aware of your physical condition, considering PE as Pulmonary Embolism, when you were rushed to the ER, were you conscious, was the doctor able to discuss with you on your condition at the time, were you in pain , labored breathing, or unconscious at the time or the whole time while in ER. For with PE and you were conscious at the time, if in pain you would be given medication to ease the pain experienced, do you have anyone, friend or relative, with you prior to to the 3 hour call in period. I myself , based on an incident with my son who had a similar PE condition, we were able to do the call in required by the company he worked for, after he was given pain medications , while being observed by his doctors and awaiting further tests, even took pictures of him while on the ER medical stretcher/bed. The only acceptable reason that your emergency room and PE condition will be deemed acceptable is if you were unconscious the whole 5 hour period while inside the ER and if you had any relative with you , had no idea of your work call-in requirement. All else would be an invalid excuse for not performing the proper call in.

Seriously? You think somebody in the ED dealing with a PE should have been fully capable of ensuring they called out in a timely fashion? It really doesn't matter the exact state she was in...in the end she was diagnosed with a PE. That suggests she wasn't feeling too well and calling out probably wasn't her priority. I'm lost at your inability to understand that given her situation work wasn't a priority and that is normal.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

And this is why I refuse to go work for another facility. With a corporate office that supports this kind of abuse, no way in the world would I cooperate with treating my staff that way. I have had to be pretty stern because I don't ask for reasons for call offs - but the staff have no problem giving them to me. When they're obvious lies or nonsensical crap, I will address it. But this? This is just abuse. Plain and simple and it's the corporate leadership that typically requires DON's and other managers to behave that way in order to keep their jobs. I'd rather just make it simple for them and not work for them at all than to be told I have to treat my staff that way. I'm so sorry you were treated like that. I will say, however, that just a few weeks ago I had a staff member do something similar. She was within 2 minutes of the 2 hour call in window but I'd been at work for 10 hours already and there was no one to cover her shift. She'd called in every day of every weekend since she started working for us and so I told her - I don't care if you're at the hospital or not this will be a no call no show if you aren't here to take report when your shift is scheduled to start. Lo and behold, she magically found a way to get to work on time that night.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.
Knew a nurse. Admitted on a vent. Md did not dx severe PNA. Same co. Told family hopeless. Pull plug. When she did return to work they tagged her on attendance.

You have got to be kidding. I would've told them to shove it where the sun doesn't shine. That is horrible!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Where I work, the primary reason we ask for s/s when staff is calling out sick is because if they have N/V/D, they are required to stay out for 72 hours past the last episode. Also call outs for weather are REALLY frowned on.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

When I was a tech, for a few years I had been going through major insomnia problems. Im talking not sleeping 3 days in a row, and then only getting a couple hours in before going a whole other day without sleeping. But I found no one understood the problem I was going through, so I flat out lied when I had to call off a couple times saying I had a fever. It wasn't that big a deal most of the time because I worked registry and only a couple days a week during nursing school. But most of the time I DID work, it was off of 48 hours and no sleep. By the third day, my speech was affected. I couldn't think of the most basic words. It was DANGEROUS for me to care for patients. My doctor and I were trying everything for my insomnia. I only called off a few times in 3 years, but 2 times were within 2 weeks of each other, so when I called in the nurse supervisor said in the snottiest voice "I'm going to have to ask what your symptoms are." In my opinion, its none of your employer's dang business what your symptoms are. I am an adult, and if I don't feel well enough to safely care for my patients, then the responsible thing to do is stay home. Haven't most of us heard the research on sleep deprivation and it's similarities to the effects of alcohol? Would you want me at work drunk? No. Then why would you want me caring for patients while sleep deprived.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
It IS my business because YOU will be the first one to complain that you're working short.

No. It's your business THAT the person is calling off, not WHY.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Neuro-trauma.
And this is why I refuse to go work for another facility. With a corporate office that supports this kind of abuse no way in the world would I cooperate with treating my staff that way. I have had to be pretty stern because I don't ask for reasons for call offs - but the staff have no problem giving them to me. When they're obvious lies or nonsensical crap, I will address it. But this? This is just abuse. Plain and simple and it's the corporate leadership that typically requires DON's and other managers to behave that way in order to keep their jobs. I'd rather just make it simple for them and not work for them at all than to be told I have to treat my staff that way. I'm so sorry you were treated like that. I will say, however, that just a few weeks ago I had a staff member do something similar. She was within 2 minutes of the 2 hour call in window but I'd been at work for 10 hours already and there was no one to cover her shift. She'd called in every day of every weekend since she started working for us and so I told her - I don't care if you're at the hospital or not this will be a no call no show if you aren't here to take report when your shift is scheduled to start. Lo and behold, she magically found a way to get to work on time that night.[/quote']

I could even understand if this was me being a chronic call offer. But I've worked for this facility for 4 years. First as a CNA, and next as an RN. In my 4 years, I've called off twice. The first was when my mom passed away last summer and the second was for this incident. But I'm not a "chosen one" so unfortunately, I get slammed with the bs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment