As I write this, lounging in my jammies at a quarter-to-one in the afternoon, I'm reflecting on my nursing career and recent decision to remain in the ER. Weighing this decision against the knot in my neck, vague belly pain, and recently recovered migraine from last night, my better judgment screams against it. However, compared to the interview I had with oncology, these aches and pains are a walk in the park.
Maybe it was the way the unit manager described the "oncology" floor: it's an oncology unit, with outpatient radiology and inpatient/outpatient chemo, coupled with short-to-long term stays for cancer patients for a myriad of reasons. Of course--here's my favorite part--"we are a general medical overflow, and we get all of the recovery patients from ENT surgeries, and a lot of ortho surgical patients..." My enthusiasm for the interview effectively dropped to a negative number at this point.
If I wanted to suffer a mundane, over-worked, underpaid floor position, there are 8 other floors I could have applied on. And I don't think that the 1:6 nurse to patient ratio, or the fact that the only position I could get was a 19-07, made the offer any more attractive. So, instead of embarking on a brand new venture in the pseudo-oncology world, I decided to stay the course in a full-time 19-07 position in my comfort zone.
The way I see it, I would rather do a night shift with people I already know, respect, and can count on, instead of trying to muddle my way through learning a new way of nursing all on my own. At least I know that there is an unspoken vein of commisseration in my cozy little world....and it validates my adrenaline-junkie status.
So, my new goal is to get my CEN by this time next year, and try to further my understanding of emergency medicine, since it is painfully obvious that this is where I'm going to stay. And I'm going to stop looking at that green grass on the other side of the fence, because I get tired of posting on my latest career venture. From the mouth of a very wise man: "let's just accept the fact that you're going to stay in the ED, quit fighting it, and move forward." One foot in front of the other. (Thank you, my love.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
You've made a strong effort to challenge yourself in other areas of nursing, but it comes down to the honest belief I have that what you're doing now will bring you the most satisfaction, personal reward, and happiness in your career. Even with the headaches of the field how could I argue against that?
I have faith in you and you won't be walking this path alone. :)
I'm thrilled you're staying - you are a fabulous ER nurse and I can't see much advantage to that Onc baloney except maybe a better view... And I'm even more thrilled to see that you've decided to come over to the dark side (we have cookies). Love ya!
Hopefully she brings some of those cookies home....... ;)
Post a Comment