This post is dedicated to all those hardworking 9-5′ers… after discovering for the first time what it’s like to wake up early every weekday, spend 11-12 hours commuting and working, then only spending a precious few hours of free time before collapsing into bed, I have TONS of respect for you folk.
Weekends are too short! I have made time to get out and enjoy them, but writing blog posts and documenting the fun times has gone by the wayside. During my week spent with family at Glen Lake in Northern Michigan, my domain expired before I had a chance to complete the transfer to a new service. GoDaddy had a very strong grasp on my domain, let me tell you!! Therefore my site was down for a week. After that I was caught up with 8 hour work days with 2 hour commutes tacked on each end (due to taking public transportation with my free bus pass from work). Carpooling is faster, but also more expensive.
So WAIT a minute! Where did this 9-5 job come from anyway?? No, I haven’t settled for dayshift at McDonald’s… I finally landed a position as a real nurse in a hospital! I started an RN residency program at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, WA. Tacoma is a long commute (about 50 miles, 50 minutes with good traffic), but the hospital system is great and most of the people I’ve met seem very happy to work there.
I started on August 1 with two weeks of orientation, computer training, and introduction to the residency. This week we just finished up shadowing different roles on the unit: IV therapist, unit secretary, transport nurse, LPN, and a nurse tech. It was great to see the various positions and how everyone works together in their roles, and it will help me appreciate everyone better when I’m working on my own.
Next week we have classes all day that are a review of pediatrics, which is really good for me because I think my peds class at Marymount was pretty poor. I absolutely cannot wait to start working three 12 hour shifts a week with a preceptor on August 30!
During school I didn’t ever really consider working with kids. But with my background – coaching, babysitting, nannying, camp counseling – it really makes sense, doesn’t it? I fit right in 
It's official!
You are a natural for spending time with kids AND parents. You understand both groups, and that will be so valuable when you deal with families in crises. Looking forward to hearing about all of your nursing experiences!