New Job, New Priorities

On Monday, I started working at a new, locally-owned and quickly growing technology-based company. No longer relegated to the realms of minimum wage with no benefits, I've been questioning whether or not I really want to do this Whole Nursing Thing.

Today was my time slot for registering for fall classes, and so I did. As I was doing so, I got excited again about the learning process and about the end result, even if I have another viable career here in Information Technology.

Thus, I'm not abandoning my dream, but it feels less desperate and urgent - which is a good thing. It reminds me I'm doing this because I really do want to, not just out of abject financial necessity.

Transitioning between jobs has been brutal, though - 13-hour days and not much sleep in between night and morning. I suppose it's good practice for 14+ hour shifts in the ED. ;-)

The Case of the Severe Career-ache

Everyday, I drop off my site supervisor to the train station. Everyday, we converse about the endless possibilities of this thing called "life," and that thing called "career." We ended up with the following options, in no specific order:

1. Go back to NIU (MPH).
2. Go back to the Philippines (MPH).
3. Move out and put school on hold.
4. Move out of state after getting into a DI/MPH program.
   
5. Stay home and take 1-2 grad courses, locally.
6. Leave everything and travel the world.

Likeliness of one of the above happening? Most likely. Likeliness of me deciding which option I'll go for? Unlikely. "See, that's the hard part, you have so many options. Of course you're going to get a headache trying to weigh them all out," my Supervisor said.

Today's workload was very light. I saw a total of 13 clients, which is 2 clients shy of my daily quota. And that means only one thing...a loooonnnnng day. During lunch hour, I roamed around Chicago Avenue and ended up at a small record store where I bought 4 vinyls for $4! Even picked up The Chicago Reader on my way out which I spent the rest of my day browsing through. Even browsed through The Classified section...in search for 2-bedroom apartments.

Enter Conscience.

Conscience: "WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU GO THROUGH THE CLASSIFIED SECTION IN SEARCH FOR APARTMENTS WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?!"

To top it off, after work I found myself outside of my boyfriend's house. For no reason. Just...there. I ended up missing two of my turns on my way home and the nearest destination I could find to sit for a minute to collect myself was outside of his house.

The Classified incident was Hint #1 to stay in Chicago.
Boyfriend's house, parked under a shady tree? Hint #2.

Conscience, to no one in particular, just doesn't know how else to react to this state of indecisiveness: "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!?!"

Of course I want to advance in my career. Of course I want to do anything and everything I can possibly do to do just that. Security issues that's all, I'll get over them...hopefully...soon...like TODAY...please?

Conscience exits.
Monica stays. Help.

To be continued...

Post-Sea Sick

Tabyana Beach, Honduras - Photo by Monica

It's Day 2 workday after my 7-day Western Caribbean Cruise and I feel like I've already gone mad. My explanation? Reverse culture shock. I know, I know, Carnival is an American cruise line and I've lived in this country practically my whole life, but it's different! I didn't have to work. I didn't have to think. And best of all, I didn't have to count my money. Kinda sorta a humongous deal when you're living in America. Especially now with the gas prices and often-talked-about inflation as previously blogged about by my fellow health care blogger, Erin. See what I mean?

People are complaining left and right. One of my coworkers today even got into talking about how she befriended a "gang-banger" and asked him if he's still able to "cruise" down the street showing off his fancy, rotating rims. He exclaimed, "No way! Not with these gas prices." Coworker chuckled and joked about lowering crime rates. "There's gotta be something good to come out of this," she said.

In other news, we got into talking about our jobs. "I've even started to be a little nicer to my supervisor because I don't want to risk losing this job." She was on the money with conversation starters during lunch hour. Not bad for a lady I've never met before. Not bad for a half hour lunch conversation. Moral of the half-hour-lunch-conversation? If you have a job, hold on to it, tight. And don't you let go until you have another job to fall back on. Not right now, at least.

This is why I've gone mad post-vacation. Because of this. Because I miss not thinking and talking about any of this.

On a brighter note, I was able to pick this health-related information up while on my Carnival cruise:

Shipboard Medical

Ship's Physician The ship's physician is responsible for the basic and emergency medical treatment of the guests and directly supervises the ship's nurses. The ship physician also serves as the emergency and primary care physician for all crew on board. Physicians must hold valid registration in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, or European Union member country. Candidates must have completed a minimum of three years postgraduate training in internal medicine, family practice, or emergency medicine and be competent in emergency medicine with experience in orthopedic and minor surgical procedures. Current certification as an ACLS provider or its equivalent, unless board certified in emergency medicine. ATLS certificate and PALS certification helpful, but not mandatory. Experience and knowledge of the indications and contra-indications of fibrinolytic therapy and care of the patient before and after administration. Some experience or willingness to learn simple laboratory and x-ray procedures. Evidence of a positive mental attitude and an ability to work with people of different nationalities in a close intense environment, while providing effective leadership. Must be fluent in English. Candidate must pass a pre-employment physical examination and be deemed fit for duty at sea. Basic computer knowledge and proficiency is required. Apply for this position Ship's Nurse The Ship's Nurses are responsible to care for the nursing needs (routine and emergency needs) of the guests and crew. Registered Nurses with valid registration in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, or European Union country with a minimum of three recent years of emergency or critical care nursing experience with competency in emergency/critical care nursing care are eligible to apply. Current BLS certification is required. Current ACLS certification (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) or its equivalent, is highly recommended. Some willingness to learn simple laboratory/x-ray procedures. Must be proficient with IV cannulation and venipuncture. Must have a positive mental attitude and an ability to work with people of different nationalities in a close intense environment. Applicants must pass a medication administration exam, demonstrate adequate experience with nursing procedures on our skills check list and must pass a pre-employment physical examination and be deemed fit for duty at sea. Basic computer knowledge and proficiency is also required. Fluent in English. Apply for this position Nurse Practitioner The ship's nurse practitioner must be registered in the United States or Canada. Candidates must have completed the required number of years of advanced nursing training in a recognized nurse practitioner program and have received formal clinical training in internal medicine, family medicine, or general practice. In addition, must have three or more years of critical care experience as an RN and a minimum of two years of NP practice experience in family practice, internal medicine or general medicine. The ship's nurse practitioner holds joint responsibility with the physician for the basic and emergency medical treatment of the guests on board. The ship's nurse practitioner (as well as the physician) also serves as the emergency and primary care practitioner for all crew on board. Nurse practitioners must be competent in emergency medicine with experience in orthopedic and minor surgical procedures. Current certification in ACLS or its equivalent is required. ATLS and PALS certifications are helpful, but not required. Some experience or willingness to learn simple laboratory and x-ray procedures is required. Evidence of a positive mental attitude and an ability to work with people of different nationalities in a close intense environment, while providing effective care. Must be fluent in English. Candidate must pass a pre-employment physical examination and be deemed fit for duty at sea. Basic computer knowledge and proficiency is required. Apply for this position

