20 posts tagged “job”

updates...mean girls and ankles

Dec 14, 2009
6 comments

Oddly I woke this morning to dense dense fog. The entire town has disappeared. Amazing.

So life's little updates.

I interviewed last thursday. It was a long process and completely unexpected! The firs tthing that happened when I came in is that the HR officer pulled up an internet test for Emergency room Nurses and told me to take it!

I was a little freaked out. But luckily I have been going to the Study group to become a certified Emergency Nurse, so I had reviewed a lot of the questions. Some of the questions were so so basic. "What is a Slit lamp used to examine" (It's eyes and only eyes, and anyone working in an Emergency dept would know that). and others were a little more complicated regarding EKG interpretation, location of heart damage, and medications. So it was a roller coaster test. I got a 92. Apparently I don't know what medicine precipitates in D5W. I usually mix stuff in Saline, sooo, I STILL don't know which medication precipitates in D5W. (Don't be scared folks, I look stuff up before I mix it, thats why we have a reference book!)

After that I had to interview with HR. It became apparent to me that she is not a nurse, and had not any idea of what a regular Emergency Department day is like. She was, however, friendly and I enjoyed meeting her.

They then sent me down to speak with the Manager who was a nice lady. We had a short conversation, discussed uniforms and patient nurse ratios, and what I expected from management. She did not give me a tour of the department which is a bit odd, but having been a traveler, I can work anywhere. I saw a little of it, and it looks very typical. The volume there is really lower than ours. they see about 130 patients daily. We see about 220. of course we have more beds and staff.

On Friday, they called and offered me a job. I was, unfortunately, involved in some horrific traffic, and did not answer the phone. I then went to a variety of MD appointments. When I called back, she was not at her desk. Soooo, I am now awaiting her to return my call.

I will probably take the job. Right before my interview, they had several meetings of the Asst Nurse Managers at my current job. During that time, they used one particular Nurse as a replacement Charge. She is a COMPLETE IDIOT. She has a face like a classic Madonna, very beautiful. She is however, inexperienced as a Nurse, and also very mean. An example of this would be: After meeting a friend who has a physical deformity at a party, she made the comment to my friend, "Dont bring that retarded guy to the Christmas party because he's weird" (This is coming from an Adult....not a 5 yr old).

Mean-girls

She's sort of a classic "Mean girl" pretty, not too bright, but skilled at playing the game. She's grasping and she has really sort of irritated me.

Partly because I am a jealous sort. I am just not that pretty and I don't "Play the game" too well....and while I might not have wanted the job, I don't want to be taking direction from someone who has to ask me for help with a variety of procedures, and is spending more time trying to have affairs with our one sleazy MD. If she were smart and well liked by the staff, I think I would still be jealous, but would understand, but as I see it, it's a train headed for disaster.

So just with that in mind.... I think no matter what they offer me, It shall be better.

:)

It's 9:37 ad I haven't heard back, but it's monday so I am going to give the lady at least an hour to get her monday settled and then call back.

Other than that.... My left ankle is totally messed up. Looks like my achilles is/was partially torn and is trying to heal. MD put me on a steroid dose pack and signed me up for PT but told me that he expects that I will need surgery anyway. My goal is to get through the next 4-6 months and then have the surgery. It's 4-6 weeks on crutches, soooo, I would have to figure something out as my job doesn't really have a position for nurse on crutches....

the ankle area does hurt. I'm hoping the steroid and the Iontophoresis (whatever that does I'll find out) helps a lot, but no running for a long time.

Other news:

A friend of mine from South Africa is coming to Florida for the entire Month of February!!!! He is going to a conference, but decided to come early for the Space Shuttle Lauch and maybe to run a Marathon, which I was scheduled to run but clearly can't! I might coerce him into volunteering with me at the Marathon since another of my friends is coming from Utah to run it still...

This is giving me some incentive to finally get my apartment fully unpacked and put up all the art I have on the walls etc.... which is nice.

Woweee, if you read all this I am amazed.

Not a very interesting blog post, but then again, I dont have much to say!

Career growing pains.

Dec 5, 2009
18 comments

Whew. What a Week. It was exciting, but not really a good kind of exciting!

I went back to work on Sunday which was rather uneventful. I worked triage which is nice because it's kind of removed from everyone else but the tech with you.

On Tuesday I found out with everyone else that my friend Lynn had been fired on Monday. Admittedly they said the fantastic euphanism "Moved on from the hospital" but they knew we knew and we knew they knew, etc etc. I know it's sort of a sad thing, but frankly she had become very difficult to work with and was not really promoting the mission of the hospital. It's hard to admit that about a friend, but the truth will set you free yes?

