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November 23, 2005

THANKSGIVING

I spent last Thanksgiving questioning my decision to retire. This Thanksgiving, I am going to revel in it. I have SO much to be thankful for this year. All the pieces of the puzzle have come together (only one left!).

I had an interview with the local community health clinic. I had been told that there were two nursing positions open. That wasn’t true. They were hiring dental assistants. However, the manager said, "I do have two positions coming open that I have to advertise (by law) for nurses". So she decided to get ahead of the game and interview me before she listed them. What did I interview for? Clinic nurse with a heavy slice of risk management. I am sure that giggling in an interview is a no no, so I quickly explained that I just left a position as a risk manager. By the end of the interview, I felt like I had made a friend and landed a job. She then asked me what I wanted for salary. Ugh. I truly hate this question. The home health job had already shocked me (about ten bucks under national average) and made me realize that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore, Toto. So, I told her that I didn’t expect to make anywhere near my Navy salary and told her what the home health job had offered. She then said that they would be offering LESS than that, a full thirteen bucks below national average. One thing that I had already decided (to justify the pay cut with the home health job) is that this area has a much lower cost of living and furthermore, working at the clinic would significantly cut my travel time/expense and childcare costs. This would make up the difference. So Monday, the clinic manager called back to offer me the job and to tell me that they would match the other job’s salary offer! Wahoo! I am happy. Let me count the ways: No more on call, no more driving thirty minutes one way, no more nights, no more weekends, no more ten or twelve hour days, all holidays off… Oh my, I am extremely happy. AND I get to keep doing risk management and dabbling in patient care. I told her all about my love for patient education and she said that she may end up sliding some of that my way depending on how busy I was with the other stuff. The icing on the cake? My nurse friends will love this: they dumped JCAHO after their last inspection last year. Can you imagine? Risk management without all the bullshit regulations and make work junk.

I opened up the yellow pages and the first preschool I called turned out to be such a cool program. So Seth is now enrolled in daycare/preschool for the first time in his life. We are going to test the waters tomorrow by dropping him there for two hours while I run errands. I know that he will love it.

So happy.

I have put a ton of pictures in the Gallery – click here.

p.s. I don't know why my blog will not allow folks to add their names to the mailing list. If you want me to add you for notifications just send an email to dlcodding*at*yahoo.com (fix the middle part of that of course).

p.p.s. Those kind souls that are EXPECTING an email back from me - I promise to respond soon (no, really, I promise).

p.p.p.s. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Posted by DebC at November 23, 2005 4:57 AM

Comments

Posted by: Kim at November 23, 2005 8:19 AM

Posted by: Angel at November 23, 2005 1:04 PM

Posted by: Mary at November 25, 2005 12:38 PM

Posted by: mary Lou at November 29, 2005 2:05 AM

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