change

I will be changing positions at Gillette in mid-June.

I have been a perianesthesia nurse at Gillette for 10 years. I've been a preceptor, a charge nurse, worked in PACU, SDS, and MRI. I just became certified in that specialty. I became a certified clinic aromatherapist there, was principal investigator of an aromatherapy study, and (with TONS of help) published an article about that study.

However...

As of June 20 I will be working at Gillette's Lifetime Clinic. The Lifetime Clinic was started 7 years ago in response to the demands of children with special needs growing up to be adolescents and adults! It will be a change going completely to outpatient care and not working with little ones anymore. But, I get a bit of the little kid stuff in my off hours.

I feel the change is overdue. I needed to provide (ok, prove to the adoption agency, USCIS, and the Ethiopian government) stability, especially as a single parent. Somehow, I got stuck there. Where did my sense of adventure and risk taking go? Can't parents, and especially single, overly responsible single parents like me take risks? I forgot that. I was so scared during the waiting process that they would somehow prove that I wasn't responsible or good enough to be a parent. Those of you that are anywhere in the adoption process know this feeling. It's time to get unstuck.

I very much appreciate all that I have learned in perianesthesia. I have had a wonderful manager in Gwen. For the first couple of years, I was afraid of her! She's straightforward and tells it like it is. But, she's also very kind hearted. She has always backed up her nurses 100%. She has pushed us to be excellent nurses. She pushed me out of my comfort zone. She taught me how to be a leader (even though I drug my heels the entire way).

I'm a little nervous. I've been doing what I've been doing for 10 years! Change is a bit more challenging I've noticed. I used to take all sorts of crazy risks without having a second thought. But, it makes me feel alive to try new things. I looked forward and thought, "Am I going to retire as a perianesthesia nurse?". That scared me more. Not because it is a terrible place to work, NO! But, that I wouldn't learn something new. This is not a huge risk. I'm moving within a very stable organization.

I will be working full time, mostly 8-430 with a little flexing in there for those docs that are eternally running behind:). This was a difficult decision to increase my work hours this much, but I will be able to afford help for those things that I have let slide over the past 2+ years. Lovely Sara will be cleaning our home every other week and I am in the process of hiring a lawn/snow service. The increase in income will also allow me to fully fund my retirement account, allow Birhane and I to take more costly vacations, and just to be able to take a breath financially.

By the way, will be wearing scrubs or professional dress at Lifetime. I'll take any suggestions on the scrub part...