Wrongway Regional Medical Center (WRMC) has a reputation for having a high staff turnover. Recently there has been a mass exodus of staff, including a lot of RNs.
I work Psych and my wife Belinda works Med-Surge. Belinda recently noted that there were openings in Psych and Medical in our hometown at Anomaly Memorial Hospital (AMH), so we both applied. Belinda was told at her first interview that she was "a Godsend" and they couldn't wait to show me to the exit.
Belinda got and accepted the position, and I was depressed for about a half an hour when informed that the Psych position went to another candidate. I was extremely happy for Belinda, believing she will be working at a real hospital where her skills can be appreciated. She will take a slight cut in pay, but will have better benefits and a shorter commute. I was happy for myself, as I would have had had to take nearly a $10 an hour cut in pay at AMH.
I was also happy because I am generally comfortable working at WRMC. As much as AMH is a real hospital, WRMC is, in Belinda's term, a grunge hospital. I feel a certain amount of comfort in dealing with the nonsense and chaos, I feel like an eagle in a flock of turkeys.
However, if I went to AMH, I believe would feel like the turkey in a convocation of eagles and I'd have to learn new "stuff". So I'm kind of content in being a complacent stick-in-the-mud.
So- how about you old dogs- or COBs: Have you, in your golden years, began a new position in a different facility, or had to learn new tricks?
Did your transition go smoothly? Or were you like an old dog learning new tricks, where you could learn new tricks, it just took a longer amount of time than when you were younger?
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
Why aren't you doing cartoons online, or in the newspaper (remember those???).
You're funny as hell!
Hell is funny? What a concept1
ACT-SHOO-ALL-LEE, 3ring, I've had several of my comics published in both local and national rags. Made some money and won a few contests. I was heavily into the Public Art Thing from 1995 to 2003. I did street cartooning, art shows, murals, etc. I had my last public art show in June 2003. I hung up my guns when Art became more work than pleasure.
I came out of retirement to do a mural for a production of "To Kill a Mockingbird" a few years ago and a the Owner of a local Health Food Store recently asked me if I'd be interested in painting a couple of murals on her business.
The vast majority is now done for pleasure and AN.com is a great place to express myself because it combines two of my loves: Art and Nursing.
Since you asked, I thought I'd include a few Comics from the past. This is my first professional comic I did in 1964 at the age of seven. My Mom sent one of my drawings into a magazine and I made $10! ($100,000 by today's standards.)
This, I believe, was my first professional Comic as an Adult:
Wow, 3ring: "retirement in 2004... thinking I would soon be dead" Wow.
YOU aren't good enough for THEM?
I believe that wins the polished turd award (as they are not good enough for you!).
(((Incidentally, I believe the place you interviewed also gives out these at retirement - it is also a polished turd award of a different type - the ball is an actual polished turd)))
{{{ Incidentally #2: I think you would be a riot to work with - although I think we would feed off of each others needs for juvenile pranks, and probably be in the dog house a lot!}}}
Thought I'd chime in here about change. I spent 30 years working in the same hospital with 27 of it as an LPN before I went back to school and became an RN. The past few years a lot of things changed in the hospital and I found myself unable to get off the unit I worked on. I finally bit the bullet and applied for a job in another town. I now work in an outpatient endoscopy center. What a huge adjustment with going from knowing pretty much everything about the unit I was on to working in GI which was never something I had done much of. I was scared to death but after >6 months at my new job, I totally love it! It was a great move (plus having weekends and holidays off is something I'd never experienced). Good luck to you Davey Do in whatever you decide but just know change can be just the thing you need.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
I spent 30 years working in the same hospital with 27 of it as an LPN before I went back to school and became an RN. I finally bit the bullet and applied for a job in another town.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
I had been trying for YEARS to get on at this place. I would return to my previous position but my tail is too short to tuck and if I dropped down to my knees to crawl back, there'd be no way I'd ever get up off the floor.
My heart goes out to you, BSNbeDone. The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence until we find out the grass was growing over Erma Bombeck's septic tank!
In 34 years of working as a Nurse, I have worked in over a dozen facilities and it's generally been the same stuff/different place. Belinda is being realistic about AMH being Shangri La. She knows if it doesn't work out, she can always go back to Wrongway.
Going through the process of applying elsewhere has given me a new perspective- I work for money, Wrongway isn't a terrible place to work, and I love my Coworkers and Patients, so it's good.
An Ortho Surgeon once told me that the worst enemy of good is better. I f we try to improve on a good situation, we can always make the situation not so good.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
My advice to you is, it's time to move on before you get so far behind in your psych skills that you won't be able to climb out of your rut if you want to.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
until we got new leadership (which has been a godsend, honestly), my hospital could have been Wrongway North. But the people here are pretty awesome, so I've stayed - ended up being glad I stuck it out, but there was a solid year where I just couldn't be bothered to deal with job searching and my attachment to my coworkers won out.
That's great, Audrey Smagic! You rode the storm out!
In nearly 15 years at Wrongway, things have gotten steadily worse, but your post gives me some hope!
Now that is adorable! (((I need a head set under my nursing cap - maybe some canned circus music playing off key too in the background too)))
It's less glamorous than even that - "My baby hasn't pooped all day ... Should I take him/her to the ER?!?".
Ummm, yes. I mean NO!!! I'm sure we can uncork the little tyke ourselves ...
And frankly, this nursing job is the best nursing job I ever had - I love my boss, I trust my coworkers to watch my back when things go sideways, the pay is awesome, and I can work in my jammies. Other than my volunteer nursing job I did while on medical disability retirement to keep my nursing license active (which paid nothing at all). Maybe that is the key to happiness right there?
Work a job you love + while getting paid nothing = unrequited joy in life?
Now, if I could only get my bill paying figured out while working and making nothing for said bliss I'd have life all figured out - neat & tidy?
I'm a crusty, old codger - but I'm still trying to figure life out (which is embarrassing, getting a 2nd chance and all you'd think I'd have a plan of action).
Davey Do
10,666 Posts
Thanks, pixierose. I had a few strikes against me.
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