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.
Upstate NY here (I'm from California, moved here 5 years ago). I made it to work last year in about 1/2 foot of snow in a Smart Car (no snow tires or chains). If I can make it, anyone can. Just drive SLOW SLOW and don't turn or brake suddenly. Low gear when needed.
I now have an AWD subaru with allseasons (didn't spring for snows) and it works fine as well.. While we did have snow chains in California (I lived in Lake Arrowhead), I have never seen a chained up car here. They may exist, but you can hear those from a mile away so they are NOT common.
A 1/2 foot of snow( aka 6 inches) is no big deal. New York state has them but not too many people use them but if one had too they probably would. Western New York experience as much as 8 feet of snow. Now that is a big deal. That doesn't happen often. The I-90 was closed and people were stranded. I just wonder how they dealt with the essential workers there getting into work. I believe you about Lake Arrowhead because I have been there (for a visit).
The Northeast is better prepared for snow than the South is. Fifteen inches of snow is no big deal up there. Plus, your winter is an actual winter. Our winters are 70 degrees one day and -15 degrees the next.
BTW- I shoveled my extra-extra long driveway (all up hill with ice) and will be making it in to work tomorrow :dancgrp:
Yep the weather is the south is different. Right now we are having temps in the 80's. Tomorrow is 64º.
Friday it's lower than that and the in the 70's for the next several days. We had some cold spells a couple weeks back where it was 13ºF at night. But then that may change. It's apples and oranges.
Once upon a time (1970's) my brother lived outside of Newfane, off a dirt road which was off a dirt road off a dirt road! I completely and totally understand!
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
ROFL it was ALWAYS true in the hospital. Elective procedures scheduled, patients ALWAYS made it in....staff, not always the case. We don't get a lot of snow often where I live and when we do, it is a big deal and hardly any snow plows or equipment to cope. I am fortunate in that I married a man from northern Wisconsin who is very skilled at driving in wintry conditions and he drives me in his 4WD truck to work when it's very snowy. I am also fairly good at it, having grown up in Chicago. But my skills are nothing compared to his, so he takes me to work!
Truly, I always have made the attempt and got in to work, except, when my town was literally socked in by flooding; I could not drive out on any road. Flash flooding is scary and unpredictable. It does not even have to be raining all that hard where one lives, to find oneself in big trouble, quick. I live in hilly and mountainous terrain where the rain may be falling at 2 or more inches an hour up in the higher elevations.
I will NOT drive on flooded roads, where I am unsure how deep the water is. That is a prescription for disaster.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I'm not sure how this relates to my post but I can't get behind calling people martyrs either, mostly because they are not, the conditions are likely not life threatening or they wouldnt be going in. Maybe potentially life threatening but not likely life threatening. They're just not afraid while some are even if irrationallly.
And what I meant about northern and southern is a Wisconsin native telling a Floridian native, who still lives in Florida, a special snowflake for being afraid of driving in their freak snow storm.
I'm not aware that Florida had a freak snowstorm. I must have missed that one. That's what straight nights will do for you.
I AM one of those "martyrs" who gets to work when I'm scheduled . . . even if the conditions are potentially life threatening. A freak ice storm, snowstorm or hurricane, and I'm at work where I'm supposed to be when I'm scheduled. You plan ahead, you arrive early, you drive slow -- all things that other people have mentioned. Yes, people do get hurt on the roads when there's bad weather -- but people get hurt on the roads in good weather, too. Statistically, your odds of getting to work safely are pretty good, especially if you're smart about it. But that doesn't mean I'm not afraid to drive in a snowstorm or an ice storm -- I am. I grew up and learned to drive in Wisconsin, and I know how to drive in the snow. I also know that most of the idiots who live where I live now do not . . . and they scare me to death sometimes. But I took a job knowing that was part of the deal, and personal integrity demands that I be at work -- so I plan ahead and I get there.
I am quite offended that you or anyone else would decide that you know whether I'm scared or not. And I'm offended that anyone who is "irrationally afraid" thinks that somehow absolves them of honoring their committment to be at work. If you're irrationally afraid to be on the road in snow, stay in a hotel, a friend's house or at the hospital. But don't make your irrational fears someone else's problem by failing to show up where you've promised to be when you've promised to be there.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Hey hurricanes don't happen up north but guess what Hurricane Irene and Sandy happened especially in New Jersey and along the east coast. Do you think they should be prepared now? But like when Canigraduate stated the you are driving through uneven hilly terrain-it's not that easy. You are hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life. Do you want to be the one to explain to that nurse's loved ones why she/he died because you wanted their butts at work?
Yes, now New York and New Jersey should be prepared for hurricanes. And Baltimore and Dover and Washington DC as well. Weather patterns are changing with global warming.
