I'll see you in the ICU!

YAHOOOOOOOO!!!!

I just got off the phone with someone from UCSF, I have an interview tomorrow!!!

YEEEE HAAAAAAA!!

I work tonight, so I will have to leave work, find a bathroom on the first floor, change clothes quickly, drive over to UCSF and apply my face in the car with whatever time is left (adjustable makeup, can put on minimum or do a good job--after this many years, you learn a few things)

So, I could very easily have a new job before the end of the year, if they let me know at the interview (as this place did.) The thing is, I'd like to be able to give notice BEFORE starting those courses they signed me up for in January (the 4th!) so as to be fair and allow them to get a refund. I could be a bitch and let them pay for that training, get paid while going to the classes, and THEN quit, but I'm a nice gal...I want to be fair. I could easily milk another few thousand bucks out of them by working right up until UCSF would want me, around when they'd be expecting I'd be off orientation, but they're going to extend me until these classes are over.

Oh, my nurse manager is going to be PISSED.

The sad thing is, they're so short staffed. Last night, a day person was working nights and having a rough time staying awake, and in the morning an evening person came in during the days when she's normally there in the late afternoon/evening...and I heard our charge nurse went to work a night shift two nights ago because someone called in sick.

We have two people out sick, one pregnant and sick, and another person just quit (whom I liked but everyone else hated) and a traveler that's leaving (whom they also said they hate, but to her face they're nice) so...I'm sure no one will shed any tears when I leave. Sadly, now, I'm in good with the night crew and they've been very nice to me--the bottom line is I haven't learned any acute care. And THAT is what is driving me to leave. UCSF has an AWESOME program, sort of like what I left at Columbia--classroom-wise, so it's more class plus clinical. At this hospital, I've learned only bedside skills--how to change an IV tubing, what amount of days the tubings are good for, how to draw labs, placing an IV, trach care, etc. People stay at this place because it's easy; because it's a good paying job and for an ICU it's not so bad, but this is exactly what you don't want as preparation for anesthesia...you want to have busy, acute, very sick unstable patients, and only THEN are you ready to start learning about anesthesia. (or so I hear)

The thing is, this would automaticallly put me out of the running for returning to Columbia 2008 in the Fall, as I would have to agree to working at least a year. But the training is so good, I wouldn't mind. I'd almost fear going back without the training...anesthesia is no joke--if I know jack shit about acute care, there's no way I can fake my way thru--nor would I want to. This place keeps telling me it will come with time, but my experience is that it's better to get classroom type teaching, rather than throw me at it and learn as I go teaching.

They don't love me here, and I'm not pulling my weight, but they're hoping I will start soon...

Oh, and I've been like the UN in translational services for them. Besides using my Spanish daily, we had a patient last night who is a tourist from Italy and doesn't speak a word of English. Poor thing--he put his asthma meds in his checked bag and they lost it, so he had a massive asthma attack and ended up in our ICU. So after ten plus years, I got to brush off some Italian and boy have I forgotten a ton.

Maybe in the next week a deaf patient will come in and I'll be able to try my hand at ASL again (pardon the pun)

Alrighty, kids. I'm excited about this interview tomorrow--wish me luck!!!
:D

posted by sketchmonkey @ 9:51 AM