Eeek! Worst blogger ever award goes to....Me! Sorry I dropped off the planet but things definitely picked up around here once I started working! Jim and I have been doing wonderful and I will update a little on what has been going on and hopefully stay on track with upcoming events. I had no idea so many people kept up with this blog until some sweet friends and family started asking about why I hadn't been updating, so thanks for wanting to keep up with us, ya'll and I will do my best!
Probably the biggest change has been that I found a great job and have been working pretty much full time! I took a short break after my boards and started the job search in about October of last year. It was horrible. Boring. Repetitive. A lot of work with no leads. I began with updating my resume which probably took me about 2 weeks because I was set on having THE best resume with THE most organized, easy-to-read, most correct format ever. So I read hundreds of new nurse resumes online and changed mine 84,000 times only to find that there is no easy way to list your nursing school experiences, everything you did and keep it pretty and on one page (that's one of the rules, right??)
Anyways, after some hospital researching, I applied for a few jobs, including some at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. A few weeks later, Jim and I were at lunch at a (now lucky) Mexican restaurant when I got the call. An unknown Virginia area code number during regular business hours??? YESSSS!!! I jumped up and ran outside to take the call that as I recall went a little like this:
Manager: Hi, this is so and so from CHKD, I'm calling about the position you applied for online
Me: Yes, I am VERY interested (I had applied for like 5 positions and had no idea which she was referring to)
Manager: You do realize this is a per diem position with no paid holidays and no accrued paid time off, right?
Me: YES, it sounds perfect!!!
Manager: And it is an unbenefitted position, with no guarantee of hours...
Me: YES! (Hours? who needs hours?)
So...I set up an interview and ended up getting the job! A Per Diem position in the Physicians Practice Management pool. For those non- medical - this kind of job is basically a "pool" of nurses who kind of "fill-in" wherever they are needed. Think of it kind of like a substitute teacher, but not on a day-by-day basis, more long term assignments. Because of that, they can't guarantee that you will get any certain number of hours, therefore you don't get benefits. In return there is usually a little higher hourly pay and I make my own schedule of when I am available . Because I have Jim's benefits, and like to take days off, it really is a perfect set up for me. Plus, when the time comes for me to move on to a different assignment, I will get to learn new specialties and feel out what I really want to do long-term.
Since I started at the beginning of January, I have been working (full time, by the way...I don't know what they were talking about with that "no guarantee of hours" thing) in the pediatric asthma & allergy clinic at CHKD. It probably would not have been my first choice because I've never been especially excited about wheezing kids, but I really do like it and am learning a lot! (Another perk of per diem- trying things you usually wouldn't and finding they're not so bad!)
Skipping to most recent, we had a wonderful Easter weekend! Jim and I had Easter lunch at a friend's house with some of their family and friends. It was a great time and I am thankful for the friends we have here when we can't be with our families for holidays. The Easter Bunny was good to both of us, and even the doggies got a little surprise (a stuffed monkey and lamb, which Izzy proceeded to immediately eat the face off of....)
Guess which basket is mine and which is Jim's :)
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Happy Easter!
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