Snow & calling out of work

Nurses General Nursing

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So I've been a nurse for 4 years now. I live in the south where snow is not common. As of today every school system in the area is closed due to the snow. I have no kids, but this tells you how bad it is in the area. I live in the country and it's a 35 minute interstate drive to the hospital where I work. I am not sure if I should attempt to get to work or simply call out. I feel like I should at least try, but I've never had this problem before because I haven't been scheduled to work during a snow event before. I have very little experience driving in snow and the roads aren't plowed out here in the country.

So what would you do in this situation? Or what have you done in the past?

I am posting this because I really want opinions of nurses, not just my family/friends who advise me to stay home.

Thanks!!

Specializes in Oncology.
blondy2061h, Omg were they forever indebted to you or at least appreciative? Did you at least get some recognition? Now that is dedication! Go you!

I ended up working 2 13 hour night shifts, 2 13 hour day shifts, and 2 17 hour night shifts that week, so I made mad bank in that pay check. Other hospitals gave the staff that was stuck or forced their way in bonuses. Not my hospital. They did buy us cookies and pizza and gave us gift cards to the cafeteria. The brought in coffee and donuts another night. My manager took me out to dinner and bought me a drink one night at a restaurant very close to the hospital. And they sent us a thank you email.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Unless you are totally snowed in in some cabin in the mountains, and you can't find your car under all the snow, you should probably try to make it in. Check road conditions online, make sure you have emergency supplies such as a sleeping bag or warm blanket, some extra water, snow shovel, etc. Take it slow, don't make any sudden moves. Allow yourself extra time.

Another possible option is that sometimes employers offer to have someone come pick you up. Check into that.

Good luck!

Be careful, though. Employers are often far more willing to pick someone up than to take them back home.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Why are you so confrontational about this? I didn't say anything about half the hospital not showing up. And yes, I would stay rather than get somebody hurt or killed trying to replace me. You make it sound like I am advocating each nurse for themselves, and I am not.

I am pointing out dangers that others may have not considered so they can temper their judgmental and holier than thou attitudes.

A lot of these posters make it sound like Armageddon will happen if they don't get to work in a disaster. I'm sorry, no one person is that important.

RubyVee, I respect you, but you need to chill out and burn your ticket to the drama train.

No one person is that important, agreed. But more than one person is advocating not even trying to get to work. If more than one person on a shift doesn't even try, that leaves the shift short. Or someone has to stay.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Well, I live in a city where travel bans are initiated when the weather is too dangerous to... well... travel. So yep, I don't travel when it's unsafe to travel. But I will be so glad to take lessons on how to drive through black ice, scuba dive to work through floods, or hang glide over piles of snow if anyone is willing to teach?

Even in a city where a travel ban is enforced, you are considered essential personnel. Show your ID and you may get an escort to work!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
So what is the feeling on the nurses in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina? Surely dozens of patients were left behind as hospital personnel fled for their lives. It's a horrifying reality.

Should they have planned ahead for this inevitable situation? How accountable should they be held? Abandonment? Manslaughter? Premeditated murder? After all, they had chosen to live and work in a city built below sea level.

There are a couple of books and several articles written about that. It is my understanding that most hospital personnel stayed until their patients were transferred out. Nursing homes are another story.

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There are a couple of books and several articles written about that. It is my understanding that most hospital personnel stayed until their patients were transferred out. Nursing homes are another story.

I asked that this afternoon and then got sucked down the internet rabbit hole reading about it! Oh, my. What a terrible, agonizing position to be put in. I don't wish the decisions that some made on anyone. What a burden to carry for the rest of your life.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Just thought I'd throw this out there, since someone said, "Maybe I should go to Canada...." well many parts of the US have worse weather than Canada.

However, I live in Alberta where it's minus 20 during winter months that last an average of 7 months. Nobody would be at work ever if we used weather as an excuse here. You never know from one hour to the next sometimes.

If you're essential personnel, plan to go.

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What type of nurses are considered essential personnel?

For example,are private duty nurses considered essential personnel?

Many of the parents can take care if the kids without nurses.

My agency #1 says we are.

Agency #2 says no,and if there are travel bans she actually orders the nurses stay off the roads.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
What type of nurses are considered essential personnel?

For example,are private duty nurses considered essential personnel?

Many of the parents can take care if the kids without nurses.

My agency #1 says we are.

