In my last post, I talked about the fact that I wanted to cut back my hours at work but was unsuccessful. So the next thing I wanted to try was requesting to go per diem/PRN.
My (interim) manager let me do it! I went to HR, signed the form, and requested the change to become effective the next pay period, which was this past Sunday the 15th. :)
The schedule has already been made until towards the end of March. I really didn't want to continue working full-time hours until then. Thankfully my manager allowed me to make adjustments to my schedule and be taken off on the days that we were well-staffed. I am super duper grateful she let me do that.
I feel very confident about this decision. Even though I have to find my own medical & dental insurance now (I was already getting vision insurance independently), the pay off is so, so worth it. I have already narrowed down my choices for both types of insurance and will be getting that settled this week. And I will have to really save my money at times (I am fairly frugal to begin with, though), but I can pick up work when necessary. So I believe it will work out for the better.
I'm glad I will be able to focus more on school and hopefully be a little less stressed.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, September 26, 2011
First Day of Fall Term
Even though summer term ended 10 days ago, I had been waiting for my grade in Research to be corrected - and finally the correction has been noted in the grade system - yay! I did end up passing both classes. :)
Today was the first day of fall term. I am taking 1) Pharmacology and 2) Reproductive Anatomy & Physiology. Kind of looking forward to this term, as I feel I'm now getting into more of the "midwifery/women's health" type of classes.
I did go to HR and ask them for a transfer request form. They were very firm on the transfer policy (6 months in your current position), but they said they could not stop people from applying. Therefore I obtained a transfer request form and will hold onto it until November or December - at that point I will most likely fill it out and send it back to HR.
According to the employee handbook (which I had time to read early this morning at work), it just may be possible to transfer earlier than 6 months. Because in transfer section of the handbook, it says that if you have been in your current position for at least 6 months, you don't need a supervisor's signature on the form. Then it said you would need one if you had not been in your current position for at least 6 months.
So.....I can infer that it is possible to transfer early, as long as you have your manager's approval??
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Pretty much done with Summer Term
Last night (or early early this morning), I turned in my LAST assignment for this term. Now all I have to do is fill out course evaluations, which are a piece of cake compared to the work I had to do this term.
I am so, so relieved to be done. I almost feel guilty at times, when I'm just surfing the 'net because I feel like I should be doing school work. I felt so unmotivated this term. I mean, I had to move residences AND start a new job in the midst of it, so that is probably why. Do not want to re-live this term again.
It will be SO nice to not have to do any studying for the next (almost) 2 weeks. I do have a few fun things planned for my break. However, I still have to work. =/ But.....not the whole 2 weeks. I put in for time off for the last week in September and got it off (YES!!!).
Work: Things are going okay, I guess. Still same old, same old. Had a crazy night on the 8th. It seemed like something (out of the norm) happened with every patient I had. Every night cannot be like this. But thankfully not every night is. But even on the good nights, I still find myself longing for something better.
I even applied for the 2 nursery positions I mentioned in my previous post. I'm fairly sure they will deny my application, but I felt the worst they could say is no, and the best that could happen is that HR and my current manager would make an exception for me and let me transfer earlier than policy allowed. Hey, I might as well try because sometimes there are exceptions to rules, right?
In the very likely event that I do not get to transfer, I will just hope that I can learn a lot where I am, learn to deal with the stress better, learn to deal with unsafe conditions as much as I can, and do the right thing. That last thing is something that I have had to struggle with - a lot more now than I did in my last job. I need to trust my own instincts. I am afraid to go into much detail (this is an open blog, anyway), but if inquiring minds want to know, I'd be willing to talk about it more in an email.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
I am currently in Week 9 of summer term. This term is a total of 11 weeks, so I am pretty close to being done!
I only have one assignment left for Health Promotion and one assignment left for Research. So looking forward to being done with this term.
As far as work goes, I'm going to be cautious and say my job is going okay. I had a pretty rough night on August 19th, from my own standpoint. To the average med-surg nurse it may have been slightly crazy, but for me it was overwhelming. I just strongly dislike getting behind and when things get in the way of my agenda - but oh well, I'm going to have to accept that. Unfortunately, unpredictability is the norm in nursing.
