Hi everyone. I joined this page to ask this specific question. I used to be a PCA, and am currently a college student. During my winter break, I was home and there was a snow storm that made visibility terrible, and the roads were not even plowed. I was scheduled to come in that night for an overnight, and had told my employer I probably wouldn't be able to get there due to the snow over 24 hours in advance. I messaged every single other person that worked as well, and everyone either did not want to or were even further away than I was. I had to end up just saying that I could not come in. I drive a very old sports car that has BALD tires. When I even hit a patch a slush doing 5 mph, I will still slide. Living in a town with all hills that was unplowed and had ice all over, I couldn't even get out of my driveway, and knew there was no way my car would make it there. My family did not allow me to take their four wheel drive vehicles, or even my brothers car which is at least a little safer. I do not live at school, so I didn't have anywhere I could stay beforehand to make it to work. I ended up being fired, and was obviously upset. I got yelled at for being "unprepared" and "irresponsible", as if I could have just snow shoed there or had any other option. This is NOT my full time job, it was simply for patient care hours. I did NOT take on this job thinking I would have to do this, nor was it ever mentioned to me. There were people on campus that just did not want to go in and cover me. Is this really my fault? I hate losing a job and a reference, but I can't control what car my family gives me, or that I have no viable option. I'm an undergrad, not a nurse knowing fully well what I have to do. Also, on overnights you get paid $20 for the whole entire night. You don't get paid hourly. I don't think totaling my car or getting hurt or killed is worth any amount, much less $20.
I used to drive about 35 miles to a nh job. It was in a fairly rural village, in a very well-known snowbelt area. I would routinely pass by the homes of staff who lived in the village, I would get there, work my shift, and then get mandated because they had called off due to snow. Or the ones who worked the other hall on my same shift would also call off, leaving me with
60 residents.Twice I also ended up being on duty for 24 hours straight...and then had to get home 35 miles away... lazy pigs.
I had a nurse manager (just below the DON at a small community hospital) get so fed up with nurses saying they couldn't get to work because of the weather BEFORE hurricanes (which were maybe a category 1 by the time they reached us) that she drove to their house and gave them a ride into work. One nurse asked, "How are they getting home?" Her response- "don't know. Don't care. I got them here. Now they can figure out how to get home later".
The weather wasn't that bad. I made it there in a Toyota Echo safe.
I know my rights and I know about labor laws. So, no, I won't be working 24 hours straight because someone didn't come to work. Oh, but they're gonna fire me was your next response? I will sue the hell out of them.
You are working in an ICU with a critically ill, vented patient. You've just worked a 12 hour night shift and you are dead on your feet. None of the day shift nurses feel safe driving in during a snowstorm or tropical storm, so they all call out.
Who is going to take care of this patient? You're just going to walk out? Look up "patient abandonment." Your labor laws aren't going to help you in this situation.
I have no sympathy for people calling off due to "bad weather", it is one of the worst excuses, among others such as "its' pay day weekend" (yes we get call off's all the time because people get paid, and don't want to come in to work) but I digress. When I would get to work in bad weather and found when 1, 2 or more called off, I would say "Well, how did the rest of us get here?" Sorry, no excuse for me. We had a guy who would call of like clockwork when "bad weather" was even a possibility. And not just nursing, all of my jobs that I ever had people called off for bad weather. I live in Northwest Ohio, we get some pretty bad snow storms. Did you ever drive in a level 3 snow emergency? Healthcare workers are still required to come to work in a level 3 snow emergency. Yes, we've had employees stay overnight at the facility. It happens, not often. I have got up 2 hours early to shovel my driveway and make sure I can get out to work on time. I've had many different vehicles, not all snow worthy, but they got me to work. I had a truck that would make me nervous in the rain, let alone snow... but I made it. I always had a shovel, some sand or cat litter, and maybe even some wooden boards...just in case I got stuck in the snow. Be prepared, and be responsible. I've picked others up to get to work, and some have returned the favor. Being a little late is better than not showing up at all. I've never called of for bad weather. I can't afford it if I wanted to, and I don't want to leave my co-workers hanging. It's my work ethic. Just my .02 cents.
Honestly, I don't get everyone chewing you out. I'm the same age as you and was recently in almost this exact situation, my tires aren't bald but my car is an old Cadillac from my uncle that simply doesn't handle well in the snow/ice, I called in 24 hours in advance and talked to my shift sup and let him know that I may not be able to make it but I'll see what I can do on my end (long story short, no one would give me their car and the weather was not forgiving and I ended up calling off about 10 hours before my shift). So trust me when I say I understand, but also your manager has to make things work best they could for them and if that means cutting off the student worker for missing a shift that's what they'll do.
Do I think you were unprepared or irresponsible? No, you did everything in your own power to try to make it work and it sucks you got fired but your life is worth more than $20ish. Shake it off, chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on to another job maybe one closer or at least more understanding of your current situation.
I "think" I might be able to explain the whole $20 per shift thing. I'm in an area that has a lot of residential group homes and I work at a group home myself. In my area at some agencies they have what we call "sleep shifts". What op was describing saying that they work at an apartment and they only get paid and chart from 9p-12a then don't get paid for they rest of the night sounds exactly like a "sleep shift". It's what happens when the state decides that a client/patient doesn't need care at night so, they don't get funding but.. they still can't be left alone. How it works is, the caregiver will come in and work the funded hours 9p-12a etc and then can sleep or do what they want during the unfunded hours but, can't leave. If they have to get up and do any work for their client/patient then they log that time on their time sheet. Unfortunately, this is totally legal in the group home world (at least in my state). These shifts are hard to staff of course and better agencies will offer incentives to staff these shifts, like offering a differential during the funded hours. Some agencies will move the client/patient in with a roommate that has night time funding so, they can share a caregiver (what my agency does) if family will allow it. I may be wrong but, that sounds like the job op was describing. Personally, I wouldn't want to work these shifts if I were a caregiver although I've heard some people like them.
Sorry, I got off topic here about the snow 🙂 but, I thought I might be able to explain (my theory) on why someone might only be getting paid $20 for a shift. If I was right about the type of shift op was working I know it's hard to find a replacement, I hope the previous shift didn't end up having to work 24 hours ☹ï¸.
It's one thing if you were saying you were aware from the get-go that once it snowed you had no plan for how to get there, and as a result you would be terminated.
You made a commitment to be there when scheduled, apparently regardless of weather conditions, and yet despite it only costing about $20 to be able to get there in snow you declined to do so, and then not surprisingly was terminated for not fulfilling the obligation you made. I don't see where the OP has any reasonable complaint.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
You are working in an ICU with a critically ill, vented patient. You've just worked a 12 hour night shift and you are dead on your feet. None of the day shift nurses feel safe driving in during a snowstorm or tropical storm, so they all call out.
Who is going to take care of this patient? You're just going to walk out? Look up "patient abandonment." Your labor laws aren't going to help you in this situation.
Depending upon the state's laws, the hospital would be REQUIRED to find a replacement for her, even if it was the nurse manager or the CNO. In Oregon, a nurse cannot be forced to work more than an hour beyond her scheduled shift.
You're working a job that only pays $20 for an entire night? That is less than minimum wage! And the fact that you're "not allowed" to document except 9 to 12 means your employer is absolutely committing fraud. You are entitled to at least minimum wage for your hours worked, since you are in a position that doesn't receive regular tips (like wait staff). Next time, don't commit to any job that isn't going to pay you at least the minimum wage. If you worked all night long and got paid what you were supposed to, you'd be able to buy tires for that car.
As far as calling in 24 hours in advance: why didn't you make arrangements with a friend, family member or co-worker to drive you in to work. You had 24 hours to get something arranged. Even a taxi cab. The responsibility is on you & you alone to make sure you are present and ready to work when you're scheduled.
Tell me what is wrong with my vocabulary? Oh is it the bad words? I know my rights and I know about labor laws. So, no, I won't be working 24 hours straight because someone didn't come to work. Oh, but they're gonna fire me was your next response? I will sue the hell out of them. I am not a pushover, nor am I a person that doesn't know how to research or read up on laws.
Fairly laughable right there...yes. Obviously not much time in healthcare yet.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Tell me what is wrong with my vocabulary? Oh is it the bad words? I know my rights and I know about labor laws. So, no, I won't be working 24 hours straight because someone didn't come to work. Oh, but they're gonna fire me was your next response? I will sue the hell out of them. I am not a pushover, nor am I a person that doesn't know how to research or read up on laws. I've studied labor law, employment law, and have many friends that are attorneys. I do not sit and watch and say nothing. Yes, driving in snow that's high, and roads that aren't shoveled is not worth my life!!! I am confused by why you think it would be worth anyone's life.
Essential personnel includes nurses, too. Or who did you think was going to take care of those hospitalized patients?
She's not a nurse though. Is she? I was responding specifically to that posters comment about if firefighters and/or police didn't show up.
And I will not be following this post any longer. It seems like you all want to argue for others to see what you said as being right, and I do not agree with that. What a lot of you responded to the OP and said was entirely rude and uncalled for. Nice to have this discussion, but I am done saying what I wanted to say and definitely do not want to go back and forth with most of you.
OP good luck with school, I hope you do well! Don't work for companies like that. Do not sacrifice yourself for anyone.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I had a nurse manager (just below the DON at a small community hospital) get so fed up with nurses saying they couldn't get to work because of the weather BEFORE hurricanes (which were maybe a category 1 by the time they reached us) that she drove to their house and gave them a ride into work. One nurse asked, "How are they getting home?" Her response- "don't know. Don't care. I got them here. Now they can figure out how to get home later".
The weather wasn't that bad. I made it there in a Toyota Echo safe.
And the irony is that most of those nurses who declared it "isn't worth my life" to drive to work will somehow discover a bastion of courage when it comes to getting HOME!
Depending upon the state's laws, the hospital would be REQUIRED to find a replacement for her, even if it was the nurse manager or the CNO. In Oregon, a nurse cannot be forced to work more than an hour beyond her scheduled shift.
I think that's true in many instances, particularly if it is merely a staffing issue (they can always get agency nurses in), but with bad weather, when there literally is NO ONE to bring in, they often have different standards. Perhaps it has to be related to a named storm, or some kind of official declared emergency. But regardless, if you have that vented patient or completely unstable patient and no one comes to relieve you, are you leaving because that one hour threshold has been met?
At my hospital, we had 5 ICUs. No way for the nurse managers to make up for a massive weather related call off. So the offgoing RNs say, "sorry, state law says I can leave..." I do not see that happening.
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NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN
1,599 Posts
I had a nurse manager (just below the DON at a small community hospital) get so fed up with nurses saying they couldn't get to work because of the weather BEFORE hurricanes (which were maybe a category 1 by the time they reached us) that she drove to their house and gave them a ride into work. One nurse asked, "How are they getting home?" Her response- "don't know. Don't care. I got them here. Now they can figure out how to get home later".
The weather wasn't that bad. I made it there in a Toyota Echo safe.