Sick Days

I am presently on placement at ICU and in the lead up to the long weekend i started to develop a cold :( This progressed on the weekend and Monday night i was still feeling quite down and out and awoke this morning not feeling much better. This placed me with the delema, do i call in sick or go to work still coughing and with a bit of a temperature? As we are allocated sick days, I guess they are available for this purpose however i don't like to take them.

I may have not taken the day off had I been at another placement but as I previously mentioned i am at ICU. I felt that these patients have already got multiple problems, 80% have ineffective coughs and given the nature of the cold i developed i didn't wish to pass it on.

I decided to take the day off and now that leaves only 1 sick day left. If i had 0 left or i think it would play on my mind if i take another day off, knowing i would have to make up the time at a later date, or just battle through. Would this scenario mean we are going to work when we shouldn't be? Could I have gone to work today and my patients would not have caught my cold? Will it be contagious tomorrow? Would families who have someone at ICU want you treating them? Are there any objective measures, e.g. temperature checks, that can clear us to work?