I can see it now..."Hi I'm Monica, and I work here, there, everywhere." Unfortunately I don't qualify for any of the positions they're recruiting, but somewhere out there, someone does. Dooooo it.

Carnival Valor - Photo by Monica

For more information, Google it. Or simply, click here.

It's Pricey To Be Healthy

With gas prices over $4.00 a gallon here in Michigan, a lot of us have to take a step back and seriously reassess where each and every cent in our budget goes. When paychecks were handed out at work today, one of my co-workers bemoaned, "Oh God; do I make my car payment or do I put gas in the car and buy some groceries?"

In times like these, it's difficult to rationalize spending several dollars more for organic, local, sustainable or otherwise healthier products. It literally comes down to keeping the electricity turned on and the car on the road versus putting less unhealthy foods and products into our bodies. Buying the cheap, more toxic, laundry detergent; eating Ramen noodles laden with Sodium and MSG; purchasing regular, bleached (cheaper) paper towels rather than recycled, unbleached ones.

These are agonizing choices! Do I help save the planet, do I help myself be healthier in the long run, or do I get through the week without bill collectors hounding me?

I should be out shooting pool and having a couple of beers with friends tonight, but I simply cannot afford it.

What are some of the choices you're having to make due to the cost of living going up so critically?

Living in the Sauna

Michigan is undergoing some crazy weather this week - temperatures have soared and the humidity must be about 8012%. It's unbearable. I don't have air conditioning, and tonight I came home to find that the heat had killed four of my beloved Amano shrimp.

So let's talk about Heat Stroke, kids, just for a minute, until my brain figures out what it wants to write about.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, "Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency."

One of the tricky things about heat stroke is that symptoms may vary widely between individuals. However, some things to look for are the following:

* headache
* dizziness
* disorientation, agitation or confusion
* sluggishness or fatigue
* seizure
* hot, dry skin that is flushed but not sweaty
* a high body temperature
* loss of consciousness
* rapid heart beat
* hallucinations

Additionally, if you are a shrimp in my aquarium, you may experience reddening of your carapace, followed by rapid death. [sigh]

I had a job interview yesterday for a position having absolutely nothing to do with nursing. The questions of a.) why I wanted to be a nurse, b.) why I wanted to do tech support, and c.) how has it happened that I've had such a "diverse" work experience?

Good questions, all, and none of them terribly easy to answer within the confines of a job interview. The first one is probably of more interest to you than the others, and I'll try to keep it brief. As much as I keep saying, "I hate people," I really don't hate persons. There's a difference. As a group, as a species, I'm not overly fond of what people do. However, as individuals, I tend to like almost everyone I meet. In the emergency room, everything is terribly, terribly individual. It's all about what That Person Needs Right Now.

I can do that. I want to save the individuals.

Anyhow. It's time to get back into the habit of writing again, so that my poor, beleaguered editor at Experience doesn't have a stroke of her own sort.

Welcome to summer, folks; hope you brought your own A/C.

Miami Heat

This morning I woke up and forgot I was in Miami. Sometimes, just sometimes, I wish every morning could be like this. To be able to wake up to a different angle of the sun, to a brand new day, to an extraordinary day full of endless possibilities.

This morning I woke up and thought: "I want to travel for a living. I want to spend the rest of my life, on vacation." No, I haven't gone mad, I've just been working so hard for the past six months that I really needed a vacation. And just the thought of vacationing for a living? How could I resist?

So what's the first thing I did? Google it. Because that's what I do when I catch an unanswered question lingering in my head. I Google it and I find an answer. Luckily, I ran into Healthcare Traveler. I've always been a huge fan of Traveler magazine. I browse through it every single time I visit a bookstore and make mental notes of where I want to go and what I want to do with my life. Luckily, WE'VE GOT A SHOT! That's right, we, you and I, could be mobile allied healthcare professionals! You can't tell, but I'm actually jumping for joy right now. Want to play? Click here for travel opportunities and company profiles!

Who would've thought that I had to fly out to Miami to find the time to research about something I've always wondered about! But I'm here, and I did, and I'm glad I did.

Now, it's time to do what I really came here to do...
Think about absolutely nothing.