Never driving to work in snow again

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Long story short: I live in Md and we go hit with some snow. I attempt to drive to work. I got stuck twice had , nearly drove myself into a ditch in the woods, and had to sit in my car for 2 hours with NO heat while waiting for a ride. I thank GOD and his angels for protecting me against seen and unseen car accidents. However, I will never risk my life like that again. BTW- I just brought brand new tires. No help. Until I get a 4 wheel drive I will be calling out.

Specializes in CT ,ICU,CCU,Tele,ED,Hospice.

glad you made it home safely .i am in new england and have a car with awd .but still with snow storms dropping 6-12 in we have had a record jan snowfall.we have had 6 major storms so far.i lucked out and have been off the last 3 of 4 .but i have a 45 min commute and took my time last week. was 1/2 late.but my job and boss were just glad i got there safely .they did not care i was late.you gotta do what you have and stay safe.

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So if I decide not to drive in unsafe conditions and "call out," what happens to the night shift who needs to leave? Do you expect them to just work 24 hours straight? I totally understand the dilemma, but when a facility demands you show up for your shift, are they really not caring about you? Or are they trying to also look out for the shift who has been working and NEEDS to be relieved for patient safety?

I live 7 minutes from my facility and always volunteer to be on call in the event of a snow/ice event. I don't mind a bit.

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Hope they don't fire you. I know how you feel. I wrecked my husband's newly painted car one time sliding on an icy road and after that I started riding to work with him at 0400 in the morning just to avoid driving myself.

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Three snow/ice/sleet events in the last two weeks. Three nurses now with wrecked cars. 'nuff said. I do believe that you should come prepared to spend the night and or come in before the snow. You have to protect yourself but you still have to meet the needs of the patients. If it starts snowing at noon, leave at ten. Don't call in at three and say you can't get there. We all know when it is gonna snow and we know when it is gonna start. Have some sommon sense and PREPARE. Leave early and be prepared to stay for as long as is legally possible. I don't care if you live in the mountains. Our jobs are important and we NEED to be there. Leave beofre the snow starts, sleep over with a coworker who lives closer, take your employer up on sleeping over. They will love you for it.

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I know where you're all coming from. I normally have a 1.75 hr drive to work at a large hospital (don't ask- 3 kids in the school system +bad housing market=not going to move) -and 2 weeks ago the snow storm hit -my drive to work was almost 4 hours long. Absolutely awful.

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IF I can get out of our subdivision I will do my best to get to work. I have worked places that had a list of people with AWD that would volunteer to pick up hospital workers (within reasonable distances). I have been stuck at work several times but only stuck at home twice that I can think of. I know we have a 24/7 need to cover but I also know the older I get the less I like driving in the stuff and will be less likely to risk my car and me t drive in a storm. As for the person who said somthing about knowing when it is going to snow....we have had forcasts of "a ight snow" that suddenly became blizzards....( we have also had instances where everything closed early and sent students and office workers home early for blizzard conditions that never happened!) Bottom line, do what you feel safe and capable of doing! To the OP, I too am glad you were in the hands of God and His angels!

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I think what is really funny is that you think a 4 wheel drive will save you lol. I know what you mean about driving in the snow. I do it every yr and it doesn't get any easier. Speed is the main thing if you know its bad drive at like 20 mph. Leave earlier for work. Make sure you car is in tip top shape before the winter. Weight in the back also helps a few sand bags will do. But 4 wheel drive will not save you. All wheel Drive does a better job. Good Luck to you. These are my thoughts use them as you wish. PS think Subaru.. Snow and Ice tested Parent Approved.....

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Specializes in PICU, OR, Transplant, IT.

+1 on the AWD comment-Tires are the key - I've never had an AWD vehicle, don't need one.

If you have an AWD car/truck, it's still only as good as those contact patches, and cheap, quiet all season tires won't get you through big snow or ice.

