Hi, I would really appreciate hearing from lots of people about what you do when you have to work but the roads are covered in snow and ice. I get many sarcastic or unrealistic responses from people I've asked. I should explain that snow and ice are still somewhat new to me, AND I have driven in a HORRIBLE ice storm and am still somewhat traumatized!
Once when I wasn't scheduled to work, the roads were treacherous and I was SO grateful to be off! When I asked my coworkers about it the next day, they said "they weren't that bad, I just drove slowly!" I'm happy for them, but I have slipped all over roads, even when I went slowly, and even slid through stop signs.....and it is SCARY!
I asked a paramedic what they do when there is an emergency out on rural roads that haven't been salted, and she said there's not much they can do, and maybe it's just that person's time to die......gee, what a great answer! (NOT!) :angryfire
I applied for a new job and asked the manager about snow and ice, and she said: "I *ALWAYS* make it into work, NO MATTER how bad the roads are, and I live a lot further than you!" The thing is, I am dedicated to my job, but I am *NOT* willing to slip and slide on icy roads and risk my life......
So please tell me......what is your employer's view on this, and what do YOU do when the roads are just terrible?
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i am fortunate enough not to worry about snow, but i do not see the benefit to risking my life and becoming a potential pt. this would count as an act of god and i think you should try your best but i would not risk my life for any amount of money. if your employer valued you, your life, and your family they would not want you to endanger yourself beyond your comfort levels. ruby it sounds like brainwashing sheeesh
while ice, snow, and even beautiful, sunny days could be construed as acts of god, ice and snow are also a fact of life to millions of us. just as tornadoes are to some, hurricanes are to others, etc. if you want to live in an area that enjoys winter, you need to get comfortable with driving in ice and snow. because if i'm at work waiting for relief after a 12 hour shift, i'm not going to be really happy to hear "jane decided not to come to work because she didn't feel comfortable driving in snow." nor is jane going to be real comfortable refusing to leave her house for three or four months of the year!
some people just should not be behind the wheel period never mind behind the wheel if they suffer snow anxiety or road rage. i am sorry , if you choose to work in the middle a blizzard that is your problem . you go in to work in treacherous condition good for you. but i will use my own judgement. some days the answer is no,i will not go out in the blizzard and risk my life for a job. staffing is not my problem it is the hospitals. if you go in expect to stay they don't tell you that for a reason, they tell you that because they know people just wont come in. no job is worth making a dumb decision,like
to go out in a blizzard when the roads are gone and the state police are on the news saying dont drive.
while ice, snow, and even beautiful, sunny days could be construed as acts of god, ice and snow are also a fact of life to millions of us. just as tornadoes are to some, hurricanes are to others, etc. if you want to live in an area that enjoys winter, you need to get comfortable with driving in ice and snow. because if i'm at work waiting for relief after a 12 hour shift, i'm not going to be really happy to hear "jane decided not to come to work because she didn't feel comfortable driving in snow." nor is jane going to be real comfortable refusing to leave her house for three or four months of the year!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
some people just should not be behind the wheel period never mind behind the wheel if they suffer snow anxiety or road rage. i am sorry , if you choose to work in the middle a blizzard that is your problem . you go in to work in treacherous condition good for you. but i will use my own judgement. some days the answer is no,i will not go out in the blizzard and risk my life for a job. staffing is not my problem it is the hospitals. if you go in expect to stay they don't tell you that for a reason, they tell you that because they know people just wont come in. no job is worth making a dumb decision,like
to go out in a blizzard when the roads are gone and the state police are on the news saying dont drive.
the original poster wasn't talking about blizzards where the roads are gone and the state police are on the news saying don't drive. we were discussing snow and ice and winter driving conditions . . . not a disaster of epic proportions. i stand by my statement that if you're going to choose to live in the snowbelt and work in a hospital, you need to make sure you can get to work when the roads are covered with ice and snow. that's not a blizzard. that's just winter. your co-workers can only cover so much for your fear of winter driving.
