tunisia
02-23-2009, 06:53 AM
I come home from work this morning feeling so badly for a co-worker, feeling angry at our lack of compassion with others situations. This really great nursing assistant started recently. She is so professional, perky, courteous to the patients and staff, ON-TIME, and just is so trust-worthy with the patients. One of those that you really feel that you've got a great set of eyes and ears out there that will take good care of the patients.
She is a single mom that is going to school to get her RN, has two small children, and really has so much going for her. She works hard, is never tardy, and comes in with a smile.
Our hospital has a policy that you can not call off any later than 2 hours before your scheduled shift. She was working days today(oh yes, did I mention that she works both day and eve shift as needed, and is always willing to float to another unit when needed without a big chip on her shoulder and a sour look on her face). Since she worked days today, she would have had to call in no later than 5am. When she woke to get her two little ones up to get them to the daycare, they were very sick with diarrhea and a stomach virus.
She called the hospital @6am to say that she would not be able to make it in and the reason why, was told by the night supervisor that she would HAVE to come to work, as she had not followed the guidelines of calling off before 5am.
She could have very easily said, "i just can't come" but she took these poor little tykes in tow to the daycare provider, straight to her bathroom and the daycare provider was none too pleased. She told her she couldn't keep them, rightly so, for fear that other children would get the virus. Mom explains that she understands but please let her at least go to her job to report the circumstances in person.
I contacted the supervisor once she got there, explaining all the above including the fact that her daycare provider would not keep the children. Supervisor gives me the same reason that she did not call off in time then LIES to me on the phone stating she had 'done this before'. The girl has never called off before. I knew she was lying and decided to tell the gal what the supervisor has said while I have her on the phone. Supervisor is asking me NOT to repeat it(because she knew she was lying). This gal handled this situation better than I could have. She talked to the supervisor ina professional manner, again getting the same runaround. The supervisor then tells that gal that she will be charged with INSUBORDINATION! I was dumb-founded! Gal still doesn't loose cool but tells her tha she will speak to the manager who had just come in. Supervisor comes up in a huff to have a meeting with her.
Where is our compassion? We do not live in a black and white, cut and dry world. We can't predict at what hour of the day our children will be sick. She is a great gal just trying to earn her way in life, make it on her own, provide well for her children, take her job seriously, and this is what she gets? We are supposed to be compassionate towards our patients, their families, but where is the compassion for one of 'our own' when it is needed.
I am sorry this is so long, I just had to vent I guess to get it out. I prayed in my car for this gal on my way home that everything would work in her favor and she would not be penalized, the kids would get better, she wouldn't get sick, you name it.
This girl could be using the system,chooses not to, and this is what she gets, from one of 'our own'. uggh.
thanks for listening.
She is a single mom that is going to school to get her RN, has two small children, and really has so much going for her. She works hard, is never tardy, and comes in with a smile.
Our hospital has a policy that you can not call off any later than 2 hours before your scheduled shift. She was working days today(oh yes, did I mention that she works both day and eve shift as needed, and is always willing to float to another unit when needed without a big chip on her shoulder and a sour look on her face). Since she worked days today, she would have had to call in no later than 5am. When she woke to get her two little ones up to get them to the daycare, they were very sick with diarrhea and a stomach virus.
She called the hospital @6am to say that she would not be able to make it in and the reason why, was told by the night supervisor that she would HAVE to come to work, as she had not followed the guidelines of calling off before 5am.
She could have very easily said, "i just can't come" but she took these poor little tykes in tow to the daycare provider, straight to her bathroom and the daycare provider was none too pleased. She told her she couldn't keep them, rightly so, for fear that other children would get the virus. Mom explains that she understands but please let her at least go to her job to report the circumstances in person.
I contacted the supervisor once she got there, explaining all the above including the fact that her daycare provider would not keep the children. Supervisor gives me the same reason that she did not call off in time then LIES to me on the phone stating she had 'done this before'. The girl has never called off before. I knew she was lying and decided to tell the gal what the supervisor has said while I have her on the phone. Supervisor is asking me NOT to repeat it(because she knew she was lying). This gal handled this situation better than I could have. She talked to the supervisor ina professional manner, again getting the same runaround. The supervisor then tells that gal that she will be charged with INSUBORDINATION! I was dumb-founded! Gal still doesn't loose cool but tells her tha she will speak to the manager who had just come in. Supervisor comes up in a huff to have a meeting with her.
Where is our compassion? We do not live in a black and white, cut and dry world. We can't predict at what hour of the day our children will be sick. She is a great gal just trying to earn her way in life, make it on her own, provide well for her children, take her job seriously, and this is what she gets? We are supposed to be compassionate towards our patients, their families, but where is the compassion for one of 'our own' when it is needed.
I am sorry this is so long, I just had to vent I guess to get it out. I prayed in my car for this gal on my way home that everything would work in her favor and she would not be penalized, the kids would get better, she wouldn't get sick, you name it.
This girl could be using the system,chooses not to, and this is what she gets, from one of 'our own'. uggh.
thanks for listening.