The Next Chapter

It's been a wonderful experience, but I'm ready to move on to the next chapter. In my 5 years in home care, I've seen alot of things. I've gotten to know alot of wonderful people: grandparents, parents, children, other nurses, and the staffing coordinators worked diligently to ensure that families didn't go without a nurse for the day/night. I've also seen a lot of not so nice things: dilapidated and dirty homes, homes with rats, mice, cockroaches, and a myriad of other unwelcome critters, neglected children and their stoned parents, shootings outside the child's bedroom, drug deals, unwanted sexual advances from fathers.....the list goes on much longer than I have time to type. But those things came with the territory. Children with medical needs come from all walks of life, but they all have one thing in common: They all depend on someone to provide them with the love and care that they need.

I gave my employer over a month's notice. Telling all my clients that I was leaving was the hardest thing I had to do. Most were upset I was leaving. There were a few families that I didn't think would mind so much but surprised me the most by their level of disappointment and fear that I was no longer going to be their clinical manager. I reassured everybody the best that I could and hugged everyone one last time. I will miss them all.

The job interview went well. Very well. I interviewed them as much as they did me. I toured the unit. Spoke with a few nurses that worked there. Overall, I had such a positive vibe when I left the hospital. It was less than a week later that I got the phone call and official offer of employment. It's a small critical care unit in a small town hospital. I will be driving about an hour every day to get to work, but it will be worth it. Even though I'm not a new nurse, I'm new to acute care and they will be giving me 6-8 months of orientation before I'm expected to function without my preceptor.

I'm ready and looking forward to my new career as a critical care nurse!