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.
I've lived in a very snowy region my entire life. NEVER had I bought snow tires or chains. Why do Southerners always assume that's the ONLY way we get around in the winter?
I'm in the D/FW area of Texas. The roads are currently covered with snow and ice accumulation from last night's storm.
People in the Northeast and Midwest may not realize that our roads go unsalted, unplowed and untreated during winter storms and blizzards. Snow tires, chains and cables are not sold in this region. In addition, people in this area generally do not know how to drive in ice or snow.
Last week my workplace arranged for taxi cabs to transport nursing staff and dietary workers to and from work. Management also paid for hotel rooms for certain essential people. I used a cab to get to and from work last week.
I'm a northerner and never once have I owned a pair of snow tires or really known anyone who has. Very few people I know own a car with 4 wheel drive because it's not really necessary. We get around in the snow just fine with 2wd. I've still made it to work fine in heavy snow. I just moved to the South and I guess I don't get the snow hype down here. It's actually frustrating. I've missed over a week of work for the most ridiculous reasons related to the weather.
It's up to you. I've driven to work in a tiny sedan with snow coming down heavy because people depended on me to get to work. Just take it slow and add extra time. People are depending on you.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I've lived in a very snowy region my entire life. NEVER had I bought snow tires or chains. Why do Southerners always assume that's the ONLY way we get around in the winter?
Sorry, it was an incorrect assumption.
I'm not a native Southerner. I've only been living in TX for the past 10 years, but I have no winter driving experience, and neither do many of my coworkers. Hence, my workplace will send us a taxi during inclement weather and pay for it.
I realize it is my responsibility to get to work regardless of weather conditions. However, an unskilled driver on a road with several sheets of ice is disastrous.
I'm of the mindset "you probably knew this was coming and should have planned accordingly". Probably not popular, but that's how I feel, LOL! I live in an area where snow is common and calling in b/c you can't make it d/t weather is not an acceptable excuse.
You need to give it the ol' college try for sure
My thoughts exactly. I would like to "like" this multiple times. You should not wait until the bad weather arrives to ask these questions, make decisions, and take action. You should already know what your employer's expectations are -- and their system for handling such things. A good employer has plans to deal with these types of things.
If you had any warning this bad weather was coming, you could have arranged to spend the previous night somewhere near the hospital -- or actually in the hospital, if they allow that. That's what my employer does: it calls in a shift of people to sleep here so that there are 2 shifts of people in the hospital. Half are working and half are sleeping. Those people can handle things by rotating work/sleep until the danger has passed. They are the "A" team. The "B" team are those people at home -- who are expected to clear their personal schedules for a few days so that they can come in and give the "A" team members a day or two off so they can recover.
If your employer (or department) does not have a plan for dealing with weather emergencies and other community problems -- encourage them to develop one.
Leave early and always plan ahead. I drove to work in white out conditions a couple of weeks ago because it's our jobs and we are necessary. If your drive normally takes 25 minutes and you're worried, leave 2 hours early and know that you can drive as slow as you need to. Keep emergency supplies (blanket, flashlight, water, protein bars) in your car when weather is bad. I hope it works out well.
We had a freak snow this year on a day when no one was aware the snow was going to be happening. The weather stations were reporting it was going to be on Thursday and it happened Monday instead. It was awful. By the time I was getting ready to leave work, there were more than 60 accidents reported in my city with several fatalities, and it had only been snowing for two hours. Most of day shift got there late. I heard the next night about three people working at my job who totaled their cars. Three. And that's just the ones I ran into the next night; I'm sure there were more.
If I was working at my last job, I wouldn't have gone in. This job double penalizes calling out on inclement weather days, though, so I'd try to make it in anyway, but with extreme reluctance and resentment.
I don't think people from the North realize how bad it is when there's a freak snowstorm in the South. You all know what to do - the idiots down here don't. I live less than three miles from my job and I counted eleven cars that had clearly skid off the side of the road on my way home. Just think about that for a second - eleven people running off the road in less than three miles. That is an awful lot of people, and there's an awfully big chance that one of those idiots is going to run into YOU instead. I think driving in the snow/ice down here is pretty much akin to seeing a downed power line in a puddle and choosing to step in that puddle anyway. Hey, the coating on the cable might be okay and you might not get electrocuted, right?
When the snowpocalypse is brewing, nurses have to employ every survival tactic to get into work. Take that, friends who went to school for less important jobs!
I myself was stuck in the Ice storm last year so it is a judgment call. However, the highways are normally the first to clear and I am sure GA now has an effective plan in place to manage the damage that is done.
Interesting, up here nearly everyone has four-wheel-drive and chains are almost always required on 2WD in snowy conditions. In my first example, my friend had to maneuver around more than 30 cars that went off the road and were stuck. All those 2WD vehicles could not manage in the conditions.
Perhaps it's our mountainous roads that are different then snow in the Midwest and East.
If that is the case, you should spend the night somewhere very close to your employer.
Naaaaaa. We just leave earlier and plow through it.
I was responding to the person who said their roads weren't plowed like those of us who live in snowy areas. Pointing out that that isn't always the case.
BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN
3,520 Posts
I've lived in a very snowy region my entire life. NEVER had I bought snow tires or chains. Why do Southerners always assume that's the ONLY way we get around in the winter?