25 Nurses fired for not working Frances

Repat · Sep 9, 2004

The same thing happened to me when I worked in Denver many years ago. We had a blizzard - I couldn't see the roof of my car. Work called and said that a policeman in a 4-wheel drive would come to get me (essential personnel - too bad they don't pay us that way!). So, I bundled up in all the clothes I owned, brought my toothbrush "just in case", packed my work clothes in a waterproof bag, and slogged out to the main road through 4 feet of snow. Needless to say, by the time I found the road I was exhausted. Waited 1 hour 45 minutes, no one ever showed. Got back, called work, they said "he couldn't get to you the roads are too bad." I was written up for an unexcused absence, and docked my pay for the day.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Sep 9, 2004

The same thing happened to me when I worked in Denver many years ago. We had a blizzard - I couldn't see the roof of my car. Work called and said that a policeman in a 4-wheel drive would come to get me (essential personnel - too bad they don't pay us that way!). So, I bundled up in all the clothes I owned, brought my toothbrush "just in case", packed my work clothes in a waterproof bag, and slogged out to the main road through 4 feet of snow. Needless to say, by the time I found the road I was exhausted. Waited 1 hour 45 minutes, no one ever showed. Got back, called work, they said "he couldn't get to you the roads are too bad." I was written up for an unexcused absence, and docked my pay for the day.

:eek: :angryfire

That's ABSURD !!! I would have fought that tooth and nail. How DARE they !!!

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2004

This stuff is just unreal. I can't believe nurses are treated like this.

Monica RN,BSN · Sep 9, 2004

similar stories are surfacing all around Florida.. too bad there is not more compassion at a time like this. Sorry to hear this. I gave my secretary Friday, Mon(holiday anyways) and tues. off with pay. Hurricanes certainly are not employees fault....

let's pray Ivan does not add to the problem...

Take care out there.....

renerian, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2004

Most policies for healthcare write that into the disaster plan about reporting to work at the facility or at a command post if it is inoperable due to the disaster. I have had to go in before. Our current policy reads as such.

renerian

mattsmom81 · Sep 10, 2004

I don't believe nurses need to put their lives at risk to report for duty. Each situation should be judged individually and they should send out vans to pick up nurses in bad weather IMO and not ask them to take the risk alone. Course I've worked with a few nurses who cancel if its simply raining...just don't want to drive in the rain...THAT is aggravating!

Take care all you Florida nurses and stay safe...don't take any chances. Maybe ya'll can get some help after this is over by claiming unfair termination...maybe speak to a nurse attorney. Good luck!

rjflyn, ASN, RN · Sep 10, 2004

My answer is the power of many is better than the power of one. Anyone know the name of said hospital so anyone thinking about working there might make note of this and think twice.

Rj

directcare4me · Sep 10, 2004

I don't believe nurses need to put their lives at risk to report for duty. Each situation should be judged individually and they should send out vans to pick up nurses in bad weather IMO and not ask them to take the risk alone. Course I've worked with a few nurses who cancel if its simply raining...just don't want to drive in the rain...THAT is aggravating!
Take care all you Florida nurses and stay safe...don't take any chances. Maybe ya'll can get some help after this is over by claiming unfair termination...maybe speak to a nurse attorney. Good luck!

I'm with you. It doesn't matter to me what the policy says, I will never seriously risk my life for my job. I owe that to my family.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Sep 11, 2004

Are we sure that this was the case? I lived and worked in Florida for more than 20 years. When I was hired a my 2 jobs there, I was asked to sign a paper about what team I wanted to work ... during the storm or after the storm? As a single father, I needed to be home for my kids (plenty of times we evacuated to the hospital) but for the most part, I would sign up to work after the storm.

I think nurses have a responsibility to the public. I do not advocate for a nurse to risk his or her life, but if it is possible for a nurse to get to work, I think that perosn has a responsibility to serve the public. That is what I signed on to do when I became a nurse. I am ashamed of nurses that feel they can just kick the hospital to the curb when there is a storm coming. It is not for the hospital that I do my best to get into work ... it is for my patients. I think some nurses need to take a look at why they became nurses.

As far as the hospital firing nurses for not showing up .... I do not have enough information available to have a reasonable opinion. But, in this day and age of nursing shortages, I can not imagine a hospital firing these nurses for minor reasons. I am sure there is much more to the story than what we know. Perhaps someone can find a link about what happened and post it here.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2004

We had a lot of call offs during Francis. "I'm not risking my life to come to work". Here in this area it was strong winds and rain but by 7am wasn't that bad. 26 people refused to come to work, but all of us on nights made it home in the rain. :)

I'm scheduled to work this Monday and Tuesday. I know there is a potential hurricane out there for those days in this area. It is up to me to be responsible enough to make plans and provisions to report to work those two days. This might mean showing up several hours ahead of my shift if this assures me safely being to work on time, or more likely I'll have to sleep there inbetween the two 12-hour shifts. Not wait until the last minute and call in "there's a hurricane, I'm not risking my life". Well duh, yeah there's a hurricane, why is that news to you?

However, I certainly have compassion and understanding for invididuals who can't report to work as scheduled. No one should be fired if they are called in and they say no that they can't make it if they aren't scheduled. Each case should be considered individually.

Unfortunately this isn't Walmart, despite the fact that nurses are humans, with lives and property of their own to protect, the organization has to assure sick patients who can't be discharged have nurses caring for them. Proper planning, cooperation and commitment is the key.

I was very proud of my coworkers during the last two hurricanes. Many people sacrificed quite a bit to be at work. No, we don't want to do it. It's a free country, no one is holding a gun to anyone's head saying you must do anything, but people did what they had to do for not only their jobs, their commitment to providing for our patients.

Anyway, I'm a bit torn. I understand why hospitals need to enforce policies because the next time people might not take it seriously and the patients would suffer.

Krysten · Sep 11, 2004

As far as the hospital firing nurses for not showing up .... I do not have enough information available to have a reasonable opinion. But, in this day and age of nursing shortages, I can not imagine a hospital firing these nurses for minor reasons. I am sure there is much more to the story than what we know. Perhaps someone can find a link about what happened and post it here.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9616360.htm

here is one link that i had found