Snow & calling out of work

featherzRN, MSN · Mar 6, 2015

Upstate NY here (I'm from California, moved here 5 years ago). I made it to work last year in about 1/2 foot of snow in a Smart Car (no snow tires or chains). If I can make it, anyone can. Just drive SLOW SLOW and don't turn or brake suddenly. Low gear when needed.

I now have an AWD subaru with allseasons (didn't spring for snows) and it works fine as well.. While we did have snow chains in California (I lived in Lake Arrowhead), I have never seen a chained up car here. They may exist, but you can hear those from a mile away so they are NOT common.

delilah1010 · Mar 6, 2015

We live in an area that gets snow often, but usually not very much. We are just south of I-70, and most of the really heavy snow that occurs further north misses us. We don't have a great infrastructure for dealing with snow that they have further north. Streets frequently aren't plowed at all, so are cleared of snow when it gets warm enough to melt. So, the driving to work in snow is a major issue for me personally. Around here, calling to work because of snow is a cause for termination. Whoever is at the hospital already will be stuck staying there until others can come in to replace them. Technically, even at the worst snow emergency level in our state, I would be allowed to drive to work, not that I would want to do it. I have been brought to work at times by the sheriff department when my street was impassable due to snow drifts. I am actually a physician, not a nurse. I am in a specialty that isn't required to stay in the hospital while on call, but, if I am on call or scheduled to be on call the next day, and bad weather is anticipated, I pack myself an overnight bag and sleep on the floor in my office. I did that one weekend when my son was an infant. The plan was that my husband would come get him when he could, but he wasn't even able to get out of our driveway until after I had finished rounding on my patients in the hospital. If you have the bad luck to be the only one to make it to work in the snow, you end up seeing others' patients, too. We now have a hospitalist at our hospital, so I don't usually have to go in to see patients unless we have newborns in the nursery. Last winter, we had the largest total snowfall ever. I was on call the worst two days, and our office was closed. Even though I didn't go in to the office, I got about 100 phone calls, mainly complaining that our office was closed. I just hate winter. I am glad that spring is about 3 wks away.

trinitymaster · Mar 6, 2015

Upstate NY here (I'm from California, moved here 5 years ago). I made it to work last year in about 1/2 foot of snow in a Smart Car (no snow tires or chains). If I can make it, anyone can. Just drive SLOW SLOW and don't turn or brake suddenly. Low gear when needed.
I now have an AWD subaru with allseasons (didn't spring for snows) and it works fine as well.. While we did have snow chains in California (I lived in Lake Arrowhead), I have never seen a chained up car here. They may exist, but you can hear those from a mile away so they are NOT common.

The Northeast is better prepared for snow than the South is. Fifteen inches of snow is no big deal up there. Plus, your winter is an actual winter. Our winters are 70 degrees one day and -15 degrees the next.

BTW- I shoveled my extra-extra long driveway (all up hill with ice) and will be making it in to work tomorrow :dancgrp:

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2015

Unless you are totally snowed in in some cabin in the mountains, and you can't find your car under all the snow, you should probably try to make it in. Check road conditions online, make sure you have emergency supplies such as a sleeping bag or warm blanket, some extra water, snow shovel, etc. Take it slow, don't make any sudden moves. Allow yourself extra time.

Another possible option is that sometimes employers offer to have someone come pick you up. Check into that.

Good luck!

Jules A, MSN · Mar 6, 2015

Nope, no reimbursement. We're just expected to be okay with forking over 100+ dollars or more for a hotel. If you're not willing to sleep in the awful conditions in a hospital, you're paying your own way.

Which is fine with me as the best of a bad situation. Although I am very frugal I have gladly forked over the dough to sleep in a clean, comfortable hotel room.

No Stars In My Eyes · Mar 6, 2015

Canigraduate--Page 10, post #124--"Like" 1,000 times!

Ruby Vee--Page 10, post #129--Even when you see black ice and are extremely, knowledgeably careful about YOUR driving, there are accidents begun by other cars in which you become involved .I hardly think you need an 'excuse' for a crash. That's why they call accidents accidents; they are accidental, ie, not necessarily within your control.

Chesterton1 · Mar 6, 2015

I live in a rural area, and sometimes tho we are very competent in the snow we just cannot make it out. I live on a street that goes up hill, and it is a dirt road. SO, as people who live up north on dirt roads know, a little drizzle will turn it into glare ice. We had such an occurrence earlier in the year. I had picked up my brother from work and I attempted to get up our road and we stopped halfway, and slid right back down. I had to park it at the bottom of the road and treck up to the house. My mother has a bad knee, and no amount of me and my brothers would have been able to get her safely down to the bottom of the road so she could go into work. She had to call out, and obviously they didn't understand because "it wasn't bad up here" (she is a LNA). I guess my point is, that I obviously agree with the sentiment to try to get into work, but I also understand each individuals situation will dictate how feasible it is.

This picture is from the year before, but you get my drift lol.

