Nurses on Strike!

So I just finished a three day stretch of working. Since I work twelve hour shifts, my working days consist of waking up, showering, eating, working, coming home, and sleeping. Multiply that times three, and you have my weekend. Plus, I was scheduled for the ever-so-lucky Saturday night shift, during which I got to live the hours of 2am to 3am twice. Therefore, by default I got to work an extra hour that night. Yippee. Actually it wasn't so bad. In fact, Brigham and Women's is in many ways, the best hospital I've ever worked at.

Unfortunately, the permanent nursing staff of "the Brigham" (that's what the locals call it) do not agree with me. It recently came to my attention that 1,000 nurses had a union demonstration the Thursday before my contract started. Funny how nobody told me that until after I had already started working. So from what I can tell, they are pissed about inadequate staffing (well, duh, there's a nationwide nursing shortage), and they don't think their yearly raise is enough. All I have to say is, how about you guys try working in the ATL.

Let me put it into perspective for you. The unit that I am working on right now is apparently one of the hardest and most dreaded units to work on. (This information I recieved from one of the nurses in the float pool. Float pool nurses can work on any unit in the hospital, so you know they probably have a pretty good idea of what the "good" vs. the "bad" units are.) And as I said before, so far, this has been the best place I have ever worked. Our unit has awesome staffing ratios. We get a minimum of 8 nurses for a 10 bed unit. So 6 nurses only have one patient, and 2 nurses have 2 patients. I'm used to working in ICU's where the only way you don't have 2 patients is if you transfer one of them to another floor. And then, you have 1 patient for an hour or two, until you have to admit a new one (very time consuming). Granted, the majority of our patients are very sick and complicated cases. And whenever you do have 2 patients, it's an extremely busy night. But still, I am sooo not complaining.

In addition, the south is notorious for having the lowest pay wages for nurses in the country. (Just another reason why I decided to start travel nursing.) My job in Boston is paying me 33% more money than my previous contract in Atlanta. One of the permanent staff nurses that I work with even said herself that they've been getting a 5% pay increase every year. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Maybe I don't know much about how this whole union thing works since we don't have a nurses union in Georgia. Maybe they threaten this every year. And maybe I've only worked there two weeks so I don't know the whole story. All I know is, as far as I can tell, this hospital is run like a well-oiled machine. But without nurses to work it, they are so going to be screwed. Not only that, I am going to be screwed, because I will still have to work!

Note to self: call recruiter stat to find out what happens to me if these nurses really do go on strike.

Fears and Myths Disbanded

Before I came up here to Boston, there were many stereotypes and preconceptions I had in my head about how things were going to be up here. There was a lot of stuff that I was nervous and worried about, but that has pretty much all gone away now. *sigh* I am finally feeling myself relaxing and settling in, and let me tell you, it is an absolutely wonderful feeling! For example, I was afraid everyone we met was going to be really rude. And I don't think I've even met one rude person yet. Everyone that I've met at the hospital has been really nice and helpful so far. And really, it was the hospital personnel that I was more worried about than anything. Like I was thinking there would be all these really snobby Harvard medical students to work with, and that all the nurses would just be running around and be too busy to ever pay attention to me or help me with anything. I'm completely off orientation now, and Monday night was my first night working without anyone precepting me. Despite the fact that I had a pretty challenging patient, and had to call on the resident, the respiratory therapist, and some of the other nurses several times for help, they were all very nice. It's really cool because the system they have there is just really efficient and well... it works! It's amazing I tell you.

Another thing I was worried about was the fact that we decided not to bring our cars up here, and that we decided to be completely dependent upon public transportation to get us around. Coming from a city where you have to drive everywhere to get anywhere, it's a big change. But I must say, it's worked out quite well for the most part. There have been a couple of places that we've had to take a cab to, but not even necessarily because they weren't walkable. (I think it was more because we were being lazy, and not used to walking that far.) Anyway, I've really been enjoying my walks to and from the subway to get to and from work. It's a lot easier than I imagined it would be.

