Well, I want to say first that I fully understand that hospitals expect you to be at work no matter what the weather.
I always go. I go for other people. That's why I have a four wheel drive. However, sometimes there is bad timing. Such as major snow that falls heavily and rapidly.
I got up, took a shower, got in the car to go to work. I swept it off the night before, got gas the night before, washed my uniform and had it pressed in case the power went out.
I warmed up the car, went off my driveway...moved about 15 feet and it slid into the yard.
The vehicle would not move.
So for the first time in years...I don't call in sick but maybe once a year. Never for weather.
I have PTO right? Lots of it because I never call in.
Get this...hospital is not allowing me to use my PTO for that day.
Freaking ridiculous. So if anyone else makes an attempt and wrecks. Call the news right after the tow truck. The general public should know that hospitals don't care about the safety of their employees. So this crappie about the fact they do? They can stick it as far as I'm concerned.
In some places you will get written up for calling off during a weather event. It sucks not getting PTO, but I'm not surprised. Too many people take advantage of circumstances. At my employer (and I'm sure at most) if you call off the day before, during, or the day after a holiday, you do not get holiday pay, regardless of the circumstance (unless you have FMLA of course). I went into work with Type A influenza on a New Years Eve due to this policy. I had proof of my illness (I had just tested positive that morning) and yet my manager wouldn't send me home so I had to stay. I was kept away from patients and had little interaction with staff, but was highly contagious regardless. I was mad, but I put on my big girl pants and sucked it up. Thankfully I had the next day off.
You were contagious and sick, give up the extra pay and stay home.
I dunno. You had a week to prepare. Lots of time to make plans and figure things out. And the worst that happens is you get stuck in your driveway and you don't get a paid day off. You went back into your warm house and stayed home.
I think it's fair, all things considered....I mean....
SOMEONE had to cover for you. Likely they had to stay over when they planned to go home and take care of family and/or pets of their own. Or just not work a double when they planned to rest after a long, long shift. Someone was inconvenienced at the very least, when you stayed home.
Been there, snow storms etc. I know what a pain in the butt it is. Made contingency plans and got there. Just made it happen.
I would count your lucky stars you were safe and unharmed all in all.
OP I suggest you just call a tow truck. Call work, tell them what's up and you'll be late, but you're coming. Your relief will appreciate that, and you'll look reliable. I mean, if you're too stuck to dig out, you'll need a tow truck eventually anyway, so make yourself look good and get one that day. It might take 6 hours for them to come, but it's a twelve hour shift. Or get digging.
I live in the northeast, and have found myself good and stuck unexpectedly a few times. People understand. You have 12 hours to get unstuck, don't give up before the first hour is up. Even with $40 for a tow, you'll still make a profit on the day.
I hear your pain. However, I am a home visiting nurse. I have been doing house calls and on call for 25 years. We are expected to go out no matter what the weather. It is the nature of the work. We are expected to rent cars, take public transport, ask friends or family to assist and chauffeur, if necessary. We are expected to carry car survival kits...shovel, salt, food, warm clothes, blankets, flashlights, etc. We have safety in-services that educate on these matters. I have been out if freezing rain, blizzards, and power blacks outs day and night. I never failed to get to my patients. I have rented cars, asked family to drive me. I mean ... if there insulins or life saving meds to be given...you go to them. I have not always been on time...but I got there. I taught myself how to get from one end of the city to the other on alternate routes. No it is not fun sometimes...but we really have not choice...it is the work we chose to do and that is the expectation.
Specializes in NICU, PEDs, Skilled Home Care, Biologics.
Wow, I don't believe what I'm reading. I will not risk my life for ANY job. The unit manager where I worked for 21 years actually called all of the outlying nurses who were scheduled to work, told them she was aware that the weather was going to be bad so we should stay home. She called staff that lived the closest to the hospital and asked if they would come in extra which they did. It was mandatory to take PTO as it was vacation pay which covered any reason that you didn't work your shift. The hospital did not want a bunch of PTO on the books. If the weather was bad at the end of the shift the hospital would give you a room to stay in so you didn't have to drive home on bad roads. Their philosophy was "You are of no use to us dead or injured and in the hospital". I would add that our manager was a true leader and our turnover rate was zero for many years.
