What ice storm? Get yourself to work!!

Simplepleasures · Dec 15, 2007

One thing I can say for certain, now that Im "retired" is ,I dont miss driving to night shift in a snow blinding blizzard at 10 o clock at night , while everyone else is snuggly warm in their beds. Nowadays when it snows or ices, I just look out my window and say, "oh, how pretty".:Snow:

HM2VikingRN, RN · Dec 15, 2007

I don't think that they can order you to risk your life....Are you in a union hospital? If the House SUpervisor said that they would send an SUV and didn't you may have an argument that you should be allowed to use PTO.....It is stupid that there is no weather clause in your HR manual....

Our procedure says call in...You are expected to check the road conditions every two hours to see if it is feasible to come in and keep calling in.....(Of course this is MN where we expect weather outs...)

ebear, BSN, RN · Dec 15, 2007

I know what you mean! The place where I just left required the staff to come in, no matter ice covered impassable roads. If that were impossible, which was not accepted for any reason, then PTO could NOT be taken there either. I had State Troopers refuse to take me to work one day (as the hospital suggested) as they were SWAMPED. I guess it's OK if you get killed--just attempt to get to work! Employees were also "written up" for calling to announce that they just COULD NOT get there! It's CRAZY!!!!

CHATSDALE · Dec 15, 2007

sometime life sucks

but think of it this way this summer when we are facing flooding and gale-force winds you will be sitting in a cool climate drinking iced tea

Valanda · Dec 15, 2007

Several years back, nearly all of the evening and night shift nurses decided to have a NEw Years Eve party. Ten of the 14 nurses who work at this LTC facility had driven to a nurse's house 30 miles away from work and planned to get very drunk and spend the night. Well, that night a record-breaking snow-fall hit and when we opened the front door in the morning it was half obstructed with a snow drift and only the tops of our cars were visible. Even with all of the snow shovels in use it would have taken all day to dig out our cars.

The state closed the Interstate between where we were and the LTC. There was no way any of us could get to work! After the LTC fully understood the situation, the administrator was notified and he ended up sending a heliocopter out after us.

I'd have to say I've been pretty lucky when it comes to employers and bad roads. I even had one DON who voluntarily came in and took over my patients and insisted I went home at 2am because she didn't think I'd be able to get home if I stayed til 7am. She lived a few blocks from the LTC and generally walked.

I won't even really try to get to work if the roads are bad anyway. My baby sister died 4 years ago trying to drive to work on an icy road. I don't think my mom could handle losing both daughters that way.

Bugaloo · Dec 15, 2007

No job is worth risking your life over. If you truly feel that the roads are too bad to travel on, call in, and worry about the fallout later.

allnurses Guide · Dec 15, 2007

Geez... most places that I have worked for (hospitals) were willing to do whatever it took to get their employees to the hospital SAFELY if needed. The first hospital where I worked, they would send security officers in 4x4's.

Where I work now, I heard a story during orientation of a morning with several feet of snow... and no dialysis nurses able to get to work. There were patients in the hospital that needed dialysis. A helicopter was sent to get one lucky nurse who lived way out in the country.

nurz2be · Dec 15, 2007

So we had a major ice storm last weekend, 2 inches of ice by morning, and 1st time in 20-odd years I can't get out of the driveway, roads are impassable in this rural area.
Apparently, 20 miles away at work it's just raining...for the time being. House says, well, nobody else has called to say they can't come in. If we need to, we'll send somebody to get you.
Well that didn't happen because there was so much ice on the roads out here that people died on the same highway they wanted me to drive to work on.
And oh, did I mention that you can't use PTO for calling due to weather emergencies (hell, the President deemed my area a disaster area), so I'm out a day's pay that I can't be compensated for...
What other "profession" has such inhumane expectations...hell no I'm not risking my very life for my employer, they already get enough of it sucked away every shift.
:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

This truly sucks. I remember ice storms in Oklahoma when I lived there. I don't have that problem currently as I live in an area that has 3 seasons, hot, hotter, hottest. We are in hot mode on this balmy 83 degree day in Florida. Come move to Florida, you will never have a reason to call in for weather, except in a hurricane, PLUS you will never lack a job in the hospital as everyone is moving here as well...

I MISS the snow...... It just ain't right puttin up Christmas decorations in December in a tank top, shorts, and sweating to death....

There's NO PLACE like home, there's no place like home....

Anybody seen my red slippers???? LOL

CocoaGirl · Dec 15, 2007

At the facility where I work, the same people would call in for bad weather. Other staff, who lived further away from the facility could make it to work. They would say they were "attempting" to try to make it in and not to send anyone to pick them up. They would then call in every 2-3 hours to let the manager know they still couldn't make it in yet (while they were able to use PTO time). When this happened several times we got sick of it, after all we were able to get to work, had to work short handed and our co workers were able to stay home and collect PTO. The facility then decided to change the policy - No show for bad weather no pay. It was amazing how the offenders were magically able to get to work when the weather was bad. I'm not talking about when a state of emergency is declared that is a different story. I'm talking about small to moderate snow.

ertravelrn · Dec 15, 2007

I am also in an area that experiences bad weather and has horrible roads, but we are also not allowed to use PTO for bad weather. Our hospital will send an ambulance out to get us. Which is fine for me, as long as I am not driving.

The flip side for me is that I do house one day a week and it is a problem when folks call in........but that is just how it goes sometimes. I don't expect anyone to come in if it is hazardous for them to drive. Maybe I feel this way because most of the time I am a floor nurse and only occasionally "one of them"....lol

FlyingScot, RN · Dec 15, 2007

I have an all-wheel drive vehicle (yeah Subaru!). Every year at my old job the head of security would send a letter to me requesting me to VOLUNTEER to drive out to pick up people who "couldn't make it in". They weren't going to pay me for my time, my gas or my insurance yet they wanted me to risk MY life on impassible roads. I always sent them an e-mail and told them to tell those people to get there own

d#$n 4 wheel drive cars!:icon_twisted: