Nurses in the path of Hurricane Irene

Nurses General Nursing

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This hurricane sounds like it has the potential to be a major event in large, heavily populated cities. If you work at a hospital or nursing facility in the path of this storm, what precautions are being taken prior to landfall? Will you be required to stay at the hospital? What are they telling you about calling in sick or calling in unable to get there? If you are staying at the hospital, what arrangements are you making for children/family?

I requested the weekend off a month ago, there are nurses who are scheduled to work but because they live in a evacuation zone theyre calling out??

I am confused, so if every staff member lived in an evacuation zone then there'd be no nurses?

I might go in to help, it wont be pretty :/

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Specializes in Long term care, Rehab/Addiction/Recovery.

My sincere wish that all Nurses and there families ride this storm out safely. I lived in NYC most of my life, then Long Island on the water over 15 yrs. I survived many Hurricanes (Andrew), and nasty Nor'easters. I relocated to Upstate NY about a year ago. Yes, it seemed like it never stopped snowing this winter..Today I'm glad my sons and I are no longer on Long Island. Please all take care. Monday morning will find us all safe.:heartbeat

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Thankfully living away from coastal areas, but praying for the safety of those living near the coast in the path of Irene.

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It interests me when people say, "I have children and a husband..." As if the life of a single, childless nurse is of lesser value.

I don't think MOST people would consider a childless nurse to have a life of lesser value, simply that without having children who are depending on them to come home after work to care for them, a single nurse will possibly feel less conflicted about making an extra effort to come to work in hazardous conditions or stay at the facility during a storm in order to be able to make it to their next shift. A couple of single and/or childless nurses have stated as much.

The whole subject can get very tricky-one doesn't want to put your life on the line for a job, yet patients who cannot be evacuated must have care and it doesn't seem fair to inflict all the work on some nurses. They have to eat/sleep/etc., yet the needs of the patients don't stop just because a nurse has worked 24 hours straight. I sure don't have the answer to the dilemma, because it's a tough one.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
It interests me when people say, "I have children and a husband..." As if the life of a single, childless nurse is of lesser value.

This is always a touchy issue.....and yes, the following is a bit overblown, but only a bit.

It is a very standard idea unfortunately, held by way too many nurses.

The single nurse is expected to work most night shifts, so that the marrieds can go home to hubby.

The single must work most weekends - hubby isn't happy if wife is at work.

The single must be on call to come in or double their pt load, because spouse has sniffles and is incapable of going to the MD by thereself, or feeding themselves chicken soup. And goodness knows, they can't be expected to provide childcare or take their children that they chose to procreate, to the MD or care for them when they are ill.

And it is a total sin that married/parent nurses are expected to work on Christmas for a few years. Oh the inhumanity and their children will be scarred for life, when the evil single nurse was so selfish and wouldn't volunteer to work every holiday. Or the gall of him/her to expect a married to do a swap of holidays, when asked to give up her CHristmas.

Everyone KNOWS that the single nurse has nothing better to do and has no responsibilities.

Yes, I know that I am exaggerating and there are parent/married nurses that do care but I do get tired of "why don't you mandate Caroladybelle - she is single, has a grown child - let her do it.

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As a matter of interest, to those that think it unfair to mandate nurses - what happens when the house catches fire, floods or collapses. When there is delay in assistance because the firemen/police/EMS called off or are shortstaffed from call-offs. They after all, are often parents and wouldn't want to leave their children parentless. Or you make it to the EMS with your seriously injured loved one and it is closed or understaffed d/t call offs.

(let the flames begin)

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Specializes in Psych.

If this was already posted i'm sorry but I work in a behavioral health hospital attached to a major hospital on the NC coast and they provided shelter and childcare for staff who stayed during the storm. Luckily i'm a brand new employee so i'm not on the hurricane team lol. Too bad there is a long way to go before the season is over :(

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Carol,

I don't intend to flame you one bit. I feel ya, girl! Since my hubby is also in the health care industry, he knows that I have to work most holidays. He has a grown son, and I raised my little brother, who is also out of college and on his own.

I will usually volunteer to work for a nurse who has little kids and has been scheduled to work on holiday. I don't mind doing this because I know that I will be making a ton of money, allowing me to go on an awesome fishing trip in the spring!

Priorities of one are not the priorities of another, I suppose.