On a side note - I didn't even mention it on that day, but August 19, 2010 was the day I found out I got into grad school. :)
But overall, I am liking night shift better than day shift. I actually get a little more time to physically sit down. I get to fill in bits of information about my patient that I didn't know before. I have time to look up test results. I have time to LEARN to be a nurse. Well, most days.
My body is adjusting to night shift. I don't get terribly drowsy on the way home anymore. I have no problem staying up late. I am even sleeping slightly longer hours during the day. I think I may be able to keep working nights, at least until I graduate.
There are two nursery positions and one L&D position open at my hospital. I hope that those openings remain there 2 months from now - or at least, more nursery/NICU/postpartum/L&D positions will be added later this fall.
Yes, I am thankful for my job and am learning a lot. However, I do want to get into OB as soon as my work place will allow (December 13th is exactly 6 months from my start date, should I decide to do an internal transfer). I'm afraid that my lack of any kind of OB experience will not be beneficial to me when I am trying to find a job as a CNM. I have heard that some (maybe even many) CNM positions require L&D experience. Plus, add to the fact that I have REALLY been wanting to get into OB ever since I was in nursing school. We'll see what happens. I really hope I can stick it out for another 2 months on PCU.
On a side note - I didn't even mention it on that day, but August 19, 2010 was the day I found out I got into grad school. :)
But overall, I am liking night shift better than day shift. I actually get a little more time to physically sit down. I get to fill in bits of information about my patient that I didn't know before. I have time to look up test results. I have time to LEARN to be a nurse. Well, most days.
My body is adjusting to night shift. I don't get terribly drowsy on the way home anymore. I have no problem staying up late. I am even sleeping slightly longer hours during the day. I think I may be able to keep working nights, at least until I graduate.
There are two nursery positions and one L&D position open at my hospital. I hope that those openings remain there 2 months from now - or at least, more nursery/NICU/postpartum/L&D positions will be added later this fall.
Yes, I am thankful for my job and am learning a lot. However, I do want to get into OB as soon as my work place will allow (December 13th is exactly 6 months from my start date, should I decide to do an internal transfer). I'm afraid that my lack of any kind of OB experience will not be beneficial to me when I am trying to find a job as a CNM. I have heard that some (maybe even many) CNM positions require L&D experience. Plus, add to the fact that I have REALLY been wanting to get into OB ever since I was in nursing school. We'll see what happens. I really hope I can stick it out for another 2 months on PCU.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Job Search
So there has been some changes in the last few days. The meeting with the DON was fine. Basically she asked what my goals were for the future. I mentioned applying to the nurse-midwifery program. She mentioned the incident that happened on the 17th. And then she mentioned how I did not seem to like it on the stroke floor. Which led to her saying that......I had an opportunity to resign.
There was a rep present at the meeting from HR, and they both said that perhaps an acute care environment was a bit too fast-paced for me right now. The DON suggested public health, like in a health department. She said they are looking for BSN-prepared nurses. I don't see any jobs posted that I would be interested in, though. Plus their job application site is down until July 20th because they are re-modeling it or whatever. Well that helps a lot.
The DON said to think about it over the weekend and call back on Monday. So I thought about it, a lot. But by Monday I just wasn't sure. So I called the DON and said I wanted to talk about it a little more, and she transferred me to my manager. What I understand is that if I had continued to stay at my job, I would have been terminated (i.e., fired). So it was clear what I had to do. I asked a few more questions and told her I would stop by in the afternoon to turn in my official resignation letter and my badge, keys, etc..
The resigning part was not bad. I know that I left on good, friendly terms with my manager and the co-workers that I said good-bye to. My co-workers are the best.....they are always on my side and were giving me suggestions on where to apply and what to do next. That is what I am going to miss about the stroke floor!!! :( But at least I got their numbers, so I can text them and keep in touch. I emptied my locker, which only had one black pen in it, haha.
Now the hard part is finding a job. I stopped by the OB-GYN office today and also the office run by CNMs, but the former only hires LPNs and medical assistants, and the latter said to try to reach HR at the corporate office. I stopped by the birth center after lunch, and they gladly took my resume, but that if a position opened up, I could work as a birth assistant. Which I would be totally fine with doing.
I just pray that the job search is not as crazily stressful as it was last year. The good thing this year is that I don't have a time limit.....but I would still like to be employed ASAP!