Some of the stereotypes are true though. They really are crazy, scary drivers. I've found myself clutching the seat, white-knuckled, while sacrificing myself to the mercy of a cab driver. The roads are completely screwy thanks to our friend, The Big Dig. We've decided that half the time, the maps are useless, whether you are driving or walking. And I would say, they do honk more up here. But so far, I haven't seen any drivers cussing each other out. I am terribly afraid of crossing the street though. The Boston locals, however, are definitely not scared of crossing the street. It doesn't matter if the light is green, red, or purple, or if there are cars coming or not, they cross whenever they want to, wherever they want to. I'm not quite that brave yet.

So things are good. Life is good. I ain't scared no mo'. You know, it's good to try new things. You just have to be open-minded and positive about it. Like last night, I took Dave out for his birthday and we went to this really cool oyster bar. I decided to try some raw oysters for the first time, and let me just say that it is definitely an acquired taste. They kind of remind me of slimy dirt, but hey, at least I tried it.

I think more than anything, I am just really glad that now that all that stress is over with, I can finally sit back and enjoy the city for what it is. Like I can actually look around and take it all in. It really is a beautiful city, with the river and the harbor all around us. Today we took a "duck tour," and it was really fun. It provided us with a nice overview of the city, in addition to a little history. Plus it was a beautiful day. All the trees have burst forth with their fall colors, the sun was shining, and we got to see the beginning of a beautiful sunset on the Charles River as our tour was coming to an end.

Finally, I can breathe again.

And Here We Are (Brace Yourself, it's Long)

So we have been officially living in Boston for a little over a week now. Finally, I am feeling a little bit more settled. It has taken quite a bit of stress and anxiety to get to this point though.

About six months ago, we had the first conversation about putting my dream into a reality. And it's been really interesting how everything has grown and evolved into what it is today. I can still remember how I felt the day my boyfriend told me that he wanted to quit his job and come traveling with me. I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement, a little nervous, and trying not to get my hopes up too much, in case he got scared and backed out. But the more we started talking about it, the more I realized that he wasn't kidding about this.

First we decided that we would be gone long enough to do two contracts (about six months). That way, his career and income would not be compromised too much (i.e. since he might potentially be whittling away all of his saved up income if he couldn't find a decent temporary job, and the resume gap wouldn't be too terrible). Then, we decided that we would plan to leave around the same time as when the lease on our apartment would be up, so we knew we would have plenty of time to plan. (haha, at least we thought we knew) But in the beginning stages, we mostly talked about where we wanted to go. We discussed numerous places including, but not limited to, Charleston, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Boston, San Diego, and Providence. Finally, we decided that we wanted to go to either Boston or Providence in the fall, and San Diego in the spring.

You might ask "How did they choose those destinations?" Well, we both really loved the thought of going to San Diego, because we've always heard about how beautiful it is and how great the weather is. Also, part of the whole reason behind this is to be able to live in and see parts of the country we had never seen before. And the other reason is, why the hell not? Plus, I do actually have a half brother, who I only get to see like once a year, that lives there. The "Boston or Providence" idea first came up because my sister is going to school in Providence at RISD. Plus, my entire mom's side of the family lives in New Hampshire and Vermont. My mom actually grew up in a suburb of Boston, and my dad went to Berklee College of Music in Boston. So maybe I just wanted to see where the magic all began. As far as the "Boston or Providence" decision, well we all know how that turned out. We ended up in Boston because it just so happened that the majority of the choices for jobs were in Boston. And anyway, it's only like 45 minutes away from Providence, so I will still get to see my sister pretty often too (I hope).

So the easy part of the decision was the "who, what, when, and where." Next, all we had to figure out was how. And here's one of the many catches in the whole travel nursing business: You don't usually ever have the job nailed down until a few weeks before you actually have to leave. At earliest, you might have found a job 6 weeks early, but that would be just pure luck. Just in case, I told my recruiter about 2 months early what our plan was, so she could keep her ear to the grindstone. About six weeks before our proposed moving date, my file had been sent out to several hospitals. I waited and waited, and nobody even called for interviews.