I also found out that the job at Celebration Hospital had never been a job. It was one of those myths that are posted. I had to call Human Resources and complain that I had heard nothing to get that news. The Human resource gal was extraordinarily apologetic, stating that the Manager did want to hire me but the job didn't exist. Celebration then offerred me "PRN" as needed employment. This rather stinks because that just then means they get you to work for them when they need it. No Benefits, no paid days off. I refused. I mean, the manager didn't bother to call or email. He clearly didn't care that much about me, so.

So. This week was mostly spent navigating onwards in my career.

Nurse-at-helm1111

I called the local hospital. I had interview there on November 5th. At the time the manager told me she had offered the full time days position to another and was waiting to hear back. She offered me the PRN position. So, I figured it now being a month later, the position would be filled or not filled. HR called me then next day and told me (ANd I QUOTE! "The manager has offered the position to someone and is waiting on a reply, but she really wants you PRN" Well. That hospital pays less than what I am making now, the only reason to work there is the short commute and the Health insurance bennies. PRN workers aren't eligible for those. I told the HR person no thanks. The lady then acted very surprised, stutterred and said, "Well it's just until after the holidays and something might come open" and actually begged me to keep them in mind. Clearly the PRN thing is the preferred way to go for Managers these days. They don't have to pay any benefits or commit to the growth and development of that staff person. It is definitely a sign of the times that things are not really that great with the economy.

I won't lie. I was really disappointed. Even though all the hospitals so far have offered to employ me they didn't offer the golden ticket, the Full time employment.

Oddly, I remembered that there is a 200 bed hospital, owned by my hospital system about 30 minutes from my house.

It's a rather new facility. I checked and they had 4 positions posted. I clicked on the apply for this job button and everything started to roll again.

ArmyNurse2003-11-24

The above photo is just about what my current job entails every day.

I have an interview on Thursday. I'm sort of hoping against hope that they actually offer me a position that I didn't apply for but I saw posted after I applied. They initially had just the 4 positions. But the next day when I was trolling around, I saw a Charge nurse position posted for Days. I would hope that within their organization they actually are planning on promoting someone and just have to post the position for legal reasons. On the off chance though that they do want to hire someone in from the outside, I am hoping it's me! It would mean a pay raise and also a chance to move up a bit, and have the ability to shape the culture of the place I am working a bit more.

Staff_nurse_sally

I love nursing, but I am getting a little tired of being Staff Nurse sally all the time. So I am feeling positive again about things.

I really hope that this job offer comes through even for the staff nurse. I would be so so humbled if no one wants to hire me!

Nothing else really going on. Weather is too gray for good photos...I can not run, going back to the MD in 2 weeks.

TIme is just creeping away on me! BUt I gotta say my house is getting spectacularly clean....all that time not runnign translated into cleaning things!!!!

Sorry to blather on. I had to vent out the frustration somewhere. I hope you at least enjoyed the vintage Nurse pictures as much as I did!!!

The Garden of Eden.

Mar 16, 2009
9 comments

P1000538

2 comments

So, I did say that Florida Hosptial is a bit religious, eh? On my first day i came across this picture. It's Oil on what appears to be canvas. My personal thought is this is something that belongs on Black velvet and not in the hospital. I imagine some important someones neice or something painted it. It has the unfortunate effet of very soft porn and paint by numbers.

I finally got brave enough to snap a photo, which was a little hard to do as it is up in a main thoroughfare. SO here it is in all its, errr Glory.

Is it me or is this just a tad wierd?.

Palm trees and other stuff.

Nov 9, 2008
4 comments

So, I am slowly coming down from the election. I do think people in general are going to be wanting to be more involved in their government now that Obama is about to become President. There does remain a question of how and when but I remain optimistic and so excited.

I'm starting to run OK again after having the cortisone placed in my hip. It isn't perfect and I have lost a little fitness. But the plan is for an April Marathon....we shall see. I was supposed to run a 5k today but I got up late and would have had to register at the race etc etc. So so much for that.

I am really so far enjoying my job at East. I was so nervous about it, but it has been very interesting. This is one of the first places I have worked that is really multiracial. Its really interesting I work with nurses of all races and backgrounds. Of course we are all the same since we are Emergency nurses. We are bonded together through commen experiences. I have been well recieved by both patients and staff so I feel very relaxed, which is a change.

Now the Palm tree. I learned this week that Palm trees BLOOM. very cool.

