Snow Days....

elkpark · Jan 11, 2011

A dead nurse is a useless nurse!!

So is a nurse who won't at least try to get to work when scheduled because the weather is bad ...

TigerGalLE, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2011

Ok... smack me now... But this is why I love where I work so much. I swear I work for the best hospital in the world. Luckily for me I was not scheduled to work during this snow storm. My town got 6-8 inches followed by a glaze of ice. My hospital called employees before the storm to tell them hey... you gotta get here... we have patients..... But they also said we have beds and hot meals waiting for you. Most everyone I work with went in the night before the storm and spent the night. The storm hit in the early hours Monday morning. The 3rd shifters who couldn't get home were fed and put to bed. And the 1st shifters were already there. Now for the people that couldn't spend the night because of kids/elderly parents/ect... there were crews hired to go out and pick them up. And they did. They drove around and picked people up and took them to work and then took them home.

My hospital had a disaster plan. They forked out the necessary cost to house the employees during the storm. They even gave the employees free hot meals for every meal. They did this ultimately for the patients and because they care about the safety of the staff... It just doesn't get any better than that!

So I guess no one had an excuse not to work. I even called yesterday to see if they needed extra staff for today. I was willing to drive in yesterday before the roads froze and spend the night and work today. No I don't need a medal.. I just have cabin fever and all my friends were at the hospital anyway. They didn't need me.. And that is because everyone made it to work!!! That is some awesome teamwork right there!!! Rock on!!!! :rckn:

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 11, 2011

at the risk of sounding hard hearted, here goes: please keep in mind that i live 35 miles from my hospital, and have commuted much more than this. i choose to live in a rural environment, but i have to bear the consequences of that choice. it's not my coworker's place to cover for my housing preferences.
we aren't talking abt flash floods and tornadoes, here. we're talking snow, ice, and crazy southern roads. this can, and should be, planned for. it's not like the winter storm snuck up on anyone.
i've been on hurricane teams for years, and had to get there pre-storm and ride it. i've been in snow storms in the not-so-deep south and had to get a shower at work because i had no power at home.
when you're a nurse, you know going in that you are going to have to leave the hubby and kiddos and fido, too, to take care of other people. them's the breaks. it's what we signed on for. and it's not fair to the patients or to the nurses who *also* have kids and hubbies and fidos that you're snug in front of the fireplace and they are taking up your slack.

i don't think you're hard hearted -- i agree with you. tornadoes are unpredictable and no, i wouldn't be driving to work during a tornado if i could predict it. i have driven to work during a tornado, but that wasn't planned. hurricanes and snowstorms are predicted days in advance. that means you have days to pack your bag and get to town -- whether you stay at the hospital or at a nearby motel. if you've chosen to work in a hospital, you know that patients need care 24/7/365. i have elderly parents and a dog, too -- i've made arrangements for their care should i be stuck at work in a snowstorm.

if you're one of those people who thinks "my job is not worth my life or my family, so i'll just sit here in front of the fire while my co-workers pick up the slack" i say to you that maybe you shouldn't be working in a hospital. because you can as easily be killed driving to work in fabulous weather when that 16 year old who is texting swerves over the middle line.

it sucks to be stuck at work during a snowstorm. but that's what you've signed up for.

KarmaWiseRaven · Jan 11, 2011

Let It Snow!! Yay love it... The place i worked before had a policy on snow days NOOOOOO Call In's Period.. If you call in your fired. Our Admin and DON would say if you know it's going to snow or you see it starting to snow you best head in to work. She didn't care if you had spend the night or not. And i have spent the night at the nursing home a few times because of snow and bad roads. The Ice Storm was the worst. These are my thoughts use them as you wish..

HappyBunnyNurse · Jan 11, 2011

I tried to stay Sunday morning but was told no. I literally could not afford a hotel. So I drove home through sleet and ice (which turned my normal one hour thirty minute commute into two hours and fifteen minutes.) After four hours sleep (I had worked 12 hours Friday night and 12 hours Saturday night) I got up to leave for work 2 hours early. However, the storm had gotten much worse. In my area it was all ICE, there was no snow. My drive was iced. So I called in. I felt really, really bad. And this thread has helped so much.......