Then all of a sudden it was a month before we were supposed to leave, and still I had nothing. I didn't even have a nursing license for MA or RI. Here's yet another catch of travel nursing: You have to have a separate nursing license for each state you work in. And believe me, you will shell out some money for it. Since it seemed like all the jobs were in Boston, I went ahead and sacrificed 200 big ones for the license there. But at that point in the game, I wasn't even sure I would get the license in time because it could take up to 6 weeks just waiting for all the red tape to clear before you even receive a license there!

Next thing I knew, it was 2 weeks before the last day of my job in Atlanta, 1 week before my boyfriend's last day at his job, and 3 weeks before we would be kicked out of our apartment and onto our asses into the street! (Yeah, it's a good thing we had all that time to plan things out.) So of course we had told all of our friends and family about our big adventure, and every time we saw them, they would ask what the plan was. Well, we still didn't have a plan of course. It was around this time, there was so much pressure to have a plan that we weren't even close to having, that I pretty much had a nervous breakdown (OK, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but I definitely fried out, broke down, and had a big old cry.) Of course, my boyfriend was very supportive and tried his hardest to make me feel better, but it's very hard to feel better when you are facing being jobless and homeless in less than a month.

As usual, just when everything looks the most bleak, things start to get better. The next week I finally started interviewing, and after much debate and negotiation, I finally had my job nailed down exactly one week before we were moving out of our apartment! I mean seriously, I admit to being a procrastinator, and I'm used to doing things last minute, but I really hope it never gets that down to the wire ever again. Like, this is real, life stuff I'm talking about here, not a stupid paper that I could write the night before! Anyway, we managed to pack all of our shit up (and damn we have A LOT of shit) and put most of it into storage to stay while we are going to be gone. The rest we brought with us. Sure it sounds easy, but why don't you try to pack for living the next six months in two completely different climates?!

Once I got the job nailed down, and I finally recieved my nursing license in the mail that week, then we had to figure out our living situation. Yet, another catch in the "exciting and exotic" world of travel nursing: Sure, they will provide you with a fully furnished apartment for the time during which you are contracted. To them this means that you can move into your housing 48 hours before the start date of the contract. However, if you move in earlier than that you have to pay extra by the day. Sooo, guess what? Our lease was up at the end of September, and my contract did not start until two weeks later. (I know, you're thinking this story never ends... believe me, so did we.) Luckily, we have some awesome friends that were nice enough to let us crash with them for a week. And, also as lucky, I convinced my recruiter that we really needed to get up to Boston early to figure out how to get around and where stuff is before my contract started, and that they should pay for a hotel room for us until we could move into our apartment. And they did.

The last thing we had to figure out was how to physically get us, our stuff, and our cat, up here. The original plan included leaving my car in Atlanta and towing a trailer full of all of our crap with my boyfriend's car. Well we figured out almost a little too late that that was really a bad idea. We also found out that it would be $150 a month just to park his car in the parking deck of our apartment, and that we probably wouldn't really be needing a car thanks to our pimp ass apartment location in the middle of downtown Boston (close to all four branches of the subway). And so, in a final act of desperation, we rented a minivan, completely jampacked it with all of our crap, and drove the 20 hour drive to Boston.

So, long story short (yes, this is the short version of the story), we're here! And here's what I've learned in the last six months, in no particular order:

1. I will never doubt my boyfriend again. When he says he's doing something, he ain't kidding!
2. Travel nursing may not be what it's cracked up to be, but I still think it's pretty cool
3. We have A LOT of shit! But....
4. It's amazing what you can fit into a 10' x 15' storage space
5. Never underestimate what your recruiter can do for you
6. Things always get worse before they get better
7. Never underestimate the number of times your cat can meow during a 20 hour road trip, even when prepared with cat sedatives
8. Always appreciate your friends and family, the time you have with them, and the things they will do to help you out when you are in a bind
9. Have faith in what can be accomplished by two people that are in a good relationship
10. And, last but not least, listen to your mother. The wisest thing she's ever told me is that plans don't always work out like you thought they would.