Vote 006

look at that. Its like a huge drooping pom pom of small yellow flowers. It actually doesn't look like a

Vote 005

natural part of the tree or as the more trendy people would say an organic part of the tree. (side note, I really think referring to things as Organic ends, rather than natural ends, is sort of silly.) This cascade of blooms had attracted many insects and at times when I walked by this area it seemed alive with buzzing.

Vote 004

Any way. Palm trees do apparently bloom, somewhat infrequently, but they do it. I learned a lot about Palms. Apparently in many parts of Florida there are multiple laws regarding the pruning and care of trees. Interesting.

updates

Nov 1, 2008
3 comments

I seem to have survived my first week out in the Emergency Deparment of East the Beast. It has been a bit nutty.

My first day in my first hour I had to put in a NasoGastric tube....its a simple procedure, but it hurts most patients. They dislike it and I really hate doing them...

Nasogastric-tube-RCH-KHI500[1]

Luckily the person who got it was relatively easy to get it into and things went along pretty smoothly for the rest of the day.

On day two I woke up with a Migraine from Hell. I get migraines but usually only occasionally, like once every 3-4 years. This one was horrible. I am still in awe of it.

But because it was orientation week, I couldn't call out sick. SO I spent the day trying to remain up right, vomiting a little and trying to stay on top of all the charting etc. It would be that day that our 31 yr old with abdominal pain turned out to be having an MI and was flown out to the other hospital. Well, I learned alot about flying people out. THen joy of joys, i got to put in another NG tube!!!

My third day was better, though by the end I was wiped out from running around trying to be sure everything was done. no ng's but I did get to assist with a pelvic (other least favorite thing) and do some other fun stuff.

The staff are really nice and I think I am going to enjoy working there. The computer program they are using is somewhat fragmented and not as good as it could be. It's the one thing that slows me down. The cohesiveness they demonstrate as a team is really cool. I don;t know how they built it but I like it and I would like to learn how they did do it, because its so lacking in many other places. Mondays are classically the busiest days in the Emergency arena the Nation over. so this hospital feeds the staff each and every Monday for free. It really is nice.

Tomorro is my first day "alone" as it were. I have fear that I might just die as it is busy and there are some odd things I need to remember (steps for admission)...but... I am hoping it all goes well.

I am blown away by the focus on Religion though by the hospital. it is a Seventh Day Adventist hospital, the Mission is "TO extend the healing ministry of Christ" There is prayer each morning and then extra prayer some days over the intercom...on the white wipe off boards there are a variety of biblical quotes and I was shocked and amazed, (and a little amused ) to purchase "Florida Hospital" water...with this label.

Orlando 012

There is more Godliness to the place. It's odd but at the same time, at least they do what they say they do...if you know what I mean?

Hopefully I can survive my Sunday and Monday. I'm still scared.

Oh yes, I got a 98% on the test!!!

Enormous Sigh of Relief.

Sep 25, 2008
13 comments

I was signed today for Florida Hospital East...

EastOrlando2007[1]

Yaaay.

They signed me for 24 weeks. So I am rather excited. I wont have to move or change anything except jobs. Its a bigger busier hospital so it will be a challenge.

But this is so much better than very cold Wisconsin, or other places I was considering.

I'm very excited. I qualify for a completion bonus, and the pay rate is 8 bucks more an hour than what I am making now. Of course I imagine I will earning those extra 8 bucks, every penny of it.

I'm feeling much better now. I was getting pretty stressed out and starting to eat wierd things...

work.

Aug 4, 2008
4 comments

Oh i am soooo sick of work. When I first started here, I wanted Overtime. They didn't let us travelers do OT because we are expensive. Now of course, there has been upheaval, the manager left under duress (And I thought she was alright at her job...) So a lot has changed. A lot of overtime is now available. And how perfect that it comes when I feel broke. (I still have about 2 months of savings in my readily accessible account, BUT....I like to have at least 4-5.

I've been taking opportunities as they come. This week though will be a doozy. I worked Sat for 12 hours and Sunday for 6. Today I do 12. I have tuesday off. Wednesday I do twelve. Thursday I have off. Friday I do 12, Sat and SUn I do 10. monday I am back for 12. and on it goes.

This usually goes one of two ways. Either I get very cranky and somewhat resistant to getting basic stuff done. (Not for the patients, but the paperwork suffers etc.) or I get so used to being at work that everything gets done and when I get a day off I am unsure how to use it.

It's also a ramp up week for training for the Marathon.

If I can make it through August, I should have a built up my savings a bit, feel more secure and be able to go back to normal hours for a while.

