Can I please get a Parking Spot!

[ArrowRN]

I haven't written anything in a while, but keeping it short and venting...I am just so frustrated with all these employers who are treating nurses are second grade employees when it comes to parking. Doctors get priviliges such as their own lots closest to the facility. Some even get reserved spots with their name even if they there maybe once or twice per week.

I work at two hospitals and both of them treat nurses parking as a threat to their patients. One of them charges rediculous fees to the day shift and require them to purchase annual parking decals. Thanks goodness I work nights, but if I don't leave on time I will be cited and possibly ticketed.

The other facility, makes nurses park off campus and "shuttle" them to the hospital. Which means instead of reaching to work 15 mins early you got to be 30-45mins early to beat the shuttle rush catch your shuttle, more time unpaid and being wasted. All this is being done in the name of "patient first"...so what the rest of it? Patient's first...Nurses Last?

That brings to bear the question, are nurses truly essential personel at hospitals? and if so why are we always treated this way? What made me write this is a facility now threating crazy citation fees if the parking rules are not followed...I mean..if the parking rules are not followed BY NURSES.

This extends into other areas in society as well. For example, on Family Feud, there was a question on asking 100 people to name an occupation that save lives. The top answer was Firefighter, deservidly so but I dont think nurses even made the list. In my state there is a discount program for mortgages called "Good neighbor next door" but it only applies to firefighters, EMT/paramedics and police officers. you would think a nurse would be a good neighbor to have but the State does not think so.

When will the status of nursing be respected to where I can at least get a decent parking spot?

[guest769224]

Wow, some of these responses are eye opening. I'm lucky I've never worked at any hospital that required parking fees. Another greedy way to squeeze money out of the nurses.

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

My old job had a parking garage across from the hospital that you could use after 3pm. It was $25/mo. There were other parking lots on the campus that day shift would use. But, I think for "ancillary staff", they would have to use a different parking lot that had shuttle busses or a few blocks walk.

My current job suggests a chain of parking garages nearby. I usually park about 2 blocks from my job. $12/night or $16/day.

I tend to prefer public transportation if I can do it. Driving when other cars are around annoys me. I prefer sitting on a train and doing what I wanna do (read, sleep, whatevar).

[Delia37, MSN]

I work at a teaching facility that charges $38/month for parking; it is tax deductible, though, or used to be...not sure with the new tax laws taking effect next year.

[Miss.LeoRN]

My hospital has a parking garage and a sky bridge connection to the hospital. We're pretty spoiled. We won't be once our new facility is finished in the spring. No parking garage. No sky bridge. No idea where nurses or employees will be parking at all actually.

[verene, MSN]

I think the pay to park thing is more of an urban hospital problem where parking is limited. Having been a volunteer, worker, and student at a variety of locations. My current job is not a hospital but has exactly 3 parking spaces up for lottery each month due to being located in heavily urban environment which was never built to sustain current traffic (former industrial neighborhood now up-and-coming condo village). Thankfully I can take the bus to my current job so I don't have to pay for parking or worry about getting ticketed as you need to move your car every 4 hours on the street and no way a nurse is being able to run off the floor that frequently to move a vehicle.

I've seen hospitals try many different options to reduce the number of cars - the hospital were I did the majority of my clinicals has a massive public transit discount (think less than 1/10th the going rate for an annual pass), lots of biking services - bike valet, free repair stations, and covered secure lockers, a dedicated carpool service + parking discounts for employees who carpool, free shuttle service to parking and transit hubs off the hospital campus -- and yet the wait list for a day-time parking space is still 5+ years and the costs are sky high.

Paying exorbitant amount of money for parking is unfortunately park of living a big city - it doesn't matter if it is for work or for fun. The one's I really feel sorry for are all the CNAs, Techs, housekeeping, food service etc who really don't make enough money per shift to afford the cost of parking. As nurses we can gripe about how unfair it is, but paying for parking typically doesn't result in inability to pay for food or other necessities.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

Parking is actually free which frankly I'm surprised they don't charge since they are all about money and making a profit and we are a captive audience. Other hospitals in the city charge parking fees and/or shuttle so I guess I'm lucky. I work nights. Days is free also but they can't park in the structure they have to park in a separate area that is maybe a 5-minute walk to work at most.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

The physicians where I work definitely receive the coveted spots.

My shift gets to park in the lot pretty much adjacent to the hospital (day shift gets a 10 minute walk); no payment necessary...

... except for the drive by shootings at night and no security. The lot is also adjacent to a bad neighborhood, and shootings have left parked cars with bullet holes. Thank goodness no one was sitting in them at the time.

We walk out in large groups. Quickly.

Now that you mention it, technically we have security but they don't actually patrol the parking structure or lot. They have a few cameras, but get this, they also have a few fake cameras because they were too cheap to put cameras everywhere. lol There have been some cars stolen from the structure and others broken into so the area is not that safe anymore either like it used to be. In fact there was an incident nearby where a man knocked down an elderly lady in broad daylight and stole her car at a doctors office a while back! What is the world coming to no decency, no respect!

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I pay nearly $1000/yr to park in a garage that's a 10 minute walk away. If I wanted to I could pay just $360/yr to park in a lot 5 miles away that requires me to arrive 45 minutes earlier than necessary to catch an overcrowded shuttle that smells of sweat socks and despair only to clock in 5 minutes late. Yeah...no.

You should be a writer I really liked smells of sweat socks and despair. lol

[Sour Lemon]

My first job had garages that were pretty far, but " hamster tunnels" you could walk in above the ground to get into the hospital. There were shady characters hanging around at times. Two nurses actually got chased by men with knives. Once you're in that tunnel you're pretty much trapped.

[broughden]

This is what happens when you dont organize and unionize. The employer has ALL the power.

Just like the "company" store and living in the "company" house back in the early 20th century, where employees would end up owing their employer more money by the end of the month, than they made that month.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

One hospital I worked at had a parking deck that was built when I was just bitty, if I was even born yet. At the time it was stated that there would only be a charge for parking until the parking deck was paid for. I am 38 now and by my calculation, that thing has been paid for about 16 times over.

Another hospital that I worked agency at required that nurses park at the very furthest end of the parking lot. I was perusing a needlework catalog one morning before clocking in when a security guard rapped on my window to tell me I needed to move. I was one slot too close to the hospital.

I own my own clinic now and they can have their parking. I have physician parking lot privilege now if I go to round on patients, which is rare.

It's nothing but a racket and just another way to show what hospitals really think of their nursing staff.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I work on a university campus. If you complain, all you get is the response "the university owns the parking".

Doctors don't get off easy. They pay more than anyone for a parking deck.

Luckily I work nights and weekends when parking is free.

The weekday people have it the worst. The park and ride of off campus parking used to be free, but now costs money to park there too. All parking costs a lot. If there is a football or basketball game, and your parking lock or deck is near the stadium, they post an announcement that people parked in the lots they pay for will have to move their cars by 6pm (or whenever) or be towed. Yep, sports fans are more important than employees. Sometimes an employer shows how much you matter.