ITA Ruby. You can't live in a place that gets a lot of snow and NOT learn to drive in it without it seriously affecting your life. If I didn't drive in normal snow back home, I would only have worked about 8 months of the year.
the original poster wasn't talking about blizzards where the roads are gone and the state police are on the news saying don't drive. we were discussing snow and ice and winter driving conditions . . . not a disaster of epic proportions. i stand by my statement that if you're going to choose to live in the snowbelt and work in a hospital, you need to make sure you can get to work when the roads are covered with ice and snow. that's not a blizzard. that's just winter. your co-workers can only cover so much for your fear of winter driving.
ruby, with that clarification, i agree with you. i was under the impression that you were including blizzards. also, i have never missed work for bad weather. including a blizzard. it was close at times, but if you are careful, most of the time you can make it.
but with that said, if i thought it was going to be too dangerous, i'd make a phone call and have a nice cup of tea.:)
while ice, snow, and even beautiful, sunny days could be construed as acts of god, ice and snow are also a fact of life to millions of us. just as tornadoes are to some, hurricanes are to others, etc. if you want to live in an area that enjoys winter, you need to get comfortable with driving in ice and snow. because if i'm at work waiting for relief after a 12 hour shift, i'm not going to be really happy to hear "jane decided not to come to work because she didn't feel comfortable driving in snow." nor is jane going to be real comfortable refusing to leave her house for three or four months of the year!
brainwashing? no. it's common sense!
i see,
so you would perfer: did you hear what happened to jane. she got t boned while driving on that snow covered road. so you would be stuck at work anyway and now pressure from the admin and fellow staff that has been placed on people not comfortable or knowledgeable has caused an possible fatality. come on be real now. three or four months. where do you live alaska. getting comfortable is different then trying to go out in a blizzard risking your life. in my neighborhood flash floods can occur. the police will block of the area, the intellegent people will stay at home and not risk getting stranded or worse. even the coast guard search and rescue with the best navigational equip will ground the helis if weather is an issue. if you are gunho so be it do not force your risky behavior on someone else.
it comes down to comfort level. just like everything else blizzard to them might not be a blizzard to you. some people are comfortable working in icu some are not. if your are not comfotable working with critical pt do you think you should float to the icu. so what would be different when your talking about your life? as far as awd and all that....you cant expect everyone to go out and buy tractors. different people have different financial situations that would make owning a awd vechile prohibited
gizelda said it best.....
after all we are human not superhuman and nursing is your job not your life.
as stated in nursing school
if you cant take care of yourself you cant take care of anyone else. i think it would be hard to pass meds from a gurney
I noticed the same thing when I was down in Texas. I'd be ready to go, and others would say, "can't, got an ice storm"....I'd scratch my head in wonder and disbelief. True, very true.
-FYI, in many places in TX, they don't build roads below the freeze line, so frost/ice really DOES shut the whole city/town down.
-General advice: If conditions are unsafe, don't sacrifice your life for your job. Believe me, your employer would not return the favor. Use your own judgement. Conditions vary depending on where you live and how bad the roads are. Most states have department of transportation 800 phone numbers that can advise you on just how bad things are. You are no good to any of your pt's if you are stranded in a ditch halfway to the hospital. Where I am (can get lots of winter, sometimes), my facility also will send out maintenance workers w/4 wheel drive vehicles if conditions are exceptional and staff is needed.
-Here's the thing, though, once you are on the road, sometimes it is safer to keep on going than to try to turn around once you have started.
-As previous posters mentioned, in the winter months, it is always advisable to pack a bag, b/c you never know when conditions can get so bad that your releif can't come in. As the boy scouts say, "be prepared"
-As far as people living closer to work than you do not being able to come in when you can make it, I can see that. I live in a rural area and have often found that the county/country roads are better than the roads I travel when I get into town. Don't know if that is conditions or politics.
Specializes in Nursing Assistant/ Army Medic, LVN.
To ANYONE heading out in the 'conditions' this winter, some handy things to have with you:
Flashlight
First aid kit
Blanket(s)
Road flares
Spare tire, working jack, a piece or two of wood (you can put these under your jack, or under your tire for traction, etc.)