Have not heard from my special guy in a week now, as he has some stressful stuff coming up. So on top of all of the work, I feel stressed due to that, but oh well....it's not as if he doesn't know where to find me...and it's pretty much gaurenteed that I'll be there, except for sleeping hours!

Another nice surprise.

Apr 25, 2008
5 comments

This morning when I came in to work my charge nurse teased me saying he had put a pink slip in my mail box....

He is a natural kidder, so I knew that there wasn't a pink slip in there. All the same, because I am the way I am, I had to at least look, right???

I found 2 envelopes in there...one a note from the charge saying that the other charge RN had been "singing my praises" etc.... The other a note from the Manager of the department saying how pleased she was with my work and that I was a "good fit" (which is a key word in the industry...). In both envelopes were coupons; one for the cafeteria and one for Panera Bread....

Initially I thought this was what they did for everyone. But then the other traveler I was working with noticed the envelopes and charged off to her mailbox to look for her goods. Nothing in hers. ooops. I feel pretty happy to be recognized. One thing that was really nice is that the manager makes handmade cards, and the card she gave me was very very pretty which made it a bit more special...

So, all's well.

Still trying to decide what to do next. Spoke for 15 minutes with H. tonight and was reinvited to come out to Santa Fe, but was also suggested strongly that if I was doing well with training, I should probably stay put in Florida.

I have to register for The Other Half in May, and its at altitude, so I need to make some choices soon. I could do a different half, but Moab is fun, and Santa Fe could be really fun in the right situation....

choices...choices...choices.

Fingers Crossed

Nov 6, 2007
9 comments

FINALLY, a job in high altitude has opened up in Idaho. I love Idaho and it is a compact state, so no messing with getting a new liscence.

They have a December Start date, but since they want someone one week before Christmas, Ithink they won't get anyone. (Or they will get someone really really desperate for work who can't easily get contracts.)

This would be an ideal hospital for at least the next three months. I could train in Altitude. (Hospital is in Sun Valley area).

Riverrunlower_03[1]

The Scenery will be gorgeous. It is probably fairly doggie friendly, as well as active lifestyle friendly.

The hospital is a fairly small little center. So hopefully it is Nurse friendly, since the place I am at now really is not.

I emailed the recruiter tonight (Twice...oh well.) and I guess I'll give her a ring in the morning. I need to know about the Pay rate, the proposed Housing, reimbusements, and such. I was sooooo excited to see this posting pop up, I just hope it all works. (ie the pay rate isn't some sort of miserable 25 bucks an hour.)

Please keep your fingers crossed for me and this opportunity. So many things can go icky.

What a whirlwind

Oct 6, 2007
3 comments

I finished my contract in New Hampshire this week on Wednesday, and immediately drove to Pennsylvania on Thursday for my Dad's 65th Birthday Party. As luck would have it, I got very stuck in traffic on 78 West and proceeded at about a mile every 11 min for about an hour, slowing down my progress a lot. I missed most of the all day long party for my Dad, shown here at age five.

John__Toddler[2]

Isn't he adorable? He looks nothing like that now, no chubby cheeks or anything like that.

I did get to say hi to 3 families and then they went home.

Today I took the dog to the creek and we played for a nice long time. He then inspected the ground hog holes on the property wth a very cautious curiosity. I have enlisted my Mom to take some photos of him at the creek tomorro. So I can share some of his adventures. You are all in for a treat because my Mom takes really really good photos.

Teulu has discovered Horse and Buggies....very common on the road where my parents live. He unfortunately barks his head off, resulting in moving him from the front porch to the back in hopes of a quieter night tonight. I wish I could have him inside, but my Mother has 3 cats, and so he is playing at "Outdoor dog" for the next few days. He seems enthusiastic, and I think he is thinking of this as camping out in the backyard!

My next contract places me back in NC...but very far from home...

BC-CountySeal[1]

I'm going to be at Brunswick Hospital, a small hospital about ten minutes from the beach!!!!

North_Carolina_Map_Highlighting_Brunswick_County[1]

I had a little and short lived fantasy of living in a beach house. Unfortunately my company did not share my fantasy, so I will be in an apartment house in Wilmington. WHich is still a beach town and very nice. Once I adjusted my expectations I began to get very excited. Of course, I am a little nervous because I am starting fresh once again. Although I was pretty exhausted in NH, I made some excellent friends of the staff and felt both cared for and respected by the staff, which is not always the case.

For the next contract, I will be working nights and I will Finish on December 23rd! Just in tome to enjoy my family at the holidays.

So, my big plan is to attempt to follow an hour by hour regimen that a friend of mine tried to get back on track with running and studying, and also some other things such as Chowder eating....

So look forward to winter Beach photos.