I interviewed for a DON type position in a local assisted living community last Friday, went in Monday to meet with the regional manager, and they called this afternoon to offer me the job. Which, of course, I gladly accepted, and I start tomorrow morning.
The pay is nowhere near what I was making at the hospital, but it's certainly not poverty level, and at any rate, the loss of income may very well be offset by what I'm sure will be increased well-being and NOT getting sick every few weeks. I've done this sort of work before, and I loved it; the only reason I left was the corporation I was working for was fairly new, and the pay, benefits, and working conditions left a lot to be desired. I had three buildings with a total of 160+ residents and only 10-15 hours a week in each one; here, I'll have 32 hours a week and only 42 residents in ONE building.
I think I can do this.
I hadn't expected to hear from these folks until Friday; they'd had several more interviews to do, but the administrator called this afternoon and told me that they'd wanted me from the start---"We thought your interviews went really, really well, and the staff and Corporate and I all thought you were the right one".
I'd had a good feeling about it all along, because from the moment I walked into that building, I'd felt like I was home.........the facility itself is sparkling, the residents are neat, clean, and they look happy and well cared for, the staff look like they're glad to be there, and there is a good amount of stability, with most staff members having been there at least 2-3 years. The nurse who is leaving has been there since the community opened 4 years ago, the administrator has been there for over 3 years, is my age and plans to stay there until he's ready to retire, and the lead medication aide worked for me years ago at my first ALF and she literally jumped for joy when she saw me Monday morning (I suspect she had at least something to do with my getting the job:chuckle ).
The only fly in the ointment that I can see at this point, other than the pay cut, is having to wait six months for health insurance; that's going to be tough, but I've heard there may be a way around this so I can get it in 3 months. With any luck, though, I might be able to stay healthy for long enough that I can stay OUT of the doctor's office until I do get insurance.......I hope, anyway!
So, I'm a working RN once again.......thank the Lord!! I've had a great vacation, but I'm well rested and rarin' to go.:roll I'll let y'all know tomorrow night how the first day goes.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
Thank you, my friends! :icon_hug:
I've got to admit, my head is still spinning at the swiftness with which things have changed. I mean, two months ago I was a burned-out, stressed-out, micro-managed pack mule passing as a nurse, who was so desperate for change that I walked away from $30 an hour and the most generous benefits package in the area. Now I'm Large And In Charge.........and suddenly that last job, with all of its soul-destroying, life-sapping negative energy, seems long ago and very, very far away.
:icon_hug: 
canoehead, BSN, RN
6,909 Posts
Hooray! I'm so happy for you.