Lots of Snow!

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Specializes in cardiothoracic surgery.

I am sitting at home, right in the middle of the big snowstorm moving through the midwest. It sounds like pretty much all the schools, including the universities, are closed tomorrow, along with some other businesses. Luckily, I have today and tomorrow off and they won't call me to come and work because I live too far away, I wouldn't be able to make it anyways. But while I am sitting here, I am thinking about my coworkers that will probably be pulling double shifts to cover the call ins. I really do feel for them, I was once stuck at work because of the weather and it is not fun. I am sooooooo glad I am not at work and in charge tonight trying to staff the floor. The hospital was preparing yesterday for employees to spend the night tonight. Our supervisor also staffed up tomorrow to prepare for call ins. A couple of people that live closer were willing to pick up or switch shifts.

So all this snow got me thinking, do any of you have any snow stories to share? Like working double shifts, staying overnight at work or stuck at work. Do any of your employers offer incentives for staying to cover call ins, do they prepare ahead of time for big snowstorms? How big of an increase do you ED nurses see in chest pains and snowblower injuries?

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Nope!! Live in sunny Florida. 80 degrees today! It's awsome!!!:D

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Neuro-surgery/Med-Surgical/.

Last winter I prepared myself by reserving a hotel room in walking distance of the hospital....which is not easy to do when I want to be able to use it during the day to sleep, because the next night I am scheduled to work.

The hotel was very understanding, and I got some proper sleep time in.

Good thing I stayed, because when I drove home the following day, it was pure ice!Driving home was a 1 1/2 hour ordeal (normally 30 minutes). It took me several minutes to get my front door to my house open because it was frozen shut! I took pictures, and the one that stands out to me is the 3 inches of ice on my front steps, railings, and deck.

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We got snow, but the mountainous roads makes it worse. Yesterday, I kept my 3 kids home from school, even though it was a partial school day. Glad I did! The school buses got stuck in the snow, loaded with 200 kids aboard. It took hours for the police to 4X4 them home. Some of them did not get home until 9-10pm.

Right now I am babysitting 3 kids so their RN mom can stay overnight at work as it is too icy to commute. May even have them tomorrow night! She took in an overnight bag with 3 changes of clothes. Some employees have taken the snow plow to/from work!

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Only rain here tonight. :( Plenty of winter left though.

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It is 3:30 am where I am and it is what they are calling a "rain event". It is raining so hard that it woke me up. I wouldn't be surprised if the fire sirens go off because that is what happens when it floods around here.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I live in Vermont, which gets a lot of snow in the wintertime. The weather forecast is 3-6 inches of show, sleet, and rain. I'm a new driver without snow tires. I'm not looking forward to the commute this afternoon.

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

In the winter of 2006 I was still in Wisconsin and we had one heck of a snow storm. The first night there was no wind and I got out on the highway only to pull off the next exit sobbing because I was terrified. I couldn't see where the road ended and the fields began. I had to drive over 40 minutes and wound up calling out.

The next night I left extremely early, like 8 hours early. There was a bit of wind, but basically all I could see only the area of my headlights and one tiny strip of reflective tape marking the edge of the road.

It took me 2.5 hours to drive that 40 minutes and when I got there I rented a motel across the street and slept until I had to work at 11p, then napped again in the morning before I went home.

Tait

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Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).

When I worked in Portland, Maine in the late 80's .....I actually saw a co-worker cross country skiing into work!

Also, once I had to be picked up by a 4 wheel drive sent from the hospital, because the apartment complex I lived in had not plowed the parking lot. There was no way out!

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Specializes in LTC Family Practice.

I used to live in the Rocky Mts and I can remember using the winch on my jeep to get out of my driveway to go to work...LOL.

I've actually put chains on a 4x4 in icy conditions too, boy did that work great!

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Specializes in cardiothoracic surgery.

Thanks for the replies! Cross country skiing to work would be kind of fun! I always thought taking a snowmobile to work would be fun too! For you people that have rented hotel rooms, did your employer pay for those? A couple of years ago, a few nurses stayed in hotels when they ran out of room at the hospital and I believe they were compensated for it. Also, I just heard from my work that they have had 3 people in the ER with snowblower injuries.

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Stayed overnight for 2 nights, showered and ate at the hospital and we rotated sleeping 4 hours and then working to cover the shifts (worked nights normally)

They gave us beds, scrubs, food, and showers AND extra pay.

I didn't have kids or animals at the time so it was doable for me-felt bad for those trying to make it home due to home responsibilities.

otessa

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