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.
Specializes in Med/Surg, OR, Peds, Patient Education.
I agree! It's not right! If she legitimately could not get to work because of the weather then she should be allowed to use her PTO.
The reason why hospitals get away with crap like this is because nurses don't seem to stick for themselves. Just see the responses here as proof.
You are correct in your statement where you stated that nurses are not "sticking up for themselves." However, for many nurses, the hospital in which they work, is the "only game in town" that pays a living wage. The, over inflated, administration does "call the shots," and these dedicated men and women need their jobs.
The administrators of most hospitals want nurses to be viewed as professionals, and are demanding a BSN requirement to demonstrate this professionalism. However, they still treat their staff, even those with a MSN, as if they were expendable chattel. Respect must flow both ways, and hospitals do not respect their staff, whether those staff members have degrees or are long term, experienced nurses without degrees.
Specializes in Med/Surg, OR, Peds, Patient Education.
It's really not like this was a surprise. The hospital I work at has plans in place for these situations. All staff come before the storm regardless and there are sleeping accomidations and they serve free meals to all the staff, you are basically, snowed in at the hosptial and when you aren't working, it's actually like a sleepover.
The sleep over "accommodation?" works, if, and it is a big, "if" the employees who can "enjoy" a sleepover are not single parents who need child care, or someone who cares for an aged parent. If it is even available, this child or elder care is costly on the 24/7 basis that would be required.
The sleep over "accommodation?" works, if, and it is a big, "if" the employees who can "enjoy" a sleepover are not single parents who need child care, or someone who cares for an aged parent. If it is even available, this child or elder care is costly on the 24/7 basis that would be required.
To what degree is it the responsibility of the employee to consider those factors when considering whether or not to work for a 24/7 facility like an acute care hospital in an area of the country in which you can expect to have bad weather and road conditions in the winter? Or have back-up plans in place? There's a lot of talk here about nurses being treated like professionals, but there is more to being a "professional" than just having a degree -- it also involves being prepared to show up when you are supposed to, prepared to do the job you agreed to do.
Instead of just calling in, call and request assistance to get to work. I have yet to see a four wheel drive "slide" off the end of the driveway" unless it has crap tires. We posses extremely specific knowledge base, and to replace what we do at a hospital, nursing home or rehab center is extremely difficult. Have you ever stayed for 24 hours, passing pills, keeping awake, and trying NOT to make a med error??????? Because you went to work, knowing there was a chance the next shift would use a storm to take a shift off?????? I have, and I am the one that has four wheel drive, SNOW TIRES, (yes, much different than all season radials, actually grip in snow) and I make it to work, if the roads are closed, I call the sheriff's department for a ride. We are the profession who cannot be replaced with just anyone, and our responsibility to our patients is to act like professionals, and no more WHINING!!! Grow up, life is not a guarantee of complete "safety", you could be hit by a drunk driver on dry roads! Is that the hospital's uncaring about their staff???? No different, get over yourself.
"RESPECT. " And how do you know whether you have the smartest nurses looking after you. Do you ask them for their GPA.. Just for the record I graduated at the top of my class with great distinction and I keep very current and am greatly respected by both my nursing and medical colleagues for my skills, my knowledge, my assessment and decision making abilities, my compassion and the RESPECT I show to patients, families and other health care team members. I am the creme de la creme in the nursing world. I have been a patient and I can tell you I have had both good and bad nurses and doctors looking after me. Some of the bad ones were disciplined after I caught them in their incompetence. And yes I have had a very nice nurse who was totally incompetent. She no longer has a licence. It is not about nice, it is about respect.
Yes we all know that the smartest Nurses are the ones who had the highest GPA in collage and are the creme de la creme of the nursing universe , as far as taking someone's license,that's right up there with making someone non rehirable, hmm Respect. I think the next time there is a chance of some bad weather, I'm am going to go spend the night at a Holiday inn express and watch some prime time TV.
Yes we all know that the smartest Nurses are the ones who had the highest GPA in collage and are the creme de la creme of the nursing universe , as far as taking someone's license,that's right up there with making someone non rehirable, hmm Respect. I think the next time there is a chance of some bad weather, I'm am going to go spend the night at a Holiday inn express and watch some prime time TV.