Cell phone (they are aweful handy) A portable CB radio can also be handy.
Proper tire pressure, and good quality tires
Bag of kitty litter (great for instant traction if ya get stuck)
Jumper cables (Or one of those jumper packs. I have one of those, and it has been great - just make sure it is charged! WELL worth the investment).
Full tank of gas!!
Heavy coat, gloves, winter hat. (If you don't wear all of this stuff normally, just get a coat and shove the hat and gloves in the pockets, throw the whole deal in the backseat).
Have your vehicle serviced BEFORE the snow flies!!
If anyone else has something to add, please feel free.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i see,
so you would perfer: did you hear what happened to jane. she got t boned while driving on that snow covered road.
once again -- we're talking about winter driving, not the storm of the century. in the winter, roads in the snow belt will have ice and snow on them. that's just the way it is. if jane -- or anyone else -- wants to live in the snow belt and work in a hospital, she'd best get comfortable driving on snowy roads. or take public transportation. or stay at home until winter is over.
while ice, snow, and even beautiful, sunny days could be construed as acts of god, ice and snow are also a fact of life to millions of us. just as tornadoes are to some, hurricanes are to others, etc. if you want to live in an area that enjoys winter, you need to get comfortable with driving in ice and snow. because if i'm at work waiting for relief after a 12 hour shift, i'm not going to be really happy to hear "jane decided not to come to work because she didn't feel comfortable driving in snow." nor is jane going to be real comfortable refusing to leave her house for three or four months of the year!
brainwashing? no. it's common sense!
ita!!! i just moved to michigan from a lifetime spent in fl, and since we are expected to get snow tomorrow and i'll be driving to work, i have read this thread with interest. i am in healthcare.. when i decided to move here, i accepted the fact that i am an rn and that i must get to work no matter what, plain and simple. my pt's need me. am i going to be terrified driving in conditions i am not used to? you betcha. am i going to forge ahead and accept this challenge and make the best of it? absolutely.
i knew all about michigan winters before i moved here from florida. i will do my best to prepare my vehicle for them, and i will always find a way to get to work.
hey, if a mailman can be dedicated to make it through "rain, sleet, snow and ice"-- so can a nurse.
I live in rural Northern Michigan 50 miles from my hospital at the bottom of 1/4 hill. We start our shifts at 0700. I call them at 0400 and tell them I'll be in if I can make it to the top of the hill which is never plowed by that time in the morning. Then I snowblow my driveway, and head out. If I get stuck I call them and tell them I won't be in. In 12 years, I've never missed a shift. I do carry an emergency kit which has everything previous posters have stated including a snow shovel! I drive front wheel drive cars (a Ford Focus now) and I can get through anything that won't float the car. And I'm prepared to stay a while in it if I have to. I used to live in the Upper Peninsula and we got 300 inches of snow average per winter. You adjust.
Many times I've made it to a shift when people much closer couldn't. But after my 1/4 mile hill I have a highway that is kept plowed. Many people live considerably closer to the hospital but farther than 1/4 to the nearest plowed road. Don't blame them for not making it. And I love the adventure!
Slipping and sliding is one thing (dangerous enough if you run into a semi) but if I can't see where I'm going, forget it! I have to set priorities: my life and my family is no.1.
The thing is, I am dedicated to my job, but I am *NOT* willing to slip and slide on icy roads and risk my life......
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
while ice, snow, and even beautiful, sunny days could be construed as acts of god, ice and snow are also a fact of life to millions of us. just as tornadoes are to some, hurricanes are to others, etc. if you want to live in an area that enjoys winter, you need to get comfortable with driving in ice and snow. because if i'm at work waiting for relief after a 12 hour shift, i'm not going to be really happy to hear "jane decided not to come to work because she didn't feel comfortable driving in snow." nor is jane going to be real comfortable refusing to leave her house for three or four months of the year!
brainwashing? no. it's common sense!