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I don't think MOST people would consider a childless nurse to have a life of lesser value, simply that without having children who are depending on them to come home after work to care for them, a single nurse will possibly feel less conflicted about making an extra effort to come to work in hazardous conditions or stay at the facility during a storm in order to be able to make it to their next shift. A couple of single and/or childless nurses have stated as much.

The whole subject can get very tricky-one doesn't want to put your life on the line for a job, yet patients who cannot be evacuated must have care and it doesn't seem fair to inflict all the work on some nurses. They have to eat/sleep/etc., yet the needs of the patients don't stop just because a nurse has worked 24 hours straight. I sure don't have the answer to the dilemma, because it's a tough one.

I agree, and to add to that I think it is just natural to want to make sure that your kids are ok. I am not a parent but I can see how a parent would want to be right there with their babies just to make sure that they are ok in the storm. I really don't think that it is an intentional slight of those of us who do not have children. By the way I am not a nurse either... but hope to eventually be one. :smokin:

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
This is always a touchy issue.....and yes, the following is a bit overblown, but only a bit.

It is a very standard idea unfortunately, held by way too many nurses.

The single nurse is expected to work most night shifts, so that the marrieds can go home to hubby.

The single must work most weekends - hubby isn't happy if wife is at work.

The single must be on call to come in or double their pt load, because spouse has sniffles and is incapable of going to the MD by thereself, or feeding themselves chicken soup. And goodness knows, they can't be expected to provide childcare or take their children that they chose to procreate, to the MD or care for them when they are ill.

And it is a total sin that married/parent nurses are expected to work on Christmas for a few years. Oh the inhumanity and their children will be scarred for life, when the evil single nurse was so selfish and wouldn't volunteer to work every holiday. Or the gall of him/her to expect a married to do a swap of holidays, when asked to give up her CHristmas.

Everyone KNOWS that the single nurse has nothing better to do and has no responsibilities.

Yes, I know that I am exaggerating and there are parent/married nurses that do care but I do get tired of "why don't you mandate Caroladybelle - she is single, has a grown child - let her do it.

--------------------------------------------------

As a matter of interest, to those that think it unfair to mandate nurses - what happens when the house catches fire, floods or collapses. When there is delay in assistance because the firemen/police/EMS called off or are shortstaffed from call-offs. They after all, are often parents and wouldn't want to leave their children parentless. Or you make it to the EMS with your seriously injured loved one and it is closed or understaffed d/t call offs.

(let the flames begin)

:yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

I guess I feel that after26y of accommodating people with kids/spouses, it's time people reciprocate for me. I've done more than my share, an in times like this, there are people just as important to me.

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Single and/or childless nurses, your point is well taken.

I used to work every single holiday so that I could be off for Christmas with my children. And I mean EVERY holiday. So I took Christmas off with no guilt whatsoever. But I did know married/parent nurses who seemed to wriggle out of every holiday somehow. I don't know how they did it as our hospital had certain official holiday requirements. I think some were just really good at pressuring the singles to take their shifts. Or maybe they made it worthwhile for them in some other way.

I recently made a career change to a job outside of the hospital. No holidays, no weekends, no nights. Aaaaaaaaah.....

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
Single and/or childless nurses, your point is well taken.

I used to work every single holiday so that I could be off for Christmas with my children. And I mean EVERY holiday. So I took Christmas off with no guilt whatsoever. But I did know married/parent nurses who seemed to wriggle out of every holiday somehow. I don't know how they did it as our hospital had certain official holiday requirements. I think some were just really good at pressuring the singles to take their shifts. Or maybe they made it worthwhile for them in some other way.

I recently made a career change to a job outside of the hospital. No holidays, no weekends, no nights. Aaaaaaaaah.....

A co-worker hunted me down last year and offered me $200 to take her Christmas shift. She was a single mother of 3. She was almost in tears because she desperately wanted to be at home Christmas morning with her kids. I am such a bleeding heart...so of course I took her shift. I told her to keep her $200 and spend it on her kids.

I know what you mean about some nurses who seem to constantly get out of pulling a Christmas shift. The way our holiday assignments work is that the person assigned to work a certain holiday gets rotated out of that holiday for the next year, even if they get someone to cover it for them.

Glad you are enjoying your non-hospital job! Good for you!:redbeathe

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