Weather Policy

ktwlpn, LPN · Feb 14, 2014

There is such a big divide between the experienced (old and well seasoned nurses) and the newly minted ones. It reminds me of the "Occupy Wall Street " movement. I perceived them to be a bunch of spoiled teenagers, fresh out of college, protesting the lack of jobs in their chosen fields that would pay them a hundred K and angry over having to pay back those student loans. In our fieldthat socioeconomic group are so angry that they have to work weekends, holidays, weather events and actually take care of unpleasant people.....What a surprise!!! Like it's a new concept, never discussed during college. Hold the presses! Health care is a 24/7 job? Patients poop (and puke and bleed)and I have to clean it up? WAH WAH WAH (where is that crybaby smiley?)

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 14, 2014

I hear what you're saying, but after 35 years, I've seen that empathy and compassion for fellow nurses get exploited. For the couple who live 3 miles down a dirt road and whose car was crushed by a falling tree before the storm even started, I understand why they can't come to work. But they took their snowmobile to the main road where a friend picked them up and they got to work on time. On the other hand, the gal who lives in an apartment a mile down the road from the hospital often cannot get to work when it snows because "they haven't plowed my parking lot" or, the ever popular "my Miata isn't good in the snow." She could have walked to work, but never tries. When you've seen that sort of thing over and over and over again, it's a whole lot easier to wonder whether your co-worker even got out of bed that morning!

Where I live, we hadn't had significant snow for many years. I moved to an apt. too far for my Dad to help me with snow removal, but I wasn't worried because, "It hasn't snowed much for years." I didn't have boots or gloves; I didn't even bother getting a shovel. I figured I'd be fine; I was ~15 min from work.

Well, of course, we wound up getting a snow storm that started ~0100; staying at work wasn't an option since I was working in an outpt. oncology center. I was scheduled to be the first person in to work to open the place up (0630).

I went out to my car at 0500, and of course it was plowed in. So, I got my ice scraper and started digging with it. Around 0530 one of my neighbors came out to take care of his car, saw me, and bless his heart, shoveled me out.

I learned my lesson about weather preparedness. I suppose I could have called my mgr. and said I was plowed in, but people were counting on me. I did get to go home earlier than usual, so it was all good.

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 14, 2014

That CANNOT BE COMPARED to the people who habitually call out due to the weather (be it one flake of snow or a foot and a half) Why would your use of your personal days in that situation cause your co-worker's consternation? Something like loosing your home or a close family member to death is way DIFFERENT then what this thread is about. .I am starting to suspect the purpose of this thread is pot stirring...

B.I.N.G.O.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 14, 2014

Years ago, I worked in an area where many of our nurses lived on islands off the mainland and commuted by ferry. The 5:30 ferry got them to the ferry dock at 6:30, which was just enough time to get to the hospital by 6:58 -- most days. The earlier ferry at 4:30 was too obnoxious a thought to contemplate for very long. Then there was a politician who ran for State Senate on a platform that included cutting costs by cutting ferry runs. You'd think that everyone who was dependent upon the ferries for commuting would be against that platform, right? Wrong.

One gentleman campaigned vociferously for this politician, including trapping patients and coworkers to laud the guy's praises. This nurse, whom I'll call Dick, was in the process of buying an island home for his retirement home. Retirement was a couple of years away. All of his coworkers, me included, listened with bated breath to his accounts of open houses, home inspections, bank loans, etc. that would allow this guy to own two homes -- the home in town, near work, and his retirement home on the island. We all celebrated with him with everything worked out.

The politician was elected, Dick's sale went through and Dick, surprising all of us, MOVED to the island, putting his home in town up for sale. Unsurprisingly, one of the first things the politician did was cut a ferry run. He cut the 5:30 run. This meant that Dick had the unenviable choice of catching the 04:30 ferry, staying in town overnight each night before he worked or driving two hours around the Sound using bridges. Dick came up with another choice. He'd take the 6:00 ferry, which would get him to the ferry dock at 7:00 just in time to make it to the hospital by 7:45 most days. He had sold the manager on some hard luck story which involved him having the same patients every day and following the same nurse who would stay late every day to give him report, and arrive early every day so he could leave work 15 minutes early to catch the outgoing 7:30 ferry instead of waiting an hour for the next ferry. Because so many nurses have empathy and compassion, this worked out well for Dick -- for awhile.

