The wait is over. At long last I know where I will be spending the next thirteen weeks and where I will be working. And not a moment too soon, I might add! The current contract is over at the end of the work day on Saturday, February 28th. That's right! Tomorrow!
It was not until this morning that I got the "all clear" with respect to a new contract. The outcome? I am staying here in Kingsport. I will be working another 13 weeks at the med center - on the unit I've been assigned to for the past six months. I am thrilled but I am also drained.
The "stuff" that went on over the past ten days or so has been incredibly exhausting. It started way before that ten days ago mark - as you, my friends and family readers, well know. I have been waiting for almost a month to get an answer from "the powers-that-be" regarding the possibility of an extension. Then, ten days ago, I was first told that I could extend my contract. Only to be told an hour or two later that while I could extend, I could only do so if I changed travel nursing companies or went to work for the hospital's staffing agency.
I've been with the same company for almost three years now. My recruiter has become a good friend and wonderful support in this travel RN business. But, the sad truth is that the company apparently could not compete with the larger mega-companies with respect to rates. It always comes down to the dollars and cents of the matter... that's CENTS not SENSE, mind you.
Instead of allowing me to stay on with the same company since I'm already in the building and have proven myself to be a worthy employee, I was given options that meant time, energy and money expended to recreate the necessary employee files, etc that are already in place there.... But, alas, it's about the cents not about what makes sense.
After a lot of heart-wrenching hours and even more soul-searching... and in light of the fact that the company I've been working for only has contracts in the northwest regions of the country right now, I had to give in to the med center's demands to change companies.
So, for the past ten days, I've been re-doing paperwork, drug screens, skills checklists, etc. I've been in jeopardy of having to move from the apartment I'm in but not knowing for certain if it will come to pass or not... Not wanting to use my days off to pack if it isn't necessary but at the same time not wanting to wait til the last minute to pack if it does become necessary, I've spent many sleepless nights and anxious days trying to get a straight answer from the housing agency. At last, yesterday I was told that I can stay where I am afterall.
I am thrilled to be staying here in Tennessee, to continue to work where I wanted to be, and to stay in the apartment I've lived in for the past several months. But for the next few days, as I begin the new contract under a new travel company, I will have to just work my three-in-a-row twelve hour shifts and hope that when next week's days off arrive, I can at last breathe a sigh of relief and take a break!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Playing the Waiting Game
Anyone who knows me knows that I do not play "the waiting game" very well. It isn't easy sitting back and waiting for others to put their ducks in a row so that you can do the same with yours! And when your ducks are your life and livelihood, it is quite frustrating to see the hours tick off the clock, the calendar pages fly by and the silence grow ever louder.
That is were I've been for the past few days: Trying to get answers from the powers that be as to whether I will be allowed to stay on here in TN or will need to move elsewhere. With less than two weeks left to my present contract (it ends February 28th) I am about ten days past nervous!
The negotiations continue. The contract extension has been offered and then rescinded, offered again and then given a particular stipulation that would be a deal maker or breaker. And then more negotiations. In this current economy, even health care jobs are becoming more difficult to secure. Hospitals, like families, are taking a good hard look at their budgets and trying to find ways to tighten their purse strings. There is still a nursing shortage but it appears as though facilities are opting to work the nurses that they have in their employ more and hire fewer into previously listed job openings.
This is just a phase, I know -- healthcare standards are, for the most part, set by the guidelines that drive Medicare reimbursements. Such guidelines are difficult to adhere to without adequate staffing to ensure quality patient outcomes. In the meantime, those of us who are working at the bedside persist in giving the best care that we can give to those who depend on us. Working short-staffed is frustrating to those of us who only know how to give 110% each and every shift. But I, for one, cannot allow it to change the way I practice my profession.
And so, with only four more twelve hour shifts left to this current contract, I enter into that gray area of not knowing... not knowing where I will be living come March 1st, where I will be working (or if I will be working) come March 1st, what my next assignment will entail. This is the down side of the travel nurse role. Each time the situation presents itself, I have to ask myself if I am really cut out for it. I know that I am cut out for the role of a flexible nurse who can jump in and do her job in almost any setting. What I don't know is if I can live with the uncertainty that the deadlines and contract end dates present.
I know that everything will work out -- eventually. It always does. There is always a Plan B and even a Plan C in the event that my first choice doesn't materialize. But, I'm forever reluctant to adopt B or C if A might still be a possibility. By this time next week, I will know what the future (at least the immediate future) holds but in the meantime, I am trying to learn to be a better player in this waiting game!