There was a rep present at the meeting from HR, and they both said that perhaps an acute care environment was a bit too fast-paced for me right now. The DON suggested public health, like in a health department. She said they are looking for BSN-prepared nurses. I don't see any jobs posted that I would be interested in, though. Plus their job application site is down until July 20th because they are re-modeling it or whatever. Well that helps a lot.
The DON said to think about it over the weekend and call back on Monday. So I thought about it, a lot. But by Monday I just wasn't sure. So I called the DON and said I wanted to talk about it a little more, and she transferred me to my manager. What I understand is that if I had continued to stay at my job, I would have been terminated (i.e., fired). So it was clear what I had to do. I asked a few more questions and told her I would stop by in the afternoon to turn in my official resignation letter and my badge, keys, etc..
The resigning part was not bad. I know that I left on good, friendly terms with my manager and the co-workers that I said good-bye to. My co-workers are the best.....they are always on my side and were giving me suggestions on where to apply and what to do next. That is what I am going to miss about the stroke floor!!! :( But at least I got their numbers, so I can text them and keep in touch. I emptied my locker, which only had one black pen in it, haha.
Now the hard part is finding a job. I stopped by the OB-GYN office today and also the office run by CNMs, but the former only hires LPNs and medical assistants, and the latter said to try to reach HR at the corporate office. I stopped by the birth center after lunch, and they gladly took my resume, but that if a position opened up, I could work as a birth assistant. Which I would be totally fine with doing.
I just pray that the job search is not as crazily stressful as it was last year. The good thing this year is that I don't have a time limit.....but I would still like to be employed ASAP!
Friday, July 2, 2010
It's a no
I called HR this morning. It looks like the interim manager gave the position to somebody else. The HR person said it was probably offered to someone internally - that is, someone ALREADY in Mother/Baby. I understand that they would be given preference.
The weekend position and the PRN position are still posted. I am considering applying for the former. I would be willing to work every Saturday with absolutely no problems at all. But could I face working every Sunday until who knows when? Of course I know that attending church does not make one a Christian, but attending church is important for my spiritual life. I need the fellowship. And I am growing to enjoy my Sunday school class.
Of course I could try the local OB-GYN office and the birth center, but my first choice would be to stay at my present hospital.
I have a meeting with the Director of Nursing (DON) today. She is the DON of the cardiac floors + stroke floor. She wanted to meet with me today. She knew that I was scheduled to work, but she got it approved by my supervisor to have the day off of work (can't complain about that). She wanted to talk about the incident that happened on the 17th. She also mentioned she heard from my manager and supervisor that I was having a difficult time on the floor, and I think she mentioned something about possibly trying a different area??
So I am off of work today, and I am going to go meet with her this afternoon. Maybe after this meeting I'll decide if I want to apply for another position within the hospital.
Surprisingly, I'm not as upset as I thought it would be. Like I said, things would work out the way they were meant to be. I just need guidance and wisdom to know what to do next.
The weekend position and the PRN position are still posted. I am considering applying for the former. I would be willing to work every Saturday with absolutely no problems at all. But could I face working every Sunday until who knows when? Of course I know that attending church does not make one a Christian, but attending church is important for my spiritual life. I need the fellowship. And I am growing to enjoy my Sunday school class.
Of course I could try the local OB-GYN office and the birth center, but my first choice would be to stay at my present hospital.
I have a meeting with the Director of Nursing (DON) today. She is the DON of the cardiac floors + stroke floor. She wanted to meet with me today. She knew that I was scheduled to work, but she got it approved by my supervisor to have the day off of work (can't complain about that). She wanted to talk about the incident that happened on the 17th. She also mentioned she heard from my manager and supervisor that I was having a difficult time on the floor, and I think she mentioned something about possibly trying a different area??
So I am off of work today, and I am going to go meet with her this afternoon. Maybe after this meeting I'll decide if I want to apply for another position within the hospital.
Surprisingly, I'm not as upset as I thought it would be. Like I said, things would work out the way they were meant to be. I just need guidance and wisdom to know what to do next.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
More than halfway through the month......
Wow, we are more than halfway through the month of April! Things are going okay.