Farawyn · Mar 6, 2015

So I've been a nurse for 4 years now. I live in the south where snow is not common. As of today every school system in the area is closed due to the snow. I have no kids, but this tells you how bad it is in the area. I live in the country and it's a 35 minute interstate drive to the hospital where I work. I am not sure if I should attempt to get to work or simply call out. I feel like I should at least try, but I've never had this problem before because I haven't been scheduled to work during a snow event before. I have very little experience driving in snow and the roads aren't plowed out here in the country.
So what would you do in this situation? Or what have you done in the past?
I am posting this because I really want opinions of nurses, not just my family/friends who advise me to stay home.
Thanks!!

DID YOU GO??? We are on tenderhooks here!

Check in, OP!

kidzcare · Mar 6, 2015

So, how in depth does my emergency weather plan need to be? 2-3 hours on each side of a shift?

There is no reason a parent should use an excuse of "It's because of my kids!" for everything, but it is SOMETIMES a valid reason.

It seems some are calling back to "the olden days" when nurses should only have been abstinent spinsters with no interests/obligations outside of their occupation.

I am many, many things. Mother, sister, daughter, runner, friend, confidant, nurse, crocheter, chef, maid, cat owner, smokin' hot date, comic relief, sarcastic side kick, wingman, beer snob, wine drinker, reformed smoker, tutor, pianist, silent grammar nazi, ashamed grammer misuser, Facebook addict, perpetually punctual, hairdresser, waitress, thespian, singer ect.

This list goes on and on and each one of those help define who I am as a person. Nurse is only one of the things on the list.

No Stars In My Eyes · Mar 6, 2015

I live in a rural area, and sometimes tho we are very competent in the snow we just cannot make it out. I live on a street that goes up hill, and it is a dirt road. SO, as people who live up north on dirt roads know, a little drizzle will turn it into glare ice. We had such an occurrence earlier in the year. I had picked up my brother from work and I attempted to get up our road and we stopped halfway, and slid right back down. I had to park it at the bottom of the road and treck up to the house. My mother has a bad knee, and no amount of me and my brothers would have been able to get her safely down to the bottom of the road so she could go into work. She had to call out, and obviously they didn't understand because "it wasn't bad up here" (she is a LNA). I guess my point is, that I obviously agree with the sentiment to try to get into work, but I also understand each individuals situation will dictate how feasible it is.
This picture is from the year before, but you get my drift lol.[ATTACH=CONFIG]17599[/ATTACH]

Once upon a time (1970's) my brother lived outside of Newfane, off a dirt road which was off a dirt road off a dirt road! I completely and totally understand!

canigraduate · Mar 6, 2015

I've never driven in snow in Tennessee or North Carolina. I have in Massachusetts, Wisconsin and the mountains of Washington State. None of those places are flat or level; and not all of those places have a decent system in place for dealing with snow. Western Washington gets ice storms as well. I learned how to drive (with snow and ice) in an area with twisty, turny, hilly roads -- also without guardrails. If you went into a skid, you could go down an embankment or into a tree or, in some places, through someone else's barn or living room.
As far as black ice -- if you know the temperature is within five degrees of freezing, you KNOW there's going to be ice or a slick patch somewhere. You drive as if it's ALL slick. I've never bought the "It was black ice -- I didn't SEE it" excuse for having a crash.
I don't know how some of the posters think a hospital will function if half of its staff decide they're not even going to TRY to come to work because of bad weather. Are you expecting the patients to magically not need care? Everyone who is already AT work should just STAY until the weather is better? And if you're the one who is AT work, are you planning to stay until the weather is better?

Why are you so confrontational about this? I didn't say anything about half the hospital not showing up. And yes, I would stay rather than get somebody hurt or killed trying to replace me. You make it sound like I am advocating each nurse for themselves, and I am not.

I am pointing out dangers that others may have not considered so they can temper their judgmental and holier than thou attitudes.

A lot of these posters make it sound like Armageddon will happen if they don't get to work in a disaster. I'm sorry, no one person is that important.

RubyVee, I respect you, but you need to chill out and burn your ticket to the drama train.

Farawyn · Mar 6, 2015

So, how in depth does my emergency weather plan need to be? 2-3 hours on each side of a shift?
There is no reason a parent should use an excuse of "It's because of my kids!" for everything, but it is SOMETIMES a valid reason.
It seems some are calling back to "the olden days" when nurses should only have been abstinent spinsters with no interests/obligations outside of their occupation.
I am many, many things. Mother, sister, daughter, runner, friend, confidant, nurse, crocheter, chef, maid, cat owner, smokin' hot date, comic relief, sarcastic side kick, wingman, beer snob, wine drinker, reformed smoker, tutor, pianist, silent grammar nazi, ashamed grammer misuser, Facebook addict, perpetually punctual, hairdresser, waitress, thespian, singer ect.
This list goes on and on and each one of those help define who I am as a person. Nurse is only one of the things on the list.

*adds message board buddy to list*