Essential Personnel

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I live 15 miles from my dialysis center and couldn't get out of my driveway today because of a snowstorm. I feel utterly sick and devastated that I couldn't get there. This is the first time ever in my nursing career that I've missed for foul weather. How do I deal with this?

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Specializes in Dialysis.

If you are not a habitual call in, don't sweat it. If weather was that bad, others probably missed as well. If your clinic doesn't mention it, I wouldn't worry too much

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OP must not be 'essential personnel', if OP can't find a way to work 15 miles to provide a life-saving service because of a snow storm. If OP were 'essential personnel', at least the EMS system would find a way to get OP to that place. At the least the center would have a back-up plan to treat their patients, and again, if that were to happen- OP is not 'essential personell'.

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Specializes in Home Health (PDN), Camp Nursing.
\ said:
OP must not be 'essential personnel' if OP can't find a way to work 15 miles to provide a life-saving service because of a snow storm. If OP were 'essential personnel', at least the EMS system would find a way to get OP to that place. At the least the center would have a back-up plan to treat their patients, and again, if that were to happen- OP is not 'essential personnel'.

I love when everyone assumes that the entire world is just like their back yard. (Although I don't know anyplace where EMS or public safety transports nurses to work as a matter of routine) My area uses privet EMS. Who would pay to transport all these nurses!? Sorry we couldn't spare a unit to do non emergency. Maybe the nation guard in cases of declared emergency would transport essential personnel.

At OP relax I bet one or two of your patents didn't make it in either. It's hard to not be able to do something when you know others are relying on you. It's especially hard if your working in a clinic setting because it's not like you can go in the night before. If you tried and couldn't do it, I would hold no grudge. It's my coworkers who look out the window and see a dusting and call out that drives me nuts.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
Sam J. said:
OP must not be 'essential personnel', if OP can't find a way to work 15 miles to provide a life-saving service because of a snow storm. If OP were 'essential personnel', at least the EMS system would find a way to get OP to that place. At the least the center would have a back-up plan to treat their patients, and again, if that were to happen- OP is not 'essential personell'.

Do you live somewhere that has been having the Winter from #%*# like some of the rest of us? I can totally understand where the OP is coming from on this, because we have mounds of snow on both sides of our driveway from shoveling that are literally as tall as we are. There have been days where we got hammered with snow and if I had been scheduled, I wouldn't have been able to get out of my driveway to get to the clinic. Some of my co-workers have tried to come in and gotten stuck in their driveways or even on their streets. On the days when it's been the worst, maybe 50-60% of our patients make it in, so we don't require as much staff.

When you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, it doesn't pay to have EMS transporting nurses to work. If anything, they will try to find other employees with 4WD to transport essential personnel to and from work, but that doesn't always happen either.

Lighten up! Can't you tell that the OP is really upset about not being able to get to work? Fifteen miles in the kind of snow storms we've been getting in some parts of the country can turn into a hour or longer drive, if you can even get through at all. At least he/she cares about being at work for his/her patients. Isn't that a good thing????

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Specializes in ICU.

I've never heard of EMS/ground transport going out to pick up staff members (probably because we're the only Level I trauma center in our area), but our security department will go out to pick up nurses who live close to the hospital. Some management staff with larger, 4x4 vehicles have been known to pick up people who live in outlying areas also. I am 28 miles away from work, but my county is relatively decent about plowing, sanding and salting. On the other hand, I live on a 1-block street so just getting to the main road sometimes proves to be a problem!

I have had to sleep at the hospital before in extreme weather - our nursing supervisors work out ways to house staff who are scheduled for back-to-back days and live a longer distance from the hospital so that as long as we can get there in the first place, the shortage will not be as bad. Granted, it's not an ideal situation. If the house census suddenly spikes, there is a good chance that those of us who are "sleeping over" will get moved to another area, or told that we're on our own. But, they do try to accommodate us because in the end, they are the ones who benefit in the form of fewer call-ins.

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Specializes in ICU, Renal.

Just wondering- some of the patients probably couldn't get there as well. I used to feel horribly guilty for calling out, even when I was sick; but now I know I am not pretending, or making excuses- I am usually very dependable & only call out when I have to call out, so I don't sweat it. It's a sign you are conscientious, though, OP, and that's a good thing.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
FransBevy said:
I live 15 miles from my dialysis center and couldn't get out of my driveway today because of a snowstorm. I feel utterly sick and devastated that I couldn't get there. This is the first time ever in my nursing career that I've missed for foul weather. How do I deal with this?

We've had 60 inches of snow in Chicago this year, so I know the challenges of staffing my units. Did you make a good faith effort to dig yourself out? Are you normally always there?

if so, don't beat yourself up.

I had a few people who genuinely made great efforts, just genuinely couldn't make it happen.

If you still feel guilty, volunteer to be available for a few extra shifts, or do a favor for your coworkers who pressed on without you.

:yes:

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
OneDuckyRN said:
I've never heard of EMS/ground transport going out to pick up staff members (probably because we're the only Level I trauma center in our area), but our security department will go out to pick up nurses who live close to the hospital. Some management staff with larger, 4x4 vehicles have been known to pick up people who live in outlying areas also. I am 28 miles away from work, but my county is relatively decent about plowing, sanding and salting. On the other hand, I live on a 1-block street so just getting to the main road sometimes proves to be a problem!

I have had to sleep:angrybird9: at the hospital before in extreme weather - our nursing supervisors work out ways to house staff who are scheduled for back-to-back days and live a longer distance from the hospital so that as long as we can get there in the first place, the shortage will not be as bad. Granted, it's not an ideal situation. If the house census suddenly spikes, there is a good chance that those of us who are "sleeping over" will get moved to another area, or told that we're on our own. But, they do try to accommodate us because in the end, they are the ones who benefit in the form of fewer call-ins.

Well put.

Those with 4x4 would pick up some of the staff, but there is no way they could get everyone.

I can imagine the response anyone in Chicagoland would get if they called emergency services for a ride to work. :roflmao:

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FransBevy said:
I live 15 miles from my dialysis center and couldn't get out of my driveway today because of a snowstorm. I feel utterly sick and devastated that I couldn't get there. This is the first time ever in my nursing career that I've missed for foul weather. How do I deal with this?

Different places of employment have different plans on how to deal with bad weather days, how you deal with it depends on how they react to you no showing up, on a personal level, that's up to you.

Do a search, lots of conversations, and you will find different attitudes from how dare a workplace put your life in danger, to you show up no matter what happens because it comes with the job you accepted.

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FransBevy said:
I live 15 miles from my dialysis center and couldn't get out of my driveway today because of a snowstorm. I feel utterly sick and devastated that I couldn't get there. This is the first time ever in my nursing career that I've missed for foul weather. How do I deal with this?

"Acceptance of the things you cannot change" is probably best.

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Specializes in L&D, CCU, ICU, PCU, RICU, PCICU, & LTC..
Sam J. said:
OP must not be 'essential personnel', ... At the least the center would have a back-up plan to treat their patients, and again, if that were to happen- OP is not 'essential personell'.

Arranged transportation does NOT have to be EMS. It could have been a cab, a nearby police officer, or another person with better transportation.

Sam is correct that 'essential personnel' implies that the facility could NOT even operate without that person. For such people there would be a backup plan, perhaps just someone with a truck rather than a sportscar, to transport. When I was a supervisor, we always knew who we could call for assist in various problems.

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