Would you call in sick?

[AnnieOaklyRN]

Hi all,

Just want your opinion on whether or not you would call out for this.

I took a new job, which I sincerely regret because I hate almost everything about it, except for the kids I care for. The job itself, the hours, some of the team members etc. I love caring for the population, but all that stuff coupled with a 2 plus hour commute each way is making the job insufferable! I am of course in the process of looking for a new one...

I have been schedule on nights this week after being on days for a few weeks and today is night number two and I have slept a whopping three hours in about 36 hours. I tried sleeping today and woke up after about 2 hours and I could not go back to sleep, so I ended up just getting up.. Because my commute is so long and the shifts are 12 hours there isn't more time for me to try again, thus I am truly beyond exhausted, to exhausted to safely drive or care for patients. If this were you would you call out? I am on orientation and I don't want to get fired for calling out, but at the same time it means I don't count as a body on the shift.

Annie

[Julius Seizure]

I am truly beyond exhausted, to exhausted to safely drive or care for patients. If this were you would you call out?

So the dilemma is:

Call out during orientation, possibly upsetting management at a job that you are intending to leave ASAP.

OR

Risk getting into a car accident and/or harming a patient due to being unable to function safely.

What to do, what to do...

Please choose safety for yourself and your patients.

And to "newgradnurse": I'm sure your schooling and first year working as a nurse have reinforced to you what a huge responsibility that nurses carry. You probably know nurses that are burned out, or at least have read threads on here about it. As you continue your nursing career, don't forget to care for yourself. That means physical care (sleep, healthy eating, exercise) as well as mental/emotional care (for some this means meditating, writing, mindfulness, and/or prayer, etc.) We can't do a good job of caring for others unless we first care for ourselves. Remember to make yourself a priority.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Well I disagree. You took this job knowing about your commute. You must of known about the lack of time between shifts. You've created this mess, now you have to deal with it. If I was your employer and I found out you were calling in sick because of the commute I would let you go immediately.

I would agree if this happens repeatedly, but the OP states that she does not feel safe driving nor caring for pts. Just the driving issue alone: call me selfish, but I would't want to be hit/injured/worse by someone who fell asleep at the wheel, even if they are on the road with the best of intentions. If she can't work it out down the road, sure the employer is well within their rights to let her go. For this occasion though, I say this would be a justified call off.

[NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN]

Yeah , well no. Please see the many threads here regarding medicating ourselves to work off shift.

As I've learned firsthand, this is could end just adding to the current problem

[Babyboss 19, MSN, APRN]

It's really none of the hospitals' business why we call out. You don't have to tell them. It's your PTO. Besides, if I were the parent of one of those sick kids I'd pray to God you called out too instead of rolling into work sleep deprived. Employers WANT their new employees to succeed and stay because it's too expensive to train and let them go. I've never had a job with a commute less than 1+ hour or more each way. What a fantasy. Where I live it's an over populated metropolitan area.

Once the newness wears off, your anxiety about the job demands will decrease. You're not getting as much sleep as possible because anxiety over the new role, sleeping during the daytime, and stress over knowing you have a deadline to get back to work on time. It's called shift work sleep disorder for a reason. Many newcomers to night shift don't appreciate the mental and physical demand shift work takes. (Knowing you have to sleep, but nervous system won't let you!). It's easy to google 'sleep hygiene' and see the recommendations that come up. Once the newness of the job wears off, your anxiety level will be kinder to your body.

I would request not to do multiple nights back to back. If your preceptor always works 3 in a row, ask for two preceptors so you can spread out your shifts during the week. Hope things worked out for you. Good Luck!

[blue0714, LVN, RN]

I totally get it about not having the luxury to quit youre job before you find another one. I was a single mom. BUT, i'm looking at this whole situation youre in right now. Ask yourself if you can afford making a serious error due to your constant fatigue and risk losing your nursing license over? Please look at it in that perspective and it should be pretty clear about what you need to do, and not just for one night either. Have you ever tried Pediatric home health nursing? It will allow you to work you're own hours and closer to where you live in the interim of finding another job that suits you better.

I know you will make the right decision!

Good luck

[HarleyvQuinn, MSN, RN, NP]

Well I disagree. You took this job knowing about your commute. You must of known about the lack of time between shifts. You've created this mess, now you have to deal with it. If I was your employer and I found out you were calling in sick because of the commute I would let you go immediately.

