Jumping Through Hoops, Hoops and More Hoops

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!