Sick...and going to work in a Dr office??

[MaryAnnDVC]

Just called our pedicatrician's office to schedule flu shots for the kids, and the woman on the phone was sniffling and hacking away like crazy. Somehow, that doesn't seem right to me.

 

[caitycaity]

some places don't give their employees good sick time or they may not have been able to get someone to cover them.

i try not to get angry at the people who are sick and still come to work b/c they probably feel pretty miserable and if they could manage it, i'm sure they wouldn't be there.

i have the same problem where i work (though not a doctor's office). i don't have any sick days left until april, so i'm hoping i don't get too sick.

 

[minniepumpernickel]

That is kind of strange. I always hate going to Doctors offices, because I feel like I'm going to catch something from there.

I always have to wash my hands about ten times after going, lol!

 

[believe]

When I worked at a hospital it was almost impossible to call in sick. One time I tried and was told to come in and lay down between pages. I was an EKG Technician. You had to have 30 days banked before you could take a paid sick day. I wanted unpaid and still couldn't get it.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I sure hope she washes her hands a lot and has her own phone so she's not spreading germs, and doesn't pass her germs along to the person giving my kids their shots.

 

[Lynn CC]

I always tell DS don't touch anything, and then he washes his hands as soon as we get home. Actually we do this after going anywhere this time of year. There's so many germs out there if you think of it.

 

[my3kids]

We always get a good dousing with Purell as soon as we leave the doctor's office! I will NOT use a pen in a pharmacy to sign the insurance log...always take my own. Figure the two places most germ ladden are the doctor's office and pharmacy. I just kind of always figured the germs were from the patients...not the employees!

 

[Disney Doll]

Healthcare being what it is, if you call in sick, it generally means that your co-workers work short, but are expected to do the same amount of work with less people and consequently the patients are the ones who suffer, and for whatever reason most of us crazy healthcare workers actually do care about the patients.

Hence the reason we go in to work sick.

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by my3kids
We always get a good dousing with Purell as soon as we leave the doctor's office! I will NOT use a pen in a pharmacy to sign the insurance log...always take my own. Figure the two places most germ ladden are the doctor's office and pharmacy. I just kind of always figured the germs were from the patients...not the employees!

I use my own pen ALL the time, when out in public. Just the thought of where other people's hands may have been before they touched that pen.... blech. LOL

 

[Jenn Lynn]

DH was sick this week (he's a Chiropractor). He was fortunate that there is another Doctor in the office who could cover his patients. But if he was by himself he would have had to go in. He was only out Wednesday so it wasn't too bad.

 

[WDWAurora]

Ok, I worked in a hospital for about 4 years, and now I work for a chiropractor. He's the only one in his office, but luckily he never gets sick. This year however, he came in and worked sick, but I'm not sure anyone could really tell, like you can with congestion. Keep in mind that congestion isn't always contagious. We've all been sick in the office, but with sinus infections, etc. that can't be spread from person to person. We also take great care to cover our mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing, as well as frequent handwashing. A couple of my coworkers have come in when they were sick with more than that, however, mainly because they didn't want to leave us in a crunch without enough help. It's a tough spot, because patients come no matter whether we're sick or not, same with the hospital.

 

[DocRafiki]

I don't know many people who can afford to take off for every little cold, much less medical support staff. They don't exactly make six figures.

People will complain if I go in to work sick, and people will complain if they can't get an appointment because I'm at home sick. Bottom line is... people will complain.

 

[nowellsl]

I don't think this is as bad as sending your kids to school while they're sick!! I work in a school and my office is very near the school clinic. After 20 years it still amazes me that people will bring their kids to school with temperatures, throwing up, etc. They do this even when they know they will be unreachable during the day!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

When I had my first DD, I had a C-section, due to an infection and fetal distress. I was very weak, and she was in the Special Care Nursery. The woman who came to take me down in the wheel chair a couple of times, had what APPEARED to be a cold, sniffling and hacking away as she pushed me down the hall. I strongly suspected that she was contagious and I'd end up with a cold, and I did. Lots of fun sneezing and coughing after a C-section, and taking care of a baby just out of Special Care. But at least SHE didn't miss a day's pay.

