All Work And No Play

The last week and half has been pretty insane.  Last Monday I found out that a travel job I had applied for required a certification that I didn't have.  I had applied 6 weeks prior to finding this out and was more than irritated that this wasn't brought to my attention earlier.  The certification is not one that is offered frequently in any particular city.  Although it was probably too late for this particular job, I did a quick search to try to find a class anywhere near me, so this certification wouldn't continue to haunt me.  My two options were a class in Dover, NH conveniently only about an hour and 15 minutes away, but unfortunately going to be held on Wednesday and Thursday... just two days away AND I was scheduled to work both days, OR there was a class in New Jersey in a couple weeks that I would be off work for, but it was 5 1/2 hours away and would require two nights in a hotel.  I really didn't want to invest 11 hours in a car and two nights stay in a hotel in the middle of Jersey for a certification for a job I probably wouldn't get anyway.  Thankfully, a miracle happened and my co-workers pulled through for me.  I switched my friend Janice my Wednesday for her Tuesday and spent Tuesday at work sweet talking my friend Karin into switching my Friday for her Thursday.  YAY!!!  All that switching however,  put me working/in class for 7 days straight.  After all that I got one day off and then was back on for one more, which was icing on the cake of my exhaustion.  I am now enjoying three very much earned/needed days off.

The class that I took was great!  For those that are wondering it was AWHONN Intermediate Fetal Monitoring.  I took it at a hospital in Dover, NH with about 8 of their nurses.  It was really interesting to hear a lot about how they do things in their hospital, as obviously a lot of the conversation turned to their experiences.  At one point I did however have to be "that girl" that requested that we get back to the class material... What?!?  I didn't want to stay late to hear about how the nursery wasn't getting adequately notified about deliveries!!  Same story, different hospital.  :)  Anyway, a lot of the information I already knew, but it's always good to get a refresher.  More and more I'm learning how much research is evolving the way we do things in healthcare and it is so important to stay on top of it.  Where ever I end up in my next permanent job I'm setting a high priority on the hospital being very active in the continuing education of it's nurses.  I'm talking classes, conferences, lunch & learns, etc.  I want it to be an expectation, not something you just do on your own.  Yes, I've taken myself to conferences on my own, and I have no problem doing that, but it's different when the place you work for is on board with what you are learning. 

I'm not planning anything too exciting for my three days off.  Today I worked out and filled the fridge which had become baren.  Then continued my "recovery" from my long stretch of work.  It's also been raining and gloomy for the great majority of the past two weeks.  There might have been one nice day, but I was definitely stuck inside.  Friday and Saturday are supposed to be nice, so I'm sure I'll find something to do outdoors.  Saturday night is Game 7 for the Caps vs Rangers in the Stanley Cup Semifinals.  I am really looking forward to watching, and I really hope the Caps can win in regulation time as I have to work Sunday morning and 3 OTs don't really bode well for me and my 5am wake up call.  Honestly though, I don't really care how long it takes if they end up with the W!

May is super packed between now and my last shift.  I get to see my friend Samantha from DC here while she is visiting family, Brian (my brother) comes in 10 days, and my last day of work is in 20 days.  Time is going fast, but I'm happy.  I love it here, but I am so anxious to get home.  I haven't seen my family since Thanksgiving.  I feel like I'm just in a holding pattern at this point, just waiting for the next step.  I don't really like that.  That part of it makes me want to just go for a permanent job, but I think a travel assignment is the best thing if I can get one in Minneapolis.  We'll see.  Nothing in the works for right now.