What wonderful dedication to patient safety and quality of care! Not to mention employee safety. I'll bet you're also a delight when a state of emergency related to weather is called, family death, or other tragedies. OP, does your car insurance cover total destruction? Or should that be a question for life insurance policy? I wonder if any employer-provided life insurance would be denied based on the "reckless driving charge" applied for driving while impaired by sleep deprivation. Not to mention that falling asleep at work is an egregious error that'll result in termination, and you can be turned into the board for your practice being impaired and unsafe due to sleep deprivation. Gotta make sure that employer is convenience, though! Even if it costs you life or limb or patient safety. Yeesh.

[HarleyvQuinn, MSN, RN, NP]

If you are too "exhausted to safely drive or care for patients"... then YES you should call in sick. I would highly recommend you keep your eyes open and look/apply for other jobs. No need to kill yourself over this job. You can't take care of other people if you don't take care of yourself. Put yourself FIRST!

Nursing schools worldwide love to tout a (naive) doe-eyed, unrealistic/ unsustainable, abusive, self-neglecting, sunshine farting rainbows Florence Nightingale kind of martyrdom... which is just plain STUPID. Follow that model and you'll be crippled with musculoskeletal injuries (or worse, die of some acquired infection... ahem...remember when SARS? EBOLA? reached out neck of North America) before your career has even really started.

You are important, you health is important and you are worthy of taking care of and safeguarding your health. Never let some moron convince you otherwise or try to guilt you into over-extending yourself/put yourself (and consequently others) at increased risk for harm. Eff em! Call in sick That's why this cash-rich hospitals/intuitions call on staffing agencies or per diem nurses to fill in the gaps... aka: they don't care about you. You as a nurse are disposable, however in your circumstances, you have a legitimate reason to call in sick, because extreme sleep deprivation and exhaustion are a serious health concern.

TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR HEALTH FIRST!

OH MY GOD THIS. Thank you! This needs to be repeated so much. So often.

"Nursing schools worldwide love to tout a (naive) doe-eyed, unrealistic/ unsustainable, abusive, self-neglecting, sunshine farting rainbows Florence Nightingale kind of martyrdom... which is just plain STUPID. Follow that model and you'll be crippled with musculoskeletal injuries (or worse, die of some acquired infection... ahem...remember when SARS? EBOLA? reached out neck of North America) before your career has even really started. "

This. This. This. THIS. I ran into this not just in nursing, but on steroids in military nursing. Know what it got me? A disability. Now I get to live with looks of scorn and treated like a piece of absolute crap by coworkers and managers alike for daring to try to continue working with such ugliness, without perfection, and unwilling to continue to martyr myself for the convenience of being a number in a staffing ratio. Living this way does NOTHING to provide safe, effective, high value care to patients. It puts them at higher risk for harm. You already acknowledged the crap show this place is. Get a better gig closer to where you are and take it as a lesson learned.

[EdenAndEve]

Hi OP - I found myself in the same

position just 2 weeks ago. I'm a new orientee, came

down with the flu and decided not to call out. My decision was influenced by an unsupportive preceptor and a threatening manager's advice to "do what you need to do". Additionally, I knew my preceptor didnt want to take the patient work load, so (not) surprisingly she called out sick herself when she thought I would. I am also trying to look for a new job. Too bad because I like the patient demographic at this unit. If I were to do it again, I probably wouldnt call out - I relate to your mortgage and financial responsibilities. It just really blows when I feel like I dont have a choice.

[By-a-thred, RN, ADN]

"Well I disagree. You took this job knowing about your commute. You must of known about the lack of time between shifts. You've created this mess, now you have to deal with it. If I was your employer and I found out you were calling in sick because of the commute I would let you go immediately."

Ahhh, just another compassionate member of the nursing community passing judgement. Forget that she's exhausted and could make an error that puts a patient at risk! Just make sure that shift is covered!

[LPN2018]

Yes I would. I rented a spare room to a travel nurse for a couple hundred bucks a month (same as gas $).

Well-worth the safety at work after nights 1 and 2 then straight home after night 3.

No immediate relocation was needed.

[guest52816]

Well I disagree. You took this job knowing about your commute. You must of known about the lack of time between shifts. You've created this mess, now you have to deal with it. If I was your employer and I found out you were calling in sick because of the commute I would let you go immediately.

Sometimes folks just need a job.

The OP stated that she had worked days. The problem came in shifting over to nightshift.

I don't think your response was helpful.

But you weren't looking to help, just criticize.

Nice.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Well I disagree. You took this job knowing about your commute. You must of known about the lack of time between shifts. You've created this mess, now you have to deal with it. If I was your employer and I found out you were calling in sick because of the commute I would let you go immediately.

You'd be doing her a favor.