Then someone (OK, it was me) pointed out in a staff meeting that we were working an hour or more of overtime every time we agreed to match with Dick, and we weren't getting paid for that time. Meanwhile, Dick was working an hour or more LESS than 12 hours on every one of his shifts, but he was getting paid for 12 hours. And we weren't "helping him through a crisis." No, this was Dick's plan to deal with the change in ferry schedule that HE campaigned for. He had planned for this to go on for two full years until he retired. So he could have his dream home. No one begrudged him that dream home, but three hours or more of OT a week? Then the first snowstorm of the year, and predictably, Dick couldn't make it to work. OTHER folks who commuted by ferry were able to, but Dick couldn't.

In 35 years, I've encountered more than a few Dicks, and my empathy and compassion are a little bit more discerning these days.

Dick rented a room in the home of a coworker and stayed overnight in town the night before his shifts once his coworkers quit subsidizing his choices. But somehow, he STILL couldn't make it to work in a snowstorm even though his roommate did . . . .

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 14, 2014

Years ago, I worked in an area where many of our nurses lived on islands off the mainland and commuted by ferry. The 5:30 ferry got them to the ferry dock at 6:30, which was just enough time to get to the hospital by 6:58 -- most days. The earlier ferry at 4:30 was too obnoxious a thought to contemplate for very long. Then there was a politician who ran for State Senate on a platform that included cutting costs by cutting ferry runs. You'd think that everyone who was dependent upon the ferries for commuting would be against that platform, right? Wrong.
One gentleman campaigned vociferously for this politician, including trapping patients and coworkers to laud the guy's praises. This nurse, whom I'll call Dick, was in the process of buying an island home for his retirement home. Retirement was a couple of years away. All of his coworkers, me included, listened with bated breath to his accounts of open houses, home inspections, bank loans, etc. that would allow this guy to own two homes -- the home in town, near work, and his retirement home on the island. We all celebrated with him with everything worked out.
The politician was elected, Dick's sale went through and Dick, surprising all of us, MOVED to the island, putting his home in town up for sale. Unsurprisingly, one of the first things the politician did was cut a ferry run. He cut the 5:30 run. This meant that Dick had the unenviable choice of catching the 04:30 ferry, staying in town overnight each night before he worked or driving two hours around the Sound using bridges. Dick came up with another choice. He'd take the 6:00 ferry, which would get him to the ferry dock at 7:00 just in time to make it to the hospital by 7:45 most days. He had sold the manager on some hard luck story which involved him having the same patients every day and following the same nurse who would stay late every day to give him report, and arrive early every day so he could leave work 15 minutes early to catch the outgoing 7:30 ferry instead of waiting an hour for the next ferry. Because so many nurses have empathy and compassion, this worked out well for Dick -- for awhile.
Then someone (OK, it was me) pointed out in a staff meeting that we were working an hour or more of overtime every time we agreed to match with Dick, and we weren't getting paid for that time. Meanwhile, Dick was working an hour or more LESS than 12 hours on every one of his shifts, but he was getting paid for 12 hours. And we weren't "helping him through a crisis." No, this was Dick's plan to deal with the change in ferry schedule that HE campaigned for. He had planned for this to go on for two full years until he retired. So he could have his dream home. No one begrudged him that dream home, but three hours or more of OT a week? Then the first snowstorm of the year, and predictably, Dick couldn't make it to work. OTHER folks who commuted by ferry were able to, but Dick couldn't.
In 35 years, I've encountered more than a few Dicks, and my empathy and compassion are a little bit more discerning these days.
Dick rented a room in the home of a coworker and stayed overnight in town the night before his shifts once his coworkers quit subsidizing his choices. But somehow, he STILL couldn't make it to work in a snowstorm even though his roommate did . . . .

This post--particularly that line--should come with a "Spew Alert."

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 14, 2014

We should start some real fireworks.

Holidays and staff with children. Discuss.

wooh, BSN, RN · Feb 14, 2014

We should start some real fireworks.

Holidays and staff with children. Discuss.

You would think single people and people without kids would have compassion and empathy and let people with kids have all the weekends and holidays off.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 14, 2014

We should start some real fireworks.

Holidays and staff with children. Discuss.

That deserves it's own thread.

nynursey_ · Feb 15, 2014

If a nurse can't afford a hotel room how can he or she afford to miss work?[/quote']
Personal days, dear.

Aurora77 · Feb 15, 2014

Personal days dear.[/quote']OK, honey. Does this mean we're dating now?

ktwlpn, LPN · Feb 15, 2014

Personal days, dear.

Can't take personal days, vacation or sick time during a snow emergency where I work, dear.

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 15, 2014

The only people allowed to call me "dear" are the elderly, and my parents. Anyone else who does this does so at his/her own peril.