Sounds as if your employers deliberately make it unpleasant to call in sick. Day shift has until 5:30 am to call out sick. Depends on the facility. Need to login as a doctor? Specializes in Home Health/Hospice. Wonder where those are kept? Thanks for the replies, guys! Here are a few things you can say when calling in sick to work. I appreciate all the feedback on my previous thread. I am a bit surprised, though. It is natural for them to feel guilty whenever they call in sick because of their determination to help others, and their commitment to work is very commendable. The policy was usually to call at least 3-4 hours before shift start, to give staffing a chance to find a replacement so they would not have to call in the on-call nurse at time-and-a-half. I called in 2 1/2 hours before school started, so it probably wasn't a picnic to find a sub. They choose to come in to work even if they are not feeling well because they feel guilty about the effects of calling in … At my job now, I don't know how I could call off, as only 4 nurses work each shift and there is only one on call nurse. For instance, you may say something like: "Hi, (the person you are calling), this is (Your Name), and I am not feeling well today, so I am in no position to make the shift tonight/tomorrow.". This often makes people ask what to say when you call in sick. They really don't want you there. Nurses make sure that there is enough staff to cover an entire shift. Ideally, you should send a sick day email, because they’re a little easier to craft and it alleviates the pressure of talking to your supervisor. They can tell when you are really faking it. Nurses will determine what immediate actions need to be taken to ensure quality health care. I don’t know what’s wrong but I’m just not feeling myself. Then, all she did was to put the onus back on the floor nurse on duty by saying the sick person had to come to the building and have their vital signs taken by the on duty nurse. If you can tell them you’re having a sick day the night before, or even as you leave the office, then do so. All places have a set time frame, usually two or four hours, so they can attempt to find a replacement. You can talk to your boss a day before if you want to take a day off because the stress of work is making things difficult. You should not feel guilty at all for calling in sick. However, some of my other co-workers come to work febrile or even with N/V/D! I've never felt comfortable calling out and saying "I won't be in I'm not feeling well" or even "sick" esp if you don't sound that sick! I hope you feel better. I hope I’m not coming down with a cold or flu. Five Tips for Calling in Sick 1. So, I also have to work out how to get my keys out there. I thought that in a healthcare environment, the employers would not want you to come to work if you were possibly contagious.