Agency #2 says no,and if there are travel bans she actually orders the nurses stay off the roads.

My agency has more PDN cases for elderly than for kids, and many of them are labeled "Must staff" cases. Most of the time, if you are there and a storm occurs that prevents relief from getting there, well, "Tag--you're IT!" Especially if they live alone. We all have been "stuck" at one point or another, it goes with the territory.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
What type of nurses are considered essential personnel?

For example,are private duty nurses considered essential personnel?

Many of the parents can take care if the kids without nurses.

My agency #1 says we are.

Agency #2 says no,and if there are travel bans she actually orders the nurses stay off the roads.

PDN patients are classified as priority 1 (cannot survive without 1:1 nursing care, insufficient family support), 2 or 3 (patient has 2 or more competent care givers in the home have sufficient resources to care for patient ). Nurses working priority 1 or 2 cases are essential personnel. We are given letters from management stating the same to carry in travel bans. Must have photo work ID. Police & OEM are notified of such cases at intake and will assist in getting the nurses to/from the case. I have experienced that first hand. One case is priority 1 overnight (primary caregiver is at work) and priority 1/2 days (if PCG worked overnight it's not safe for PCG to care for patient due to exhaustion, if off PCG is the sole competent caregiver.

Most priority 1/2 are high tech patients or out of home placements. Priority 3 are both parents competent high tech and basic (continuous enteral feeds) care. So my one agency has no priority one or two cases and therefore no nurses are essential personnel

Other agency at least a third of the patients are priority one or two which are priority to be fully staffed. Arrangements are made with police, local and county OEM to ensure nurses are able to get to/from work. In cases where the nurse lives in the same town or just over the border police will help pick up/drop off with their 4WD trucks. If next town, county sheriff helps. All cases are in one county with minimal exception.

Not all nurses are essential personnel. Nurses working in offices, clinical research and other similar settings where their absence will not adversely affect the life of a patient are not essential personnel. Hospital, LTC, acute inpatient psych, high tech PDN all have patients depending on qualified licensed nurses for care and safety.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

it is a double edged sword........some poor exhausted already would have to stay over pending coverage....start real early, keep distance, try not to use your break when you can, ......I am a flat lander from SETexas......we never get snow and only a little ice, When I lived and worked in Wash.DC, i was ever so grateful for public transportation, bus stop at Watergate, just a block from my apt., took me to front door of VA Hosp, where i worked ICU.......it took a lot of planning, learning schedules of transportation times, but i felt more safe.........the kicker in blizzard 1978.......the Bus I was on got immobilized, five blocks from my apt about 8a, thankgoodness for eddie baire, sub zero goosedown stadium coat, i promply got myself transfered back to warm Houston,

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PDN patients are classified as priority 1 (cannot survive without 1:1 nursing care, insufficient family support), 2 or 3 (patient has 2 or more competent care givers in the home have sufficient resources to care for patient ). Nurses working priority 1 or 2 cases are essential personnel. We are given letters from management stating the same to carry in travel bans. Must have photo work ID. Police & OEM are notified of such cases at intake and will assist in getting the nurses to/from the case. I have experienced that first hand. One case is priority 1 overnight (primary caregiver is at work) and priority 1/2 days (if PCG worked overnight it's not safe for PCG to care for patient due to exhaustion, if off PCG is the sole competent caregiver.

Most priority 1/2 are high tech patients or out of home placements. Priority 3 are both parents competent high tech and basic (continuous enteral feeds) care. So my one agency has no priority one or two cases and therefore no nurses are essential personnel

Other agency at least a third of the patients are priority one or two which are priority to be fully staffed. Arrangements are made with police, local and county OEM to ensure nurses are able to get to/from work. In cases where the nurse lives in the same town or just over the border police will help pick up/drop off with their 4WD trucks. If next town, county sheriff helps. All cases are in one county with minimal exception.

Not all nurses are essential personnel. Nurses working in offices, clinical research and other similar settings where their absence will not adversely affect the life of a patient are not essential personnel. Hospital, LTC, acute inpatient psych, high tech PDN all have patients depending on qualified licensed nurses for care and safety.

My agency does not do priority levels.

All of my pts are gt or NGT/trach/and vent.

2 have central lines.

Most parents are trained.

Many PDN nurses just call out.

Lastly,i thought kids are not allowed to go home in the first place UNLESS parents are trained?

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