I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are on nurses being charged to park at the hospital where they work. I started out as a new grad earlier this year and they had temporarily stopped charging for parking due to the pandemic, but we just found out that they are going to start again next month and the rates have increased to $80/month for outdoor surface lot parking (not fenced and no security in a neighborhood where there are lots of drug addicts and vandalism) and well over $100/month for garage parking.
Even charging patients for parking seems absurd to me, but charging nurses to park especially when we are so short-staffed right now just seems beyond ridiculous. It may not be all that much money but it's just kind of insulting to be made to pay for something that you NEED to be able to do your job (public trans not an option for me), and there are always tons of empty spaces in the garage so it doesn't seem to be a supply and demand issue.
My husband pays monthly at his work and it drives me crazy (he doesn’t work at a hospital). We live in a mid-sized city with no real public transportation, so it’s not like you can choose not to drive there. But as others have said, the difference is often who owns the garage or lot. If the hospital doesn’t own it, they don’t have much control. (Although giving employees a monthly parking allowance would be a nice gesture that might be good for morale.)
My first non-hospital job was an office worker for an insurance company in downtown Atlanta and I rode the bus, most everyone drove and paid for parking.
So when I got my first nursing job I didn't bat an eye that employees would pay for parking. We also had to take a shuttle from the parking area to the hospital. Garages closer to the hospital cost more. I actually lived closed enough to walk to work and didn't have to pay.
The job I have now provides free parking for employees, patients going to the clinics and visitors. It's a nice benefit. The garage I am assigned is employees only and secured. Apparently they pay an outside vendor maintenance of the parking garages.
It may not be all that much money but it's just kind of insulting to be made to pay for something that you NEED to be able to do your job.
Agreed, the first time I saw a parking fee like that, I felt pretty insulted (especially because I asked about the parking fees several times during my interviews with HR and they were really cagey about not telling me). It seemed like the hospital was blatantly saying that they didn't care about us at all.
Not only that, but the parking garage adjacent to the hospital had a seven-to-ten year wait list; when I first put my name down, I was 1,600th in line, and four years later when I left I was down to 700th. So instead, the alternative was to park at a parking garage about half a mile down the road which cost the exact same amount ($100/month since it wasn't technically satellite parking), which was still an absolute pain.
I should add that it wasn't even in a big city with expensive parking; just a 'Brand Name' academic hospital situated next to a college campus that had driven up local housing costs. I think I'd be more understanding if we were downtown in a huge city.
I get that there are a limited number of spaces for staff in a mixed patient/staff parking structure, but forcing staff to pay that much (when they could easily charge half of that, or a quarter of it) just seems like extortion. I'm sure that some of those costs go to upkeep the garage, but isn't it the hospital's responsibility to maintain its own structures?
One of my favorite things about working night shifts was that it was always much easier to find cheap or free parking close to the hospital.
Specializes in ICU, ER, Med/Surg, Home Health, Hospice,Step Down,.
Luckily I have never worked at a facility that charged staff to park. With the amount of money the hospital system makes it is crazy that they would charge their own employees to park.
Luckily I have never worked at a facility that charged staff to park. With the amount of money the hospital system makes it is crazy that they would charge their own employees to park.
I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are on nurses being charged to park at the hospital where they work. I started out as a new grad earlier this year and they had temporarily stopped charging for parking due to the pandemic, but we just found out that they are going to start again next month and the rates have increased to $80/month for outdoor surface lot parking (not fenced and no security in a neighborhood where there are lots of drug addicts and vandalism) and well over $100/month for garage parking.
Even charging patients for parking seems absurd to me, but charging nurses to park especially when we are so short-staffed right now just seems beyond ridiculous. It may not be all that much money but it's just kind of insulting to be made to pay for something that you NEED to be able to do your job (public trans not an option for me), and there are always tons of empty spaces in the garage so it doesn't seem to be a supply and demand issue.
It's a common practice for many hospitals in large cities. My city does this and even requires a shuttle and you have to pay more to be park closer at one hospital. But the small hospital I worked at was an exception, parking was free and still is.
The fact that they are determined to not only reinstate a parking fee but raise it in the midst of this ongoing nursing shortage lets you know how much they really value nurses vs making more profits! So my thoughts are do what is best for you. This essentially amounts to a pay cut for you in a time of record inflation. Personally, it would be a reason to get another job for me. You can probably come up with several other reasons to look for another job as well. Why accept a pay cut! You don't have to. Instead look around and get a better job with a real raise to boot! That's what I would do instead of staying and taking their lack of respect and pay cut!