As far as children going to school sick... I just read this online:

Children have about six to ten colds a year. In families with children in school, the number of colds per child can be as high as 12 a year.

I've seen a lot of complaints on the DIS over the years about people sending their kids to school sick, and altho I wouldn't send my kids to school throwing up . if I took my kids out of school every time they had colds...

And these same people who can't miss work when THEY are sick, probably can't miss it when their kids are sick, so we should be understanding about them too.

So...just go to work and school sick, and heed the good advice expressed here (never thought about that with the pen at the pharmacy...thanks my3kids!!)

 

[nowellsl]

Believe me, I'm not talking about a common cold! I'm talking about crying, sick, sick kids who obviously need to be home in bed.

 

[Poohnatic]

I've been hacking and sniffling for over a month...non infectious. I have severe asthma and lung damage that any cough takes a long time to get rid of. The sniffles are due to being allergic to things that can't be avoided (dust, mold, etc.)

I also manage a store. I can't just call out because I may get a cold. It'd be ridiculous to spend the day home when I don't have a fever. I DO wash my hands many times in a day (more than the average), especially after blowing my nose. If I did call out every time I had one, I wouldn't be employed very long. My DH lost a job of 5 years, in part, because he was raised that if you are even the tiniest bit sick, you stay home. He had a rough winter and the HR manager said 'see ya'. (we're talking 10 days over 6 months).

I can understand your concern, but I'm pretty sure that if she's in the healthcare field, she's already pretty diligent about hand washing and infection control. Perhaps she picked it up from someone's sick child that came into the office? (could she claim workman's comp?)

Suzanne

 

[joeokw]

I am a RN.. all we get is 8 sick days a year... If you call out sick just for one day twice in 6 months.. you are put on notice.. the next tiime it happens you are required to bring in a MD note.. ..the next time if you do not provide a note you get docked Now I ask you , every time you get a sniffle or happen to cough do you run to a doctor? You must have a great sick time plan for to go to a MD every time you get a sniffle or happen to cough .. and stay home from work. Question: What are the two most common vectors( ie: reasons) how does hospital workers get sick? Answer: from their patients who bring in their germs from home. secondly, from germs kids bring home from the place called school ie: the "Petri Dish" this happens when parents drop their kids off from school who are sick ..BECAUSE THEY CAN'T STAY HOME WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY WILL HAVE TO GO TO WORK AND RISK USING THEIR ALOTTED SICK TIME OR GET DOCKED!! what do people who think nurses are selifsh and ignorant about coughing on thier patients? They must think God gave health care providers special immunity from getting sick and hospitals are charities who give every nurse unlimited sick time with pay to recover from a sniffle... GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

 

[Chattyaholic]

People are going to go to work sick, that's just a fact. You can pick up germs anywhere. Wash your hands often and don't touch your eyes/nose/mouth. That's about as good as a person can do to try avoid the colds/flu.

I don't understand the ones who say they use their own pen, rather than the one that is provided...they don't think they can pick up germs from the door knobs? The magazines? You touch something someone else who is sick has touched, then you touch your pen, your pen now has the same germs.

 

[Disney Doll]

MaryAnn,chances are, the person who wheeled you from here to there in the hospital who had a cold wasn't at work so she wouldn't "miss a day's pay". She was at work because if she didn't go, her department would work short, which would mean you would have a longer wait to get wheeled where you needed to be wheeled, which of course would upset you, especially if you were waiting to go see your baby in the Special Care nursery, and so on and so on. Then you'd complain, it would get back to the department supervisor, who would then say to all his/her employees "we have to watch the sick time folks, and can't be working short".

Welcome to my world.

It is my belief that because of the amount of "exposure" healthcare workers contact, we do have a better-than-average immunity. I know have had people with pneumonia cough right into my face and never have I had pneumonia(watch, I just jinxed myself ), I have had patients that I have cared for for a week suddenly be moved to a negative pressure room because "we think he may have TB", I took care of the first AIDs patient in my hospital, and was told "wear all the protective clothing you can, because this lady has a weird virus and we don't know what it is"(I've been a nurse a long time!). There aren't a million people in the world who want to do my job, so being sick cannot necessarily stop me from going to work.

 

[DocRafiki]

good point about the pen, chatty.