So anyway, here's to the ever-evolving plan called "my life." Whenever everything is just going all wrong, everyone always says "It'll all work out, one way or another." Well even though it's such a cliche now, and may sound insincere, it's true. Everything always works out. I guess I should listen to my sister too, because when I was freaking out about all this stuff a couple of weeks ago, that's exactly what she said. Except hers was more like "You know, it has to work out, because if it doesn't, then you would just be dead." It sounds morbid, but she's right. The only way it doesn't work out, one way or another, is if you die. And well, I'm just not ready to die yet.

Hello World

Well I've finally given in to peer pressure and joined the blogging masses. I used to think that my life just wasn't interesting enough to publish an online journal about. But you know, the more I thought about it, the more I kept thinking of all these great things to write about. Then I just kept procrastinating. Then I worried that I might piss someone off with a rant one day. Then I procrastinated some more. And finally, today, I said "what the hell, might as well give in" So welcome to Bean's World.

Hopefully, those who read this will find something interesting or entertaining to read. I've decided that if nothing else, I can always write about my job. I'm a nurse, and have been for the past four years. For the last year and a half, I have been a travel nurse. And for those with the question mark look over their faces, basically, I work for a company that contracts me out to different hospitals for short term periods of time (a standard contract is thirteen weeks). It's kind of like a temp agency for medical personnel. These kinds of companies started due to the nationwide nursing shortage that has swept America lately (stay tuned, I'm sure I'll post about that someday down the line).

When I was in nursing school, I found out about travel nursing. They make it sound so cool and exotic. And I started thinking to myself about how cool it would be to travel all over the country, seeing all the places I've never seen before, and get paid more than the average nurse, and get to live in an apartment that they furnish and pay the rent and utilities for. Why would anyone not do it?! So my plan was: work for two years to get some good experience under my belt and then off I would be flitting from city to city with no responsibilities except for me.

Well, as everyone knows... plans don't always work out. Here's what happened: just as I was finally a single girl all on my own with some good solid nursing experience under my belt, I met a boy. But not just any boy... THE boy. Stupid men, always screwing up plans. So I moved from Athens to Atlanta (where he was living), and took a contract job there, just to try it out. Things were awesome between us, but wait, what about my plan? Even though I didn't want to be away from him, I had to follow through with my plan. So after the Atlanta job, I took a contract job in Denver.

Denver was fun, scary, boring, interesting, depressing, and life-changing all in one. I learned alot at the hospital I worked at (inner-city, very eye-opening). I had fun skiing alot. I met lots of nice people, but no lasting friends. I liked living in another city besides Atlanta or Athens (the only two cities I had ever lived in up until then). But... I missed my boy, I missed my friends, I was terrified of driving in the snow, and most of the time, I just wished I could go home. I don't regret it at all though. It made me realize alot of things about myself that I'm not sure I would have if I hadn't gone. And most of all, it made me realize what a lucky girl I was to have met such a loving, supportive guy who let me follow my dream and never once held it against me.

So after that was over, I went back to Atlanta, where (much to my surprise) I was able to continue travel nursing within the Atlanta area, changing from hospital to hospital every so often. I was still making good money, but I got to be near my friends, family, and the best guy in the whole world. That satisfied me enough, but I was still holding on to the idea of the actual "travel" part of it. But I didn't want to go by myself again. I wanted him to come with me. Every now and then I would just mention a little something about it, just to see what he would say... I didn't have to say much, but he knew I was still into traveling. So finally, one day, he told me how he was becoming more and more miserable with his job, and was just ready to call it quits and move on to something new. Finally, he was going to be able to travel with me. The day I had been waiting for!

And well, here we are. We are in Boston! We just got up here last week, and let me tell you, it has been one hell of a ride!

Stay tuned, more to come soon, and thanks for reading.