And I was about to give up.

Today is a mixed bag of emotions for me with relations to work. And it has to do with the fact that I have never, ever been in this sort of situation before. Now this should be a good thing. I should be excited. I should be celebrating. But How do you tell your first employer - how just offered to take you on full time (40 hours a week with 100% coverage for medical and dental for the whole family) that your dream employer with the better career options just hired you.....today?

I have been talking to Viha (the dream employer) ever since my I started my first job in my profession. I sent out the resumes at the same time and I took the first job offered to me. But behind the backs of my first employer, that I like working for.... I have been talking to Viha. Talks stopped. Talks resumed. An interview happened. References been checked. And when I think that things have come to a stand still once more with VIHA, my first employer offered me a full time "Night" shift. With all the trimmings. Like one big turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Here is the funny part. When my first employer told my about the opening behind the DOC's back, The "DOC" (director of care) told me that I could not have the position because no one had responded to the offer. I didn't know about the position because the week it was posted, I was unable to work. So protocol needed to followed. The Nursing home had to hire out side of the Causal list and if that person who has been interviewed says "NO" to the job, then the job was mine. Sooooo I did not think to much about the full time postion. It was just a happy thought that one of directors had put the offer out there to me, personally, not knowing that there had already been an interview sit up with an out side person. It was just nice to know that as an employee, I was valued and thought of to be asked if I wanted the position.


Yesterday, I got word that the "out side person" declined the job. Work called and said the job was mine and I could start my new position next Monday. I was soooo excited. it was all I could do not to talk about it so much last night with my family.

Then VIHA called. This Morning. I am Hired says the voice on the other end of the phone. I jumped for joy, I was in all the since of the word "idiot" on the phone when I was asked if there was any reason why I should not have the job. I said and I quote: "I am a....very, very, good person and I am good for the job!"

So here I am at a cross roads with employers. What a scary wonderful feeling. I like where I work know. But with Viha..... A whole bunch of doors just opened. New opportunities. New learning of new skill sets. I get to practice my trade to its full scope. As where I am now. I don't. I am truly excited.

Was It Becuase of the Full Moon?

This entry is dedicated to work. I will not mention names of the residents and fellow co-workers do privacy issues. The Nurse will be called "Nurse", Residents will be called "So and So" (more then one residents are "So's and So's" and the other RCA is "Partner."

Last night started as any shift would. The difference is that this is not the shift that I normally work. This shift was the evening shift. 2:30 - 10:30. I walked to the nurses station, meet up with the day staff and received report. So and So did this, So and So did that and So's and So's are to be showered. So and so had received Adavan do to more then normal combative behavior. But what was really interesting about report that there were a lot of So's and So's that were unusually aggressive. So and So had hit So and So. So and So and another So and So had argued and needed to separated during lunch. A combination for a very interesting shift - and it was.

I found my partner. We agreed on the our sections. She got down stares and I got upstairs. I asked for tips and advice on who I should start first and who should I end with. And off we went. As the hours came and went nothing out of the norm happened. It was all straight for word work. It was after supper that things started to go nuts.

I had my 1/2 hour break and went back to my section. As soon as my foot entered my section I heard the nurse calling. "JM, JM I need your help. You will not believe what So and So just did. She flooded her room!" I run to the room and sure enough there was 3" of water on the floor. the room was flooded. So and So sat on her bed with a smile and said "I was wet." 'No kidding' I thought to my self. 50 towels later the room was dry. The Nurse and I just looked at each other and smiled. Our work was not done with So and So. So and So was wet and needed to be changed. This particular So and So does not liked to be touched. I have a formidable bruise on my arm after the ordeal

After the great flood things went to hell in a hand bag. One So and so refused to do anything. One So and So was in a very playful mood (and this was very strange for this So and So). We played catch with her pillow and danced in the hallway. As I went about my rounds and I found some of my So's and So's in various stages of undress (yes I did get them dressed for the night) And the call bell for my section went off not in ones, but in two's and threes.

It was not long before I had realized that the shift was almost over and I needed my last break. I went out side for fresh air and then I looked up in the night sky. It was a full moon! I smiled to my self and remembered what one of my teachers had said about the full Moon. "If a Full Moon can move our oceans and seas - just think about what the Moon can do to us as were are made of up mostly of water. Think about it, and if you were mentally declining....?" Point taken!!!

After my 15 minutes of quietness - I went back to work. I met my partner and she looked at me and smiled. When you were gone 3 calls went off at the same time in your section. We both smiled. What could we do.

My Interview went very well!!

Yesterday I had an interview with VIHA. (Vancouver Island Health Authority) and it went well. All have to do is hand in my last reference and I can start my orientation. YUPPIE!!!!!!

There is short story about how I got this interview and it only took six short weeks to get it. Two months ago I handed out 5 resumes. That's right, only 5. 3 resumes I e-mailed out and the other 2 I faxed. I got 3 invites for interviews. My very first interview as a Health care Assistant (We are no longer referred to as Resident Care Aide's) I was hired. My 2nd interview invite I turned down for personal reasons, but my 3rd interview invite I really, really, wanted. It was VIHA.

The Hiring Director and my self played phone tag for a week. And then she just stopped calling and so did I. I did not get my hopes up for working with VIHA, O.K, maybe just a little bit. O.K, maybe a lot. after all it is VIHA.

To make a short story even shorter, I eventually forgot about VIHA. And then out of the blue 2 weeks ago I got a message from the Hiring Director with VIHA. I was so excited. I dropped everything that I was doing. I Gave my kids chocolate to keep them quite so I could sit on the phone and go through one phone directory after another trying to locate this very, very important lady. After 10 minutes I found her. Oh she was so apologetic about not being able to meet with me and that it took so long for her to return my message. And then she said that she had to go and would call me back next week. Oh, my heart fell on the floor. I was stunned. I really didn't think that she would call me back. After all it had happened before. But she did call me back this time and we did sit up the interview and the interview did happen. And it went very well.

I am a little nervous about having two jobs. I will not be able to start work with VIHA until the end of October. My first job has booked me solid for the next 3 weeks. I don't mind, it is good for my wallet and I am getting the hours. But VIHA would be sooooooo much better for the my wallet. I would be making 6 dollars more then what I am getting now.

October is here....and so is fall

It has been pretty well one month since my last post and I am not sure were to start. For the past month I have been busy being a mom, not just any kind of mom, but a working mom. And I stress the working mom because being a working mom is very new to me. And looking back in the short years of being just a mom it had dawned on me how I had took for granted the luxury of being at home and not working.

Now that I am working and looking after my family...All I can say is that I am happy. I am starting to get my own income. It will never be as much as my other half, but it is my own. I think what I am feeling here is "liberation."

My daughter is in daycare for four days a week. Being that I am on call at the long term care facility 24 hour day, 365 days a year and that is including all holidays, I have decided that Monday will be my only day off in during the week.

Back to my daughter. She is loving daycare. She is so excited about it that she refers to daycare as school. She has her own little back sack that she call "rescue pack" (To much Dora the Explorer and Diego) and she is full of stories about her day. My son who is now in grade 5 is and doing good. He loves taking the school bus. Mostly because that is were he gets his Mp3 time. And he is already starting to get his own music interests. Linken Park seems to be his favorite.

Today, I am a little excited because I have a job interview with the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Being that I am on call atone job site, I will have times that I will go with out work for 5 - 6 days (I am on the bottom of the seniority ladder) Another job being on call would be nice. And to have my foot in the door with the Island's largest health authority for future advancement would make my new career worth wild.