1) Work...........is still stressful as usual, unfortunately. I don't know if things have gotten better since the last time I wrote. All I know is that it's stressful, and it does not bring out the best in me. Then why did I go into it, you ask? Well, we nurses all have to start somewhere. Some people know what field they want to go into from the beginning, and some people have to move to different areas before they find their niche.
Before I started nursing school, I had narrowed it down to where I thought I would like to work. I wanted to work in something related to maternal health, whether it be Labor & Delivery, Mother-Baby (postpartum floor), or NICU. Those interests remained all throughout nursing and all the way until now. I applied to NUMEROUS nursing positions in OB areas, but of course, all of them (except for the L&D internship) required more experience. Thus I started on a med-surg floor.
I am eligible to transfer now, since I have passed the 6-month mark (YES!!!). Yet....I feel bad just leaving so soon. I have to show that I am grateful for the job (which I am), and I feel like I have to "do my time" - even though there is no written rule to do anything of the sort. *sigh*
I give myself another 4 months. That will make it 1 full year that I have been working on my current floor. We'll see if I last.
2) Grad School Planning: I am really excited to say that things are moving along fairly well in this department. I am only waiting on my 2 references to give their forms back to me. I have filled out most of my application, roughly written the essays, and have done all the other stuff. I gave my references till the end of April to return the forms to me. So far only 1 out of 3 people have returned their forms to me. I am getting antsy to see if they have remembered.....but I must be patient and not say anything first. Unless the end of April comes and I haven't gotten anything back. Only then will I politely ask. Because I know they are doing a huge favor for me.
3) Doula course: it's coming along fine. I'm on the 3rd - and last - manual! It's tedious, and I do have quite a while to finish, but I just want to be done with it so I can read a ton of books I have been longing to read!!
1) Work...........is still stressful as usual, unfortunately. I don't know if things have gotten better since the last time I wrote. All I know is that it's stressful, and it does not bring out the best in me. Then why did I go into it, you ask? Well, we nurses all have to start somewhere. Some people know what field they want to go into from the beginning, and some people have to move to different areas before they find their niche.
Before I started nursing school, I had narrowed it down to where I thought I would like to work. I wanted to work in something related to maternal health, whether it be Labor & Delivery, Mother-Baby (postpartum floor), or NICU. Those interests remained all throughout nursing and all the way until now. I applied to NUMEROUS nursing positions in OB areas, but of course, all of them (except for the L&D internship) required more experience. Thus I started on a med-surg floor.
I am eligible to transfer now, since I have passed the 6-month mark (YES!!!). Yet....I feel bad just leaving so soon. I have to show that I am grateful for the job (which I am), and I feel like I have to "do my time" - even though there is no written rule to do anything of the sort. *sigh*
I give myself another 4 months. That will make it 1 full year that I have been working on my current floor. We'll see if I last.
2) Grad School Planning: I am really excited to say that things are moving along fairly well in this department. I am only waiting on my 2 references to give their forms back to me. I have filled out most of my application, roughly written the essays, and have done all the other stuff. I gave my references till the end of April to return the forms to me. So far only 1 out of 3 people have returned their forms to me. I am getting antsy to see if they have remembered.....but I must be patient and not say anything first. Unless the end of April comes and I haven't gotten anything back. Only then will I politely ask. Because I know they are doing a huge favor for me.
3) Doula course: it's coming along fine. I'm on the 3rd - and last - manual! It's tedious, and I do have quite a while to finish, but I just want to be done with it so I can read a ton of books I have been longing to read!!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Half a year
I had just turned off my computer & had finished washing the dishes when I realized that I should post about this noteworthy date! So here it is........
I have been an RN for 8 months.
I have been working as an RN for 6 months. That's half a year. I am very thankful I have made it this far. It's a stressful job. I don't know where I will be in the next year, but I am thankful that I have a job. We'll see where God leads me.
I have been an RN for 8 months.
I have been working as an RN for 6 months. That's half a year. I am very thankful I have made it this far. It's a stressful job. I don't know where I will be in the next year, but I am thankful that I have a job. We'll see where God leads me.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
End of a great long weekend
Today I went to a La Leche League meeting - 2nd time for me! I would go every month if I didn't work on the meeting days. I got to meet one of my hospital's lactation consultants - very cool. :)
I miss my brother's family - had such a great time with them this past weekend. I'm waiting on a code from Snapfish for 50 free prints (thanks to one of the survey companies I am a part of) so I can order some pictures. I am excited to post a new picture on my locker at work. It will be hard to choose just one.