wooh, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2011

y'all can be as snide to the op as you want for not being suicidal, but i live in the south and i know how bad it is when we get snow.
so am i.
it's especially bad right now. the roads suck, there's black ice everywhere, and you can't walk without slipping much less get a car anywhere without sliding.
much like the last snowstorm, where i slept at work so i could be there for my shift.
not to mention all the people trying to drive who have zero experience driving in anything besides rain. put it all together and it makes for life-threatening situations.
which is why you plan ahead, go slow, before the roads get that bad.
and before you start getting all holier-than-thou about the patients, there are people already there who can stay over and take care of them. not fair, true, but fair and alive sometimes conflict. personally, i would rather stay unharmed and not join the patients.
good thing those that are already there don't feel the same way you do.
as for planning ahead, yeah right. when you get god to tell you what's going to happen, let me know. i'll believe you much faster than i'll believe our weather people. this is the 2nd actual snow this year out of over a dozen predicted. this is actually an improvement over what usually happens, which is 30 snow storm predictions over the winter but just one flurry.
oh nos! i planned to get to work early and it wasn't bad!! oh my goodness! i'll get to go home when my shift is done! it's soooo horrible!
op, i'm sorry you're in this situation and i hope your nm is a lot less judgmental than some of the nags on this thread.

and by "nag" you mean someone that actually shows up to work when they're scheduled? or by "nag" do you mean, someone that doesn't want to hear the excuses that they're working doubles between sleeping at work while you're sitting at home wrapped up in a blanket?

MoLee228 · Jan 11, 2011

I will only stay if there's no coverage for the next shift. If there's coverage for the next shift, I'm out the door and on my merry, snowy way home. I'd rather go outside and build a snow hut and sleep in that than sleep at work.

Hahahaha I LOVE this. There is a hotel attached to the hospital where I work and they give us "discount" rates when the weather is bad (still expensive). I'm totally with you, hotel or not, discount rates or not, I AM NOT sleeping at work!

MoLee228 · Jan 11, 2011

And, hey, how 'bout you show up to work when you are on the schedule, who is against that? Because nobody wants to pull a 4th or 5th 12 in one week because you just couldn't figure out how you were going to make it the *one* time the weatherman was right.

I always stay if I'm asked to stay. I don't mind, if I'm already there I may as well stay and get some great overtime. Plus, if the roads are that bad, I would rather stay and allow time for them to get cleared better before I head out. Works in my favor both ways!

I know not all nurses share my enthusiasm for overtime, maybe I'll change my mind when I have been a nurse longer and I'm a little older. But for now, bring on the bad weather and people, call off all you want because I'll be glad to cover your shift!

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2011

Our hospital sent out a mass email to all staff stating that they were expected to report to work no matter the weather conditions. The disaster preparedness staff had set up an area for the hospital staff to sleep and were handing out free meal tickets to those staff who chose to check in to the "shelter". We were told to pack for an expected stay of 72 hours. The staff that called in because of the weather were written up.

Do I agree with punishing the staff that did not make it in? No, because there were no arrangements made for child care. I kept thinking of the single parents that could not leave their kids. I myself do not have kids, but my heart went out to the staff that did have to deal with this situation. Do I think that some of our staff called out because it was a great excuse? Of course. When most of our patients can make it through the weather for scheduled surgery (and they live in Virginia) then I think that some of our staff could have made it as well.

Unless you are already in trouble with absences, one call out should not reflect poorly on you unless your NM made arrangements for you to come the night before the storm. I feel for ya...it is one of the downsides of being in healthcare.

flashpoint · Jan 12, 2011

I really don't mind going in early or staying over or whatever it takes in lousy weather. But, I do expect a little something in return. If I cover for someone who can't make it, I think that they should be willing to cover for me when I am sick or need an unexpected day off or something like that. No one likes to change their plans at the last minute, but if I do it for you, you should return the favor. I also expect it to be noted on performance evaluations and taken into consideration when raises or promotions come up. Simply showing up when you are supposed to doesn't really deserve special treatment, but I do think it should be noted that I don't call in a lot and that I do make it there when other people can't or won't.

roser13, ASN, RN · Jan 12, 2011

I will never forget the snowstorm where I bravely struck out into the storm to go to work. Quickly got stranded on a snow mound because my sedan's tires weren't tall enough to carry me over the snow depth. AAA rescued me and took me home, where I called and asked for my hospital's snow team to come and retrieve me and take me to work.

They couldn't. I later heard that they spun out and overturned on the interstate on their way to pick me up.

I got written up.

tablefor9, RN · Jan 12, 2011

Look, for all the anti-nag folks, I don't think the OP is getting picked on. One does their best, we're all good. By giving examples, no one is trying to "one up" the next person. We just want to share that hey, these are problems we all face. No one's being singled out, here.

However, when one has warning of crappy weather, one plans ahead to take care of their responsibilities...like a JOB, family, home. Don't like the answer, don't ask the question.

Some of us love OT. I like it, myself, and am happy to cover for others. However, not everyone does, and nurses shouldn't *have to* stay because someone called out when it could have been avoided.

I'm finding, more and more, that there's a load of name calling "nag", "holier than thou", whatever, when all that's being said is that adults should take care of adult resposibilities and consider the consequences to others (including coworkers) when decisions are made.