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Reflections
I planned to provide an update since leaving travel nursing, but realized when I logged in today that I really left a cliff hanger for everyone. Did I really only post two articles relating to the last assignment? I will admit that it was an assignment that was less than optimal (reading the last post…
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The Southwest (Chapter 2)
I continue to work night shifts at a pace that I have not done in years. The continuous flip-flop back and forth between days and nights, along with the challenge of a leadership role, and initiating positive change in this environment has got me feeling slightly disoriented. I have moments of unexplained vertigo and full…
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The Southwest (Chapter 1)
I have now been here for a week, and I have already had to work two night shifts on the floor as a charge nurse (there are 4 more night shifts and a day shift that are not covered this coming week). I accepted this position as the Interim Director of Nursing, but can see…
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Intermission V
Saying goodbye was unique this time. I had slipped up and informed the administrator that driving out of the parking lot for the last time was always the hardest part. When it came time for me to exit the facility for the very last time, I was surprised to find the entire staff waiting at…
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New England (Chapter 10)
My anxiety is high right now. It gets like this sometimes at the end of an assignment. I’m having trouble sleeping. It’s nights like these that random thoughts plague me, some rational, some irrational- Taxes, determining arrival date to my next assignment, needing to get a drug screen, the rain gutter that was clogged when…
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New England (Chapter 9)
I can’t make biscuits. I have tried many times over the years without success. I can bake bread and pies, though. People request my pies just so that they can eat the crust alone. It makes no sense that I can’t conquer biscuits, but trust me, one batch of biscuits that I made were not…
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New England (Chapter 8)
It is hard to believe that I am winding down this assignment. Time seems to pass quicker when you don’t want something to end. That is how it is right now. I don’t know that I will miss the location, but I will certainly miss my coworkers. Time also passes quickly when you are trying…
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New England (Chapter 7)
It is a tradition here to have a “camp”. These camps are cabins that are located in remote areas and do not usually have electricity or running water. They can vary in their primitive nature and are usually located on a body of water. Some of them have been in the families for generations. If…
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New England (Chapter 6)
It…..is…..so…..HOT here! When I found this apartment, I knew that it did not have air conditioning. My thoughts were that it would be just fine. I mean, I grew up in Texas. As a child, we rarely used the air conditioner. We had an attic fan, which at night cooled the house, but during the…
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New England (Chapter 5)
I have a renewed fascination with Six Sigma. Data analysis has always been something that interests me, so it should be no surprise that I am filled with wonder and delight over Six Sigma. If you are not familiar with it, Six Sigma is a set of methodologies and tools used to reduce defects and errors,…
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New England (Chapter 4)
I can’t believe I have now been here for a month! Time is flying by. We are settling in. I located a groomer for Wookie. He will have his first haircut here tomorrow. We made a few exploratory visits this past week via scenic road trips. The weather has been difficult, but we have persevered.…
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New England (Chapter 3)
One of the challenges of living in a new area is learning the network of roads and streets. Here, you can add the challenge of circular intersections, also called roundabouts. These do not typically exist in Texas and I have had very little experience with them. I find them confusing and intimidating. My usual reaction…
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New England (Chapter 2)
I developed an angry rash on my forearm this week. I had no idea what it was from and I didn’t have any hydrocortisone cream on hand, it is just another item that I have discovered that I’m without since I am not living in my camper. I was told that it is from a…
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New England (Chapter 1)
We arrived safely to our destination and we have spent the last week learning our new environment and adjusting. We do not have a washer/dryer in our furnished apartment -this I will miss immensely (I have mentioned the obsession that I have with my washer in a previous post). The sun rises here at 0430…
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The Long, Long, Very Long Roadtrip
It didn’t take long to find another travel role. I am excited to announce that we will be going to New England! We have visited there once, but now we will have the opportunity to live there and fully explore the area. It is a long, long, very long drive (36 hours to be exact).…
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On The Road Again?
I took the time that was needed to assess my current situation. I was able to determine that there is a disconnect between words and actions in this organization and a desperate need for them to maintain control and engage in micromanagement. Clinical decisions have continued to be made by operational leaders without clinical input,…
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Seeking Clarity
To say that being home has been a struggle is an understatement. Adjusting has been difficult financially, physically, and emotionally. Financially because I took a pretty big cut in pay to find a job at home and because all of my income is now taxable instead of being supplemented by stipends; Physically because I had…
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Is This Really The End?
I took this picture of a water puddle yesterday morning. I had to fight the dogs off of it so that I could capture it before they crushed it’s beauty (they always get in the middle of everything that I do). The joys of having pups that want to be helpful. I am packing up…
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The Great Plains (Chapter 8)
The temperatures finally got above freezing today. My plan was to work a shorter day so that I could get to the camper and dump all the tanks and open the shades to let the sunshine in. That didn’t happen for two reasons…. My first priority was to try to get the flooding stopped (the guest…
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The Great Plains (Chapter 7)
I should probably provide a warning that the contents in this chapter could be labeled as a “rant”. We survived the blizzard conditions from last week. I can say that a tiny part of it was magical. We took the dogs out for a walk at night while it was actively snowing. They loved it!…