Tomorrow I go back to work. =/ The days off go by so fast! I don't know how some people get bored with 4 days off (nurses, that is - or any other job that does 3 day, 12-hour shifts). I don't think I'll ever be bored again! With my doula course, volunteering, 2 jobs (one full-time, one seasonal) and grad school plans for later this year, I feel like I'll constantly be reading/studying/staying active. No complaints, though! :)
I miss my brother's family - had such a great time with them this past weekend. I'm waiting on a code from Snapfish for 50 free prints (thanks to one of the survey companies I am a part of) so I can order some pictures. I am excited to post a new picture on my locker at work. It will be hard to choose just one.
Tomorrow I go back to work. =/ The days off go by so fast! I don't know how some people get bored with 4 days off (nurses, that is - or any other job that does 3 day, 12-hour shifts). I don't think I'll ever be bored again! With my doula course, volunteering, 2 jobs (one full-time, one seasonal) and grad school plans for later this year, I feel like I'll constantly be reading/studying/staying active. No complaints, though! :)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Life Update
I got an extended orientation in my job. :) But yesterday was actually my official last day of being with my preceptor. Starting next week, I "fly solo," in the words of my manager. I am thankful for my leaders at work who gave me all the time for orientation and having confidence in me.
Time is flying by very fast. There is never time to be bored in my life. I am still working on my doula certification. I have actually written over 50% of my Communication assignment. It still needs organization in the parts that I have written, and I need to finish up Part 5 and write a summary. I just keep putting it off. I really need to get in the writing mode when I do it. Sometimes when I work on it, I will take my laptop over to the other side of the room and write it while sitting in my comfy chair, disconnected from the internet. Therefore I have very few distractions.
Currently I'm in that afternoon slump from lunch. Ugh, and it's a little past 1700, I should have been over this slump by now. Oh yeah...but I did eat lunch around 1315 today, so I guess that makes sense that the slump is still here. :P
Time is flying by very fast. There is never time to be bored in my life. I am still working on my doula certification. I have actually written over 50% of my Communication assignment. It still needs organization in the parts that I have written, and I need to finish up Part 5 and write a summary. I just keep putting it off. I really need to get in the writing mode when I do it. Sometimes when I work on it, I will take my laptop over to the other side of the room and write it while sitting in my comfy chair, disconnected from the internet. Therefore I have very few distractions.
Currently I'm in that afternoon slump from lunch. Ugh, and it's a little past 1700, I should have been over this slump by now. Oh yeah...but I did eat lunch around 1315 today, so I guess that makes sense that the slump is still here. :P
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
End of Orientation is Approaching
Work is going okay. I have 5 more days of work (keep in mind I do not work every week day) till I am on my OWN. Eeek. Sometimes I think about it and get super nervous.
It is stressful still, and I know it will be for a long time. The first year of nursing is the hardest year to get through. What keeps me going is first of all, God. He gave me this job, and I am very thankful for that. All I have to do is remember how much He brought me through to get this job and that is a helpful thought to keep me going.
Also, on more practical reasons, what would I do if I quit? Yes, I do have another job (seasonal), but unfortunately it is farther away for me than I would like, and though I don't like to say money is a factor......it is. I want to make it clear that I did NOT go into nursing for the money nor the job security. Honestly, because I am so naive, I didn't even think of job security. I loved learning about health care ever since I was in high school, and I wanted to help people and make a difference.
That is all.
It is stressful still, and I know it will be for a long time. The first year of nursing is the hardest year to get through. What keeps me going is first of all, God. He gave me this job, and I am very thankful for that. All I have to do is remember how much He brought me through to get this job and that is a helpful thought to keep me going.
Also, on more practical reasons, what would I do if I quit? Yes, I do have another job (seasonal), but unfortunately it is farther away for me than I would like, and though I don't like to say money is a factor......it is. I want to make it clear that I did NOT go into nursing for the money nor the job security. Honestly, because I am so naive, I didn't even think of job security. I loved learning about health care ever since I was in high school, and I wanted to help people and make a difference.
That is all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)