I don't know why she no longer has a licence in this jurisdiction. Perhaps she moved to California. And if someone poses a risk to patients or kills them she definitely should not be rehired. This nurse was very, very dangerous and a risk to the public. I wonder how many people she killed before they took her licence from her.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I agree it is not about nice, it is about respect. And part of giving good patient care is RESPECT. It is just not about automaton skills. I think may of the posters are very task oriented. They think nursing is just pushing pills and taking vitals and DOING things to people. It is more holistic than that. Maybe I am just fortunate to live in a place where it is more than that. If you are just doing things to people, you may be viewing them as objects. I am fortunate to work in a place where the nurses and doctors work together as a team. Nursing is about critical thinking skills and decision making skills not just tasks. It sounds to me like a lot of the on the defensive posters are defining skills as tasks like giving meds, taking vitals, not about assessment and decision making. And how do you know whether you have the smartest nurses looking after you. Do you ask them for their GPA.. Just for the record I graduated at the top of my class with great distinction and I keep very current and am greatly respected by both my nursing and medical colleagues for my skills, my knowledge, my assessment and decision making abilities, my compassion and the RESPECT I show to patients, families and other health care team members. I am the creme de la creme in the nursing world. I have been a patient and I can tell you I have had both good and bad nurses and doctors looking after me. Some of the bad ones were disciplined after I caught them in their incompetence. And yes I have had a very nice nurse who was totally incompetent. She no longer has a licence. It is not about nice, it is about respect.
You know all those tacky "I would NEVER want YOU to be MY nurse" posts?
It is about respect. I don't care if you agree with me or not. But when you start telling me off and calling me names, that is disrespect.
I do believe you're mistaken. Where in my post did I call you names or tell you off? For that matter, where did you see that I addressed you directly??
You know all those tacky "I would NEVER want YOU to be MY nurse" posts?
I would never want you to be my patient.
I am sure you wouldn't. I expect good care when I am a patient and I will not tolerate incompetent, negligent, disrespectful nurses. You definitely would not get away with it.
This is precisely the reason why we IC people try to convince our fellow professionals to receive the flu shot yearly. There are too many managers who are more interested in warm bodies for staffing numbers, instead of making the appropriate call for protecting our immunocompromised patients. Education is often mandated, but the absorption of such teaching sometimes falls short.
I am sure you wouldn't. I expect good care when I am a patient and I will not tolerate incompetent, negligent, disrespectful nurses. You definitely would not get away with it.
ActualNurse ,The more you post, you are turning into a specific Nursing Caricature. I can only see you by the words you post; it is hard to gauge people on what they write because we all tend to read our own interpretations into other people's words. If the things you have posted are a true representation and there is no lampoon involved.
Specific Nursing Caricature.
Where most nurses hate to identify themselves as nurses when they are on the other side of the curtain, you would play I am a nurse card every chance you got, it would be your badge of honor. You would be the patient that the staff and unit would have to be rotated through, limiting each Nurses exposure and risk, every time someone entered into your presences there would have to be a witness. You would get the sugar sweet, strictly professional patient care and exactly what the doctor ordered and nothing more and nothing less.
If what you say about your treatment of your fellow nurses is true, you have failed them.
I think it is about time you started your teaching career.
Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program-when we choose to work in a 24/7 clinical setting we have certain responsibilities.Make your child and pet care arrangements,pack a bag and go before it starts.The next weather event will probably fall on your weekend off.It's sad that so many don't bother to try.That's why my employer no longer permits essential staff to use their PTO for a weather related call off.One particularly bad winter they gave us a one hour Grace period a number of mornings,if we were late we were not docked.Until a group of aides were seen eating breakfast at the local diner......There is always someone who will take advantage.
CHESSIE
177 Posts
You are correct in your statement where you stated that nurses are not "sticking up for themselves." However, for many nurses, the hospital in which they work, is the "only game in town" that pays a living wage. The, over inflated, administration does "call the shots," and these dedicated men and women need their jobs.
The administrators of most hospitals want nurses to be viewed as professionals, and are demanding a BSN requirement to demonstrate this professionalism. However, they still treat their staff, even those with a MSN, as if they were expendable chattel. Respect must flow both ways, and hospitals do not respect their staff, whether those staff members have degrees or are long term, experienced nurses without degrees.