Interview Complete

I had my interview this morning.  It was with a manager that had started a couple years after I left.  So she was explaining the unit to me, which in my head I thought was hilarious as this was the exact unit I left 3 years ago.  She didn't build it up...she said it was fast-paced, that the doctors can usually be jerks & there isn't much she can do about it...that she's tried with no success & that it is pretty much primary care nursing even though we usually have a tech.  We also talked about patient satisfaction scores & how ridiculous the government is allowing it to become.  At my current hospital...they want to videotape us "rounding" so we can see how we really are.  As if being followed with a camera won't throw us off at all.  Ugh, what more can they come up with??????  I should stop asking that question.


Anyways, I felt the interview went fine except she wasn't sure they had anymore night positions open.  Ugh.  So she suggested days & although it is not my first choice...I will leave it in God's hands.  Maybe days would be better for me.  The thought of having a normal sleep schedule sounds like paradise...but the thought of not having that night time pay differential sounds like a nightmare.  Oh well......it is out of my hands.  I just know I want out of where I'm at & soon.  If not, I have an IV checkoff to do, net learning to do, a "treasure hunt" to do...ugh...just let me be a nurse & leave me alone.  Hopefully I'll hear something soon.  This definitely is not the best time to be applying for nursing jobs....the spring/summer census is dropping as all our "snow birds" are going back up north.  Oh well.....whatever is meant to be will happen.


My back is a million times better.  I am grateful for Tramadol.  It allowed me to feel human again.


Weigh-in tomorrow morning...I'm thinking I lost at least 4 lbs.  It hasn't been that hard either...so far.  I still need to add in exercise soon.  :)

Injured

I have been working on my house & moving furniture.  As a result, I really messed up my  lower back.  I have called out on 3 shifts...which I hate doing, but the first two shifts....I could barely walk from my bed to the bathroom.  And I feel better tonight (a week later), but I have hardly been out of bed...so wasn't sure I would be able to handle 12 hours of moving around.  I'll go in tomorrow.  I have pain medicine and muscle relaxers which are helping tremendously.  I am convinced now that I have got to lose some weight & also find some exercises that strengthen my back.  I'm also convinced this is a result of being a nurse & not having tech help.  I'm physically exhausted after working.  Hopefully I'll be ok tomorrow night.  I have like 10 days off until my next shift.


On a somewhat brighter note, my old hospital called on Friday.  I swear it feels like dating...lol.  I didn't answer, but she left a message saying she wanted to give me the latest status update.  I'm not sure if that is good or bad.  I'll call tomorrow.  I wanted to be sure I could actually move around like a normal person just in case they wanted me to come in for another interview.  And as of Friday, I wasn't convinced I'd be feeling better.  I really do want to come back to this hospital.  I'll be taking a pay cut, but the work won't be so physically demanding either, since they do have techs.  And I'll only be 5 miles away from work as opposed to 25 miles.  Keep your fingers crossed!


Speaking of losing weight, I started Weight Watchers on April 1st.  I've lost 11 lbs.  I have yet to exercise - didn't want to shock my body as I changed my eating habits.  As soon as my back allows, I will be walking & doing some cardio work-outs.  I have a lot to lose, but right now my short-term goal is 30 lbs by June 1st.  I'll re-evaluate once I reach that goal.  :)

Blah blah blah

I still have yet to hear anything more from my old hospital. I'm taking it as a sign as I don't belong. I mean if they are this disorganized with the hiring process, I can only imagine this is a reflection of the entire organization. I mean this area is in great need of experienced nurses. So when the chance to hire one comes along, they snap you up pretty quickly....except that place. Oh well, it is making me think of other avenues....like nicu or mother/baby type units. I'm in no rush. Lately work has been pretty good & we have evals coming up which means raises. So I shall stick around while still thinking of other units that might meet my needs in the near future.

I have slept non-stop the last 2 days...not sure why. Maybe I'm fighting a cold. I have the same icky cough I started with last August. It's all in my throat, not my chest...but it is icky sounding & tasting. Let's hope it passes. I don't have the patience to be sick.

Our HCAHPS scores for the first quarter are better than 95%...so they are off our case for now. Those scores are so unrealistic that I'm not sure how it is even possible. The two categories we need to improve on...doctor to patient communication and cleanliness. Tell me.......how does that become the nurses responsibility? They told us "WE" need to work on it. I say the doctors & housekeepers need to work on it. Nurses have 6 of their own categories to work on, we don't need other staff members categories added on to ours. We can't do it all!

Tomorrow I'm gonna go weigh in. I know I've lost a few pounds. I've been eating so much fruit & salad. My body is craving Chick-fil-a. My mind is looking forward to Olive Garden tomorrow afternoon. Gonna go visit the parents & take my mom to lunch & shop. I also get to see my puppy dog. I had a dream last night that I let her run away....like I opened my car door & let her jump out & leave. Then the rest of the dream I spent trying to find her. Two weird things....people kept sending me where they thought she was & I'd see a dog that looked 95% like her...very vividly in the dream. Yet I was calling out the name of my dog I had before her. I woke up all confused & a little sad...but once I realized she really hadn't run away, I was ok. It just felt so real. She stays mostly at my parents house now because her & my dad are super attached to one another. He's going on vacation soon, so I'll have her back for a little while. She just looks so bored at my house as opposed to his.

I still have the guy, but I'm kind of annoyed with him again. I don't think he even realizes it cause I haven't said anything. Then again, maybe it's pms that has me annoyed & he just is my focus as a result. Being a woman is soooooo much fun!

I'm Backkkkkkk

The cruise was awesome....but went by way too fast. I have another one planned...for 7 days, but that isn't until August. Seems so far away!

Update on the job situation....well, I heard from the old hospital & it seems they have decided to eliminate the Baylor weekend option. Ugh. This always seems to happen just as I get interested in it. So that is out the door. They asked if I was interested in full time & they offered me an hourly rate that is just under $3 less than what I'm currently making. Ridiculous that there is that much of a difference. I said despite that, I'm still interested. I figured with less money spent on gas & less time as far as driving (10 minutes vs. 40 min), that I could live with making less money. So she went on to say that since there is a new manager taking over April 1, that she needs to see if the new manager would like to interview me or just take the recommendation from the interim manager that has already interviewed me. That was last Tuesday. I haven't heard another word.

And wouldn't you know it, at my current hospital...the last 3 weeks have been wonderful. Not easy, but not overwhelming either. So now I'm left wondering what to do. I'm leaning towards staying....mostly because it is my comfort zone. Going to a different hospital is like starting at a new school. One of my friends was going to make the switch too, but now she's had stuff come up & she can't make any changes right now. I don't know what to do.

So I decided to re-join Weight Watchers. Perhaps if my main focus is on something other than work, things will be better. And I need to lose weight & exercise. Enough stressing about work, I'm determined to get back to being me. I figure the rest will fall into place (hopefully).