Agreed, the first time I saw a parking fee like that, I felt pretty insulted (especially because I asked about the parking fees several times during my interviews with HR and they were really cagey about not telling me). It seemed like the hospital was blatantly saying that they didn't care about us at all.
LOL, also on the day that I learned about these insane fees (my first day of hospital orientation), I came back to the parking garage to find my car parked in on both sides, with the cars on each side parked over the line, and I had to crawl through my trunk in my business casual skirt suit to get into my car and go home. Again, this was in a garage half a mile from the hospital that costs $100/month.
Yeah. The last hospital I worked for started issuing parking passes and I could see the writing on the wall that eventually it'd move to pay for 'em. They hassled me a few times about registering for two for both my vehicles or threatening me with being ticketed. I just asked if they were in the habit of ticketing folks parked legally in handicapped spaces, which backed them off quickly. Leave my broken butt alone. ?♀️
I paid for parking at my old job. I can't remember what it was but it wasn't $100. Maybe it was $25-35 a pay? What's funny is a satellite hospital in the same system didn't charge employees or visitors for parking. I work at the VA now so paying for parking is no longer an issue for me.
I have only worked at one hospital that didn't charge for parking and as mentioned above it was a small hospital with free parking.
One of the hospitals I worked for in a major city required taking a shuttle from a lot that wasn't in a nice/safe feeling neighborhood, leaving your car in an open third-party owned lot and you payed for parking per day which I found to be more annoying than simply taking it out of my check. This hospital did offer free parking to employees for second and third shift on campus, however once they started building new building they closed most of the parking garages and truly did not care where their employees parked. Some employees used pay to park in non-hospital affiliated lots in the surrounding areas that were $20+/day. The waitlist to park in the lots on campus were over 3 years long and they would tell you to join the waitlist on your very first day of orientation and of course, parking on campus was at a significant cost as well.
I worked at another hospital that required shuttle service, however you paid upfront for a certain length of time (~$120 for 3 months) and the shuttle would bring you from their very nice hospital owned parking garage (still, not in the best/safest feeling neighborhood). It was very convenient and I was grateful for this option as I was commuting into a big city and it was basically some of the only parking in the area available to commuters. They also offered free parking on campus for night shift.
Another hospital I worked at that was affiliated with a university required me to get a pay card from the university to use in the university parking garage and walk ~10 minutes to the hospital. The only way to pay for the parking was by using this card and it had to be reloaded online. The parking was ~$15/day and you had to pay to park regardless of shift time because it was a public/university lot that many people used.
While I do think it is seems strange to change staff and patients for parking, as some other have stated larger cities have been doing this for quite some time. It also doesn't seem uncommon to me since I am used to paying for parking in major cities (NYC, Philadelphia, etc.) just to run errands. At all of the hospitals that I mentioned, there were plenty of people who used public transportation, drove in from other states requiring tolls (not reimbursed) and so many people who walked, biked or used other modes of transportation that did not involve parking a vehicle at or near the hospital. Over the years I have learned that most employers do not care how you get to work as long as you get there.
In my current role, I pay ~$120 a month that comes directly out of my check and I honestly don't even think about it because I am so grateful to have somewhere to park close to the building I work in.
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.
On 9/23/2022 at 7:48 AM, RNperdiem said:
I work on a university campus and it is the same thing. The hospital says the university owns the parking, so they don't have any control. I don't actually believe that is entirely true, but that is what they have been telling me for the last 20+ years.
I, too work for a hospital that is attached to a university and parking is at a premium. I have a long drive, so it is worth it to me to be able to park close. There are several other areas to park, some are as little as $15/month. Off site but the buses run all day. Weekend and night shift workers do not pay $100+ month. I pay it because I work a weekday and I also go to a lot of meetings and was enrolled in the university at one time.
Ours taken out pre-tax, and I make decent money so I really don't miss it. Some nurses pay to park every time they work ($8/day) which works out to be about the same.
Patients do get very indignant about having to pay, but we tell them we have to pay as well. There are discounted tickets for long term patients.
Hoosier_RN, MSN
3,968 Posts
Along with saving $50. You won