This month has not been my favorite month of my life. It has been 3 weeks since my last blog post and that isn't because I haven't wanted to write a post, it's because I have been crazy busy with school and life. Allow me to bring you up to speed...In the time since I have last wrote I have
- registered E for 4K
- taken 3 tests
- written at least 2 papers
- registered for Clinical Bound in April (my one week intensive clinical training camp required before attending clinicals)
- registered for Clinicals
- arranged/discussed/negotiated (all still in progress) Clinical rotations
- had 2 background checks
- multiple immunizations
- filled out, scanned, and submitted everything but my underwear size to my school so they are ready to "legally" send me to clinicals (also, I'm sure they already know my underwear size)
- accepted a very, very part-time job as a Nursing Laboratory Instructor/Assistant at Madison Technical College
- also taken a position with Watertown Hospital
- lost my lists of things to do approximately 4,562,189,034 times
- gotten another infection/irritation courtesy of my favorite combination of surgery and radiation
- handmade Valentine's for about 40 preschoolers
- volunteered as a parent helper at preschool
- had my first experience being a parent of a child with a head wound (it was Ella...no, we don't know exactly how it happened...yes, we feel awful...and yes, she is now the proud owner of a temporary staple...and yes, we are all very over it and going to survive)
It's not that I haven't had any free-time, I have...but...it has been few and far between and interspersed with a lot of interruptions, and I have noticed that my usual favorite online activities, Pinterest, Facebook, and silly games like Candy Crush Saga have taken a serious decline. In fact I originally got my laptop out just so I could get on Candy Crush and "give lives" to all my friends that feed my addiction when I play, but until now I had promptly forgotten about that.
Whew! One thing done that wasn't even technically on my list. I'm also supposed to be "folding diapers" right now. I have about 9000 emails and phone messages to respond to and really all I want to be doing is sleeping...on a beach. Ahhh! Someday....
So back to the job thing because that is my big secret...
I've talked about looking on here before, but at the time I wasn't ready to go back to work or seriously looking. For a couple of years I have watched the postings for nursing instructors at the local technical college and a few other places. I've pondered it, but never really felt it was the right time. I was still lurking and watching the hospitals, particularly UW and Watertown. UW is where I used to work for nearly 5 years and Watertown, I only worked at for a few months, but they have been very generous with me and technically, I am still on a long-term leave of absence.
In December, there were no postings on the Watertown website and I wasn't ready to go back to work, but Madison Technical College had a posting for two part-time positions as a "Instructional Lab Planner-Nursing Skills Lab." All of the hours were set and posted. None of the shifts were longer than 6 hours and it seemed like something I would potentially be able to do. I thought about it, I talked about it with Geoff and my family and finally on the last day to submit applications, I took the plunge.
That was January 2nd. Since then I have had a couple interviews and obviously a job offer. My offer was actually a couple weeks ago and they wanted me to start the next week, but due to my school schedule and changing daycare days around I asked for a couple weeks. I start this Wednesday.
Then a little over a week ago my nurse manager from Watertown called. She left me a message about a position she had opening up and wondering if I would be interested. I talked and talked with Geoff. We considered every option. Watertown only. Technical college only. Both. Neither (I won't lie, we are still worried how all of this is going to affect my energy and health...and I do carry a full-time credit load for school). We talked about both jobs and my clinical rotations this summer and we stewed and stewed.
Initially, I wanted to do it all. That is always my inclination. In reality though, we both agreed this is a terrible idea. We talked more and we realized that I can't do it all. In fact, we aren't even sure I can do a 8 or 12 hour floor nursing shift once a week, much less a couple a week. At the same time, I don't want to officially leave Watertown, so I called my former manager back and decided to ask her about per diem positions (kind of like substitute teaching). She directed me to my contact in HR (they call it "Talent and Aspiration")...so I have to interject here that my nurse manager and HR contact are "the dream team." Anyone, I meant it, anyone, would have to be nuts to not want to work with for them/with them. They are sweet, intelligent, sweet, fair, sweet, ridiculously accommodating, and did I mention sweet?...So my "Talent and Aspiration" contact actually brought up the idea of 6 hour shifts instead of per diem because she already understood my concerns before I said anything. Did I mention how amazing both of these women are?!?! So in the end they talked and starting in the end of March (after I'm done with classes) I will start working 2 six hour shifts at the hospital/week for 6 weeks and then we will try increasing it.
I have summers off from the Technical College so much of my clinical time will fit in during that time, and the UW Midwives have already told me that they will work with me around my work schedule. There are a few weeks where I am going to have 2 jobs and clinicals going on and I'm not exactly sure how it is all going to work out, but I am going to have faith that it will. Also, I'm exceptionally appreciative. Almost the entire time I have been in school we have worried how we were going to balance finances with my clinical rotation and suddenly it seems to all be falling into place. I'm not sure how it will all work out, but somehow it will, and I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, I have my first big follow-up appointment in a week. It is my "3-month appointment" and the first time I see my radiation oncologist since October. Don't tell her, but I missed her a little and I'm looking forward to seeing her. This appointment is also when we discuss the plan for my follow-up scans to ensure that I am still cancer-free. I detest scans, but secretly, I am a little anxious to hear that I am still cancer-free.
Ironically, in my 3 months "off" I don't think I have made it longer than 2 or 3 weeks since I have ended up going back in. This has been endlessly frustrating to me and I can't tell you how many times I have cried, especially in the last week. I'm sick of being a patient and I'm ready to make the flip back to the "taking care of patients" side of things. I suppose this means I should actually get back to work on my homework so that I can finish these last few weeks of school. Not that I'm counting (or have the actual countdown written out in my planner) or anything, but this week begins week 8 out of 11 for this term, the last official didactic term of my masters. Three more (miserable) weeks, 4 more tests, 3 more reflections (including the one I'm procrastinating right now), and one more paper and that's it. I get to move onto the clinical portion, the "fun stuff" and then time will really fly!
Great update! Except for the head wound, of course. :) I read often and was nervous when I didn't see an update for a couple of weeks. So glad life is treating you kindly - Mary (FNU student)
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