No, it is not that easy driving through uneven, hilly terrain. I know this. I've lived in the mountains, in the foothills and in southwestern Wisconsin where it's hilly. I have to say, I still made it to work, as did most of my colleagues. This business about "explaining to that nurse's loved ones why she died because you wanted their butts at work" doesn't fly. People who take jobs in hospitals need to show up at work even in bad weather in hilly terrain. If you can't or won't drive in snow, take a job close enough to work that you can walk, rent a hotel room, stay with a friend or arrive early. It really is that simple. No excuses.
Now the storm surge unexpectedly flooding your down, I get that. That's different. Unless you happen to have a boat you can use to get to work . . . . A tornado levels a tree across both of your cars in your driveway and the phone lines are out so you can't call your buddy to come pick you up . . . happened to a good friend of mine. A forest fire surrounded your home and you can't get out . . . . happened to another friend of mine. She was working nights and slept through the evacuation. Fortunately, she survived the experience. But just plain deciding that the weather is bad so you don't have to try to come to work -- no excuse. None.
Yep. Some of this "I live in the south" stuff is just BS.
I lived up north so none of this is new. I now live in the south and laugh about the few inches of snow.
What I won't laugh about is when inexperience driver plows into my car and the insurance rates go up as a result and I am inconvienenced because of this. Hope you never get hit by one of those drivers. These people can't drive in this stuff unless they are former northerners. Getting on the road with inexperienced drivers is like waiting for trouble to happen.
As a yankee new to the south I was open-mouthed and flabbergasted by the panic a little snow brought. Then I saw the results (of the what I would call a light snow)....cars all over everywhere EXCEPT on the roads.
If it wasn't so dangerous (mostly from other drivers, IMHO) it would be funny. It IS ridiculous, but it is very real. And seriously, I wouldn't have believed it either, had I not seen it with my own eyes. No B-S!
I listen to the scanner (police, SHP, first responders, fire, and road crews) to know what areas to avoid on my commute. (20 miles, by the way).
I couldn't agree more. Unless you see it with your own eyes you won't believe it. In 2011 my state got just a few inches of snow. There were 84 accidents throughout the entire state. No BS there you hear Vannurse2010.
I live in an area that this year got 8 feet of snow in 72 hours. The first 24 hours of the storm we got 5 feet at my house. A bad storm was predicted, but no one knew it would be that bad. I worked three 13 night shifts in a row. The night of the third shift was when the storm was predicted to begin. Going into that night I woke up early, packed a bad with toiletries, clean clothes, and three days of my medications. I drove to a store and packed three days worth of food. I got a full tank of gas. I loaded my car with blankets, flash lights, snow clothes, and two pairs of boots. I even brought my snow shoes. Then I poured two huge bowels of food and an entire pitcher of water for my cat, and brought my dog to my friends house with her bag of food. Then I headed into work. The next morning things were way worse than predicted. A state of emergency was declared. The whole area was under a driving ban.
Our entire dayshift called in except three people- our secretary, an orientee, and one nurse. Our day shift is normally staffed with 7 nurses, two aids, and a secretary. The secretary lives extremely close. The nurse who made is stayed in a hotel. The orientee lived in an area not as badly effected and gave herself plenty of time and drove slowly.
I, along with everyone else, got mandated to stay for an additional 4 hours while they desperately scrambled staff. Our unit manager took an assignment nearly double the load of what our nurses normally take. We had 4 scheduled admits. Three of them still came. Because they stayed in a hotel the night before.
All in in all I ended up stuck at work for 6 days during that storm. I was doing laundry at work and the pharmacy was supplying my meds by the end. We were all living off food from the next door pizzeria. My poor cat was nearly passed out when I got home. I had to put a can of tuna right in front of him. My friend had to keep my dog another week because I was literally having to snow shoe to my house and there's no way my little dog could have walked it.
It was a nightmare, but we made it. I can understand not being able to make it in if there's 8 feet of snow on all the roads. Even our plows couldn't keep up. The county had to hire pay loaders.
I also understand if the roads are coated with 4 inches of ice and the only way to work is down steep mountain roads and you live in the south with no salt.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I couldn't agree more. Unless you see it with your own eyes you won't believe it. In 2011 my state got just a few inches of snow. There were 84 accidents throughout the entire state. No BS there you hear Vannurse2010.
There were 84 accidents throughout the entire state. How many of them were nurses or paramedics or police officers driving to work? I'd say if 84 people out of several million in the state got into accidents, YOUR odds of getting to work are pretty good.
EwaAnn
282 Posts
A 1/2 foot of snow( aka 6 inches) is no big deal. New York state has them but not too many people use them but if one had too they probably would. Western New York experience as much as 8 feet of snow. Now that is a big deal. That doesn't happen often. The I-90 was closed and people were stranded. I just wonder how they dealt with the essential workers there getting into work. I believe you about Lake Arrowhead because I have been there (for a visit).