Get a set of real snow tires, have them put on in November & swapped out in April - your car will keep going until it can't drag itself anymore. (Plus if you're leasing, you'll have half the wear on the summer tires & can then either sell or keep the winter rubber for your next car)

Here's an interesting anecdote - a few years back when I worked in the OR, we had one of the monster storms come over. About a third of the OR staff called off, but ALL the patients were on time.

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Specializes in ER.
My attitude has always been--look after myself first, for if something were to happen to me, I have absolutely NOBODY else to lean on. If I wreck my car in a snow storm, I can't replace it because there would be no way for me to get to work. If I break my leg or back or get hurt in a car accident, I still won't be able to work, which means no shelter or food or any of the baic needs for me. Instead of the facility loosing a nurse totally, they can live without me for one day called out. So what's the solution? SAFETY first.

Maybe you should get some insurance.

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Specializes in Peds Urology,primary care, hem/onc.

I live in the mid- Atlantic which just got hammered this week with snow. I am all about getting into work, I have a 4 wheel drive, there are some times I stay in a hotel in town (I live about 30 minutes from my job) so I don't have to worry about getting in. I live in a townhouse complex and my next door neighbor has a snow blower and I have never had trouble digging out (we all help each other). Yesterday I got up an hour early than normal (our clinics were delayed 2 hours) to dig out my car etc. My neighbor was planning to get up a couple of times during the night to use the snow blower around our cars, side walks etc. We had it all planned so we could get into work on time. Well, unfortunately, the snow blower broke during his first trip out and my car (despite the 4 wheel drive) was snow plowed in from the one pass it took during the night around our parking lot. Took us 3 hours to get it out. I was scheduled to work in one of our satellite clinics which is kind of in the middle of nowhere so I could not have stayed close by if I wanted to and since it is a free standing clinic I could not spend the night there. I initially thought (after more than an hour) we were not going to get my car out at all so I did call in. But I have some wonderful, manly, very persistant neighbors that were very determined to get my car out and we eventually did. But if they had not been so willing to help me and been so persistant, I would have been stuck despite my planning ahead etc. So, the bottom line is, sometimes things happen and despite even the best laid plans and efforts, sometimes you just cannot get in!!! I was shocked to see the amount of trouble we had b/c it has NEVER been an issue before. When I went to bed, they were predicting 8-10 inches, we got 15-16 in about 6 hours and the plows could not keep up. Initilly we all thought I could just drive through the drift my car was in but there was so much ice at the bottom b/c it had changed from rain to snow so quick that it kept skidding. So I think you need to plan ahead, make a true effort but don't beat yourself up if the unthinkable happens. Even after I called in, I kept trying and I was able to get in eventually, just an hour late but if my neighbor's had not helped me I would have been stuck. There is definitely a difference between not even trying and calling out when you live 10 minutes away and what happened to me yesterday. I just don't think we should make a blanket statement that you should get in period and all it takes is planning ahead and 4 wheel drive. If someone had asked me before yesterday, I would have said you always should get in, whatever it takes. But sometimes the unthinkable happens. There was no way I could have planned around what happened to me yesterday. Luckily, I have understanding coworkers and if I had not been able to make it in I would have been fine because they know I never make excuses for the weather.

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Specializes in CNA, LPN and CMA.

I live in Northern MN and we always have snow in the winter, but this year has been especially bad. I've been snowed in 3 times this year and I've been in the ditch/snowbank more thimes than I can count trying to get to work in the morning. It's unfortunate that so many employers care less about our safety and weather conditions. I work in a clinic and not once have they closed due to the monstrous blizzards. Then I and one of my co-workers got written up for missing too many days of work due to the weather.

I live 45 minutes away and when I'm snowed in or stuck in a snowbank...what am I supposed to do??? I can't walk there.

It is frustrating.

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I don't live in a really snowy area, so I am asking an honest question, not being sarcastic.

What happens to the shift waiting to leave when you call in? It's not only the patients who need us, but the prior shift. They can't work their shift and yours, too. So what happens to them when nurses either can't or won't risk the drive in?!

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