I love my job!

Work has been extremely frustrating for me for the past few months. As a registered nurse there are many options for me even within one institution, but lately I have felt at times like my options were running out. The basic concept of a registry nurse (which is the position I currently hold) is that I fill in the holes on the schedule after ther full/part time staff has made their schedules. On most days of the year, this works out great. The major benefits of this job are a higher rate of pay and total flexibility. Both things that are really nice. The down fall of this position comes when there is a run of low census, or low patient volume days. In this case, there is less staff needed per shift and the registry staff always gets canceled first. For the majority of the summer until current, there has been a record low census and I have had extremely cut back hours. It has really been a frustration both to my psyche- never knowing if I will work or not, and to our budget.

After some inititive with managment I was able to gain some hours elsewhere in the hospital. I have to say that this is one of the best things that's happened to me. Both my mom and my mother-in-law (both nurses) told me that floating (working in a unit other than my home unit) would be really good for me cause I would learn a lot about the other floor and be more versitile. They were right. My mom related it to being like a utility player for a baseball team. Those players never get released cause they can offer a lot of options to a team. I feel like I'm becoming a utility player for the hospital. So, for as frustrating as it's been, I guess as been equally as good to float to other units more than I've worked on my own for the past few months.

Good news! At my mid-year eval today my manager let me know of a FTE (full time equiv.) position that was opening up and offered it to me knowing that I wanted more assurance of hours to work. I'm really thinking that I might take it. Though I would lose a little in pay and my total flexibility, the extra money would be helpful as well as a much easier time mentally. The challenge will definitely be with the idea of either working every weekend or finding someone to watch the kids a couple days a month so that I can work some during the week.
I am encouraged cause I think I have some options there.

Bottom line: Rush-Copley has been very good to me through this hard time. They are not in control of the census fluctuation and upon my inititive, they have done a lot to try to be accomodating and getting me hours. Hence the title of this blog: I love my job!