Wow, I don't believe what I'm reading. I will not risk my life for ANY job. The unit manager where I worked for 21 years actually called all of the outlying nurses who were scheduled to work, told them she was aware that the weather was going to be bad so we should stay home. She called staff that lived the closest to the hospital and asked if they would come in extra which they did. It was mandatory to take PTO as it was vacation pay which covered any reason that you didn't work your shift. The hospital did not want a bunch of PTO on the books. If the weather was bad at the end of the shift the hospital would give you a room to stay in so you didn't have to drive home on bad roads. Their philosophy was "You are of no use to us dead or injured and in the hospital". I would add that our manager was a true leader and our turnover rate was zero for many years.
You were very lucky to have that manager....but many places do not have enough staff that lives close to the hospital....or enough staff, period. One thing many places do is find any available empty rooms for staff to sleep in - which is a no brainer when you cant get back home and there's nobody to replace you.
Actually, I quite agree with you. I consider myself to be a "subcontracted" employee. My employer and I have an agreement that I will provide services under my license for an agreed upon wage. I also signed a contractual agreement to abide by their policies and regulations. However, I am free, at any time, to terminate my agreement and seek employment elsewhere should I no longer agree to the policies and procedures of the facility that I am working for. This is not personal. It is business. I am a professional nurse and I am well aware that the facility will continue on without me just as I am aware that life and death is not totally in my hands. You are right that doctors expect and receive far more respect than nurses do. I for one expect the same level of respect. I take great pride in my work and, yes, I do document everything that I do ( and say). My license is for life. I do not consider my place of employment as a long term entity. I work there for now until such time as I decide to make a change. At that point, I will have no hesitation in moving on.
You are comparing apples and oranges. The OP is expressing frustration about not being paid after making a good faith attempt to get into work.
you bring up care being delivered by a nurse who's been up for 20 hours. How is this relevant? Many hospitals use mandated staffing frequently, having nurses work over to solve the facility's staffing problems. This is not new.
I do not understand why people are jumping on the OP
I am with you. You made the effort to go in but you got stuck in the snow. End of story. I understand that we are emergency personnel but we have to make sure that we aren't another casualty as well. No one will care but your family and friends. Nurses have to stop thinking that we are all the personnel that hospital has... we aren't. Doctors, Surgeons, RT, PT they are all staff as well. But guess what? When it comes to bad weather except for interns, physicians and nurses....most others are gone. Staffing is not a nurses responsibility. It is the hospitals responsibility to staff properly, make adequate arrangements for their staff to come in and have appropriate relief when the time comes. I live in FL, come hurricane time the hospital is on high alert and arrangements are being made across the board. We have to stop this savior mentality. As if anyone cares.
If you can't care properly for your staff how are you going to care properly for patients?
Now would I have cared if I got paid or not for that day, maybe not. Unless it's written in the contract you signed or it's on the employee website or something. She needs to get paid. End of story. Hospitals have the uncanny habit of making their own laws when it suits them without the employee knowing ahead of time. I am not talking about certain events that are unforeseen.
Bingo. You hit the nail on the head. If he hospital can't even care for its staff how can it care for its patients.
Last major snowstorm we got at out little hospital we were madated to stay if we thought we wouldn't make it there because of the weather and we were forewarned that there would be disiplinary action if we didn't make it in because of the weather. We ran on such a skeleton crew at night, we could not afford an absence. I was the only icu nurse at night.
So, while it's unfortunate that they wouldn't pay you wroth your PTO, atleast they didn't fire you or write you up.
Exactly right. Any employer of nurses need your warm licensed body more than you need them. I can drive just fine in the snow, but even supernurse can't leap over all the stuck, stalled, and spun out cars. If I can't get there, I can't get there.... but I'll try like hell! And, deny me my hard-earned PTO, and by God, I'll get my PTO by taking a vacation to find a new job!
Nurses, you get crapped on by employers because you allow it!
canoehead, BSN, RN
6,909 Posts
You were contagious and sick, give up the extra pay and stay home.