That is were I've been for the past few days: Trying to get answers from the powers that be as to whether I will be allowed to stay on here in TN or will need to move elsewhere. With less than two weeks left to my present contract (it ends February 28th) I am about ten days past nervous!
The negotiations continue. The contract extension has been offered and then rescinded, offered again and then given a particular stipulation that would be a deal maker or breaker. And then more negotiations. In this current economy, even health care jobs are becoming more difficult to secure. Hospitals, like families, are taking a good hard look at their budgets and trying to find ways to tighten their purse strings. There is still a nursing shortage but it appears as though facilities are opting to work the nurses that they have in their employ more and hire fewer into previously listed job openings.
This is just a phase, I know -- healthcare standards are, for the most part, set by the guidelines that drive Medicare reimbursements. Such guidelines are difficult to adhere to without adequate staffing to ensure quality patient outcomes. In the meantime, those of us who are working at the bedside persist in giving the best care that we can give to those who depend on us. Working short-staffed is frustrating to those of us who only know how to give 110% each and every shift. But I, for one, cannot allow it to change the way I practice my profession.
And so, with only four more twelve hour shifts left to this current contract, I enter into that gray area of not knowing... not knowing where I will be living come March 1st, where I will be working (or if I will be working) come March 1st, what my next assignment will entail. This is the down side of the travel nurse role. Each time the situation presents itself, I have to ask myself if I am really cut out for it. I know that I am cut out for the role of a flexible nurse who can jump in and do her job in almost any setting. What I don't know is if I can live with the uncertainty that the deadlines and contract end dates present.
I know that everything will work out -- eventually. It always does. There is always a Plan B and even a Plan C in the event that my first choice doesn't materialize. But, I'm forever reluctant to adopt B or C if A might still be a possibility. By this time next week, I will know what the future (at least the immediate future) holds but in the meantime, I am trying to learn to be a better player in this waiting game!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
Okay... while I can't give anyone a blow-by-blow account of what I did with the days, weeks and months that have passed between those 2007 posts and now, I can let my readers know what I am up to at this point in time... Because, afterall, some of you have inquiring minds - and inquiring minds want to know! Right?
Life is never dull - or so it seems. Sometimes I'd give anything for a few days of "dull" I think. But... dull doesn't happen around here.
I've had a thirteen week travel assignment in Williamsport, PA - in the middle of the winter of '08. What was I thinking by going that far north when the snow and temperatures are bound to be issues for someone who has lived more than half her life in southwest Florida?? !! But, I survived it and happily returned to what really feels like home to me now - northeast Tennessee - in May of '08. Since that time, I have had three thirteen week contracts in Johnson City, TN. The third (and current)one is due to end on February 28. And, while I have requested an extension, no decision has been made by the med center. So, I wait to see where I will spend the next three months. I recently mentioned to a friend that I may well be a nomad come March. She was quick to point out that on the up side of being a nomad, it makes for great fodder for future writing projects!
The time in Williamsport, PA allowed me to spend alot of quality time with my parents and my sister and her family. While there, I helped Daddy celebrate his 80th birthday. That was an especially treasured opportunity. All of the harsh winter weather issues vanished when spending days off with my family.
Back in northeast TN, I've been able to reunite with my knitting friends at Yarntiques. www.yarntiques.com And, of course, I've had that all important (and special) time with my grandson, Caleb. These are just a few of the reasons I'm really hoping that the current contract will be granted an extension.
Kitties Maggie and Callee continue to travel with me - Maggie travels much more gracefully than Callee; but they both go where I go.
The Florida contingent of the Ambrose family still keeps house and family run business going there. Despite the fact that there have been conversations about pulling up roots and relocating, there isn't much activity toward that end at this point. Hubby-dearest, Tim (aka "Lovie") visits occasionally and always delights in the pleasant and more moderate weather - but, being Florida born and raised, I'm fairly certain he'll never totally leave it behind.
And, as long as Tim and the family business are there, Mandy and her family will be there as well since my son-in-law works the family business with Tim.
When I am not working my twelve hour shifts, I can often be found at the knitting table sharing the friendship of women who enjoy the art of knitting at least as much as I do. Knitting and reading and writing continue to be my favorite pasttimes.
