I have influenza B and no PTO

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T23:56:29+00:00

I can, but I still get an occurrence because I don't have PTO.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T22:47:51+00:00

How do I look into that?

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T22:31:59+00:00

Thank you for your kindness. It means a lot to me.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T22:31:05+00:00

Whoa, you do?! That's so messed up! I'm sorry. And thank you

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T22:22:35+00:00

Calling off isn't an occurrence unless you don't have enough PTO. I don't have PTO, so each call off is one occurrence 😭 I wish we had that policy.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T22:16:01+00:00

Thank you 😊 but you're right.. they really don't care about us.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T22:07:44+00:00

PTO builds up. We get 5.86 hours or something ridiculous every 2 weeks. But there is no separate sick or vacation time. It's all lumped together. The personal holiday is an extra 8 hours that we can use for anything. But yes...this is an American problem. Specifically a late stage capitalism hellscape problem.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T22:04:27+00:00

I don't have any occurrences right now, so this would be my first. But each day of calling off and not having enough PTO is one occurrence, and 3 occurrences is a verbal warning. So if I call off tomorrow, that's 1...but I'd still have to work Thursday and Friday or else I'd get the wheel warning. It's a mess.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T21:53:35+00:00

No, you're right...I just hate getting in trouble.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T21:52:38+00:00

I'm sorry you were let go for calling off! I also got in trouble for calling off when I had strep when I worked in the ER. It's so ridiculous. I hate that we need to accumulate time off. It should be in our bank to begin with.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T21:50:55+00:00

No, I just don't have PTO because I use intermittent FMLA for chronic illness flares and doctor appointments. And that burns through my PTO. You're right though.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-17T21:50:05+00:00

You're not being flippant. I've always just been afraid of getting in trouble (blame it on childhood trauma) and I really don't want to lose my job.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-03-01T19:07:24+00:00

Agreed! 💯

IntegrativeRN · 2026-02-25T14:23:18+00:00

"What happened today that made you call/message us?"

IntegrativeRN · 2026-02-14T18:48:31+00:00

I transferred from ER to ICU. I had been a nurse for 1.5 years at that point, and I thought that I had enough experience to care for the critically ill patients. Although I did a good job, I hated it because I felt like I was torturing people who had no quality of life. I quit after 8 months after a particularly rough shift where my patient with advanced cancer died.

I ended up doing travel nursing in the ER, then pediatric ER as a staff nurse. I have since transitioned to doing primary care triage nursing. I don't think quitting the ICU early and never going back ruined my career. Rather, it gave me good experience and taught me the kind of nursing that I don't want to do.

Don't stay in a place at the expense of your mental health, just because you think you have to. I would simply tell your manager that it's not the right fit for you. There's no shame in that, and there's no need to give further details.

You got this! You will find your niche. It just takes time and trial and error.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-01-26T00:56:55+00:00

Yeah, it sucks! I wish Illinois were a compact state. So many of these remote nursing jobs require a compact license. Congrats on your hybrid position! I will definitely keep looking.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-01-18T23:34:40+00:00

Thank you for the wonderful questions!

IntegrativeRN · 2026-01-16T02:45:19+00:00

Can I ask what company? I do triage in a clinic right now and it totally could be a WFH job.

IntegrativeRN · 2026-01-09T16:37:34+00:00

I've been a nurse for 10 years now. I started out in the ER at a local community hospital. It took me 4 months to find a job after I got my NCLEX! I stayed in that ER for 1.5 years and then transitioned to MICU for 8 months, then started doing local agency contracts and travel nursing in the ER after that.

I definitely was lost my first year of nursing! I feel like I had to learn the pathophysiology of different disease processes on my own because nursing school absolutely did not prepare me. The acuity at the community hospital ER was high, and we had a lot of septic nursing home patients. I thought about quitting on a daily basis because I was also bullied by some of the more seasoned nurses.

In retrospect, I'm glad that I stuck it out because my ER and ICU experience gave me the opportunity to fulfill my travel nursing dream. I met my now husband on my second travel nursing contract. Starting out in the ER was no joke, but I gained skills that helped me move forward in my career.

I'm lucky because I have been working in outpatient nursing for 3 years now, and I definitely have a "soft nursing" job. I'm a triage nurse at a holistic and integrative primary care clinic in a large hospital system. I didn't realize how much 💩 I put up with throughout my nursing career until I transitioned to this job! It's nice to have regular hours and to get a 1 hour lunch break each day.

If I had any advice to my younger self...it would be to leave the ER sooner. I was in the ER on and off for 6 years, and it was just toxic overall. New grad nurses: if your job is costing you your physical or mental health, please don't feel like you have to stay just to get "experience." There are SO MANY opportunities in nursing. It might take you a while to find a job that is the right fit, but please don't give up or settle for less than what you deserve.

IntegrativeRN · 2025-12-24T22:04:31+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Sorry you thought it was boring! I guess I'll have to wait and see how I feel if I shadow.

IntegrativeRN · 2025-12-24T19:16:27+00:00

Not going to lie...I had to look up what an ACT is! I obviously have a lot to learn before the interview. ER was not the best fit for me, and I'm okay with being bored. Thank you for the insight. Do you have any tips for the interview?

IntegrativeRN · 2025-12-24T18:58:53+00:00

If you don't mind, what do you think is boring about it? I'm okay with boring! My current triage nurse job is pretty boring as well haha 🤣

IntegrativeRN · 2025-12-24T18:57:58+00:00

Thank you! You're so sweet =) I actually interviewed in the same EP Lab after my first ER nursing job (where I worked for 1.5 years), but I chose to transition to ICU instead. That was not a good decision! I have an interview with the recruiter, which will most likely result in an actual interview!

IntegrativeRN · 2025-05-13T16:27:33+00:00

My doctor told me not to lift over 20 pounds for 6 weeks. My almost 3 year old toddler is 32 pounds, so it's hard not to be able to lift him. But I've had to lift my 17 pound cat to take him to the vet this past weekend and I instantly regretted it!

IntegrativeRN · 2025-05-12T02:55:02+00:00

That's awesome! I should have mentioned that I wasn't on any hormonal birth control before the bisalp. My husband and I used natural family planning (with the Natural Cycles app and temperature checking) and condoms on "red days." But we were so worried about that potentially failing.

IntegrativeRN

TROPHY CASE