east coast blizzard...

[KP RN]

First of all, I hope Hoolahan, Karen, and all the rest of you in NYC, Phillie, and the eastern seaboard are all SAFE and warm.

Does your agency have a policy regarding bad weather, snowstorms, etc?

Who draws the line between getting a patient seen, and your personal safety??

I'm anxious to hear how other agencies deal with Mother Nature??

[renerian, BSN, RN]

IN central Ohio hubby's hospice used their disaster weather plan during this storm. Worked well as far as he can tell.

renerian

[karbyr]

our bad weather policy is a joke...........live in northern upper peninsula of Michigan. Protocol is if the town in which office resides closes their courthouse, we are closed. Reality is that administrator overrides protocol........ because if office closes, they have to pay us for the day........................so, we go out in blizzards so bad you can't see whether or not you are on the road or out in a field, let alone if there is a semi on the road with you. If absolutely cannot get to a patient and they need something badly, we call neighbors, family, etc..

btw- got in trouble earlier this year w/ an ice storm.......couldn't get out my driveway let alone my road...........Supervisor called me twice, etc...........all the while, unbeknownst to me, administration from a different office had called off a retirement party and administrative meeting with the nurses in my office ...........................................because of the ice storm in our county (they didn't have it in their county). I got the message............my life is less valuable than theirs....

Policy of course states that it is up to the nurses individual judgement. However, if they don't close the office, have to take your vacation or personal time...............depends on which is more valuable to you...........I base my decisions on how much longer I care to hang around on this planet