And, speaking of writing, I continue to be very active in the Story Circle Network. www.storycircle.org My role of Internet Chapter President keeps my busy - but it doesn't end with that. I love my writing circles (prose and poetry) and have found an especially rewarding calling in the work of writing weekly writing prompts for our SCN Internet Chapter members. These prompts are based on quotes by women - some familiar and some not so. Searching for the right quote and being on alert for some surprises along the way has become a daily practice. The "work" (but I wouldn't call it that because it is too much fun to be work) of creating these weekly prompts has led to another SCN sponsored activity -- being a contributor to the TellingHerStories Blog. So, if you have some time on your hands, why not jump on over to that blog spot and check out the entries by many of our SCN members. I think you'll be amazed at the quality and variety that lives there. You can find it here: http://storycircle.typepad.com/scn/ .
Now that you've had the "Cliff Notes version" of the past many months, it's time to begin looking forward... So, until the next post, I hope that your inquiring minds are at least partially satisfied now that you know where I've been and what I've been up to during my absence from creative4seasons.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
HerStories Memoir Challenge
Have you heard about the HerStories Memoir Challenge? Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about Story Circle Network. The HerStories Memoir Challenge is a new and exciting facet to Story Circle Network's many opportunities.
It's simple, really.... read 4 memoirs in the first 4 months of 2009, post a 4 sentence review to the challenge site... be entered to win prizes! (and join a growing network of women in the process.)
Now, granted, it is mid-February and I am just getting the word out to those of you who are not on the SCN mailing list already. But there's still time! To learn more about the challenge and how you can join in the fun, go to http://storycircle.typepad.com/challenge .
And for the record, here are the four memoirs I am reading and reviewing for the challenge:
Growing Up Amish: Insider Secrets from One Woman's Inspirational Journey by Anna Dee Olson
The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton
The Two Kinds of Decay a memoir
by Sarah Manguso
Stretching Lessons: The Daring that Starts from Within
by Sue Bender
(of course we ARE only half way through this challenge period so my reading / reviewing selections are subject to change at any given time)
What four memoirs are you going to read between now and the end of April '09?
Hello Old Friend, Hello
I'm not sure what caused me to choose tonight as the time to return to creative4seasons. I mean, it's been AGES since I've posted anything here! There have been times over the past many monnths that I've chastised myself for not keeping up with it. There have been other times when I've wondered just what it would take for me to pick it back up again.
I knew that it had been a long time since I'd last made an entry on this blog site. I actually had almost convinced myself that it had been so long that I wouldn't be able to access it myself! But, with a click or two on the keyboard, here I am! I've taken a stroll through the blog posts that chronicle a very important touch point in my life -- the days and weeks surrounding my decision to leave Florida and move to Tennessee.
As I gaze at the aesthetics of this blog I find myself thinking that there is much work to be done to bring it -- and you, dear readers, up to speed with where I am now... Oh, I'm still in Tennessee but I've been here and there and back again since I last made a post. Life has done its many ups and downs without so much as one single blog post. But that just means that there is much to tell here in the days and weeks to come.
And, so, to creative4seasons the blog, "hello old friend, hello." And to you my readers, an even bigger "hello dear friends, hello." I hope that you will once again place my blog on your list to watch. And, I hope that this time I will not disappoint you by disappearing into thin air one day and staying gone for one heck of a long time!
During the next few days, I hope to give the blog a facelift. So be sure to check back for new entries and a whole new look! I look forward to seeing your footprints all over my blog in the days, weeks and months to come.
Lee
I knew that it had been a long time since I'd last made an entry on this blog site. I actually had almost convinced myself that it had been so long that I wouldn't be able to access it myself! But, with a click or two on the keyboard, here I am! I've taken a stroll through the blog posts that chronicle a very important touch point in my life -- the days and weeks surrounding my decision to leave Florida and move to Tennessee.
As I gaze at the aesthetics of this blog I find myself thinking that there is much work to be done to bring it -- and you, dear readers, up to speed with where I am now... Oh, I'm still in Tennessee but I've been here and there and back again since I last made a post. Life has done its many ups and downs without so much as one single blog post. But that just means that there is much to tell here in the days and weeks to come.
And, so, to creative4seasons the blog, "hello old friend, hello." And to you my readers, an even bigger "hello dear friends, hello." I hope that you will once again place my blog on your list to watch. And, I hope that this time I will not disappoint you by disappearing into thin air one day and staying gone for one heck of a long time!
During the next few days, I hope to give the blog a facelift. So be sure to check back for new entries and a whole new look! I look forward to seeing your footprints all over my blog in the days, weeks and months to come.
Lee
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