Well I can tell you life happens, and blogging gets put on the back burner. Especially a blog about being a PICU Nurse Practitioner, which I still am at heart, but not currently employed : )
Since our move down south last year, I was thoroughly enjoying my time at home with Isabella. My initial plan was to be a stay at home mom for 6 months and then go back. But 6 months came and went so fast. We were buying a new house and moving when she was 6 months.
So then I thought, ok, let's give it a month or 2 so we can get settled in. Who wants to have a 6 month old, unpack a ton of boxes, furnish a new house, and just get organized all while starting a new job!? But after a month or two of settling in, I will be super ready to find something part time! So over the next couple weeks I applied to 3 positions.
The first job was the one I felt very excited about! It was a part time, 20 hour a week (2 ten hour shifts) job through the children's hospital down here called a Fertility Preservation Practitioner. It was no nights, no weekends, no holidays, no on call! Schedule heaven!! But even more, I loved the idea that I was still able to work with adolescents and young adults and also be able to combine my experience and passion for fertility help.
However, HR said that it was a brand new position, and it would take several months to get some details together. Umm, hello, ok...so why post the position now!?.
Anyways, in the meantime, I applied for an urgent care position that was also part time and about 15 minutes from my house. Although it was some off hours and some weekends, I was ok with that b/c I think that Urgent Care would be interesting, or at least more interesting than some specialty clinic positions that were available.
BUT then HR called back the very next day saying "Thank you for your application. We have filled the position within 24 hours with an internal candidate. Thanks for your interest and please apply again!"
Ugh, the technicalities/legalities of job postings is crazy. If you have a person to fill the job, why waste anyone else's time in the application process if you know you aren't even going to consider them!?
But then, a second urgent care position opened up, once again part time and about 30 minutes from my hose. And once again, it was filled internally.
I found out a few days later that they were removing the Fertility Preservation Practitioner position for now because they couldn't get together all the logistics of the position at this time, but it was something they were hopeful about for the future.
So strike 3, I'm out : )
No seriously, I was out of the job hunt market, at least for now. Not just because those 3 jobs fell through, but mostly because....
I found out I was pregnant!!!
It was a big surprise b/c with all of our fertility issues before, we didn't think we'd get pregnant so easily and effortlessly...ever! But it happened and we couldn't be more thrilled. I am almost 19 weeks and just chuggin' right along.
So in the last couple months I have looked a couple times just to see what was out there. I felt like if something was truly exciting or seemed like a great opportunity I would apply. But since I was told it takes 3-4 months to get into the hospital, get fully credentialed and privileged, at this point it doesn't make sense to start a new job that I could potentially be at for a month or so, then need to go on maternity leave.
So I continue to be a PICU nurse practitioner...at heart, at home : )
It's definitely not the life turns that I would have expected for myself, but I am truly happy.
I try to stay on top of some journals so I don't lose all knowledge completely. Plus there is still our Noise Study publication that we are (forever!) working on, so at least I am still involved with some of my PICU colleagues which makes me feel connected.
And regardless of what happens with my career next year, I look forward to what that will bring. I may not (most likely will not) be in the PICU anymore. Perhaps I will find something in a specialty that rounds in the PICU on their patients, but the likelihood of finding a part time, no night shift PICU postion down here is impossible (as in, they don't exist, b/c all their PICU practitioners do nights).
Until that time comes though, I will continue to enjoy being at home with my 1 year old, and embracing the fact that as sick as I have been with this pregnancy, I didn't have to throw up in a nasty old hospital toilet...that can be done in the comfort of my own home this time : ) Some things are just far better done outside the PICU!
