As if 2012, didn't start out with a big enough bang, in typical Otwell fashion we added more mayhem to the mix this year. Yep, you read that post right, on top of wrapping our minds around the idea of having a baby this year, I also decided it was a GREAT time to switch jobs! HA! Actually, I didn't decide, it sorta decided for me. So here's the scoop...
So, every since I graduated Sonography school I have been employed with Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton. I was hired on as PRN which basically means on a "as needed" basis. When I first started it was pretty much strictly call with minimal daytime hours filling in as needed. I was 100% fine with this as that particular summer I was dealing with graduation, planning a wedding, and getting ready to move out of my apartment and into my sister's house, then out of her house and into Jason's house once we were married. I had a ton going on to say the least and to be honest the stress of a full time job was the last thing I was looking for. After the summer of crazyness, things started to shift and I was offered regular daytime hours! Perfect timing! I was certainly ready and we for sure needed the money. Making money taking as much call as I could possibly get my hands on was growing old but you do what ya gotta do! A few more months down the line I was offered even more daytime hours to put me to a total of 50 hours/pay period plus 2 nights a week of call and a varying one to two weekends a month of call. I was super pumped that my little "as needed-call only" job had evolved to a fairly steady, dependable work week. My schedule was every Monday, Friday, alternating Thursdays and extra fill in days as needed for vacations in such. In other words, I was working a decent amount, more or less on a part time basis but still a PRN status on paper. What this basically meant is that I wasn't receiving benefits. Once again, fine by me as I was covered in insurance in such under Jason's plans at Entergy. I hated to miss out on PTO but it was never that big of an issue to make a difference to me. Totally loved my job, loved living 10 minutes from work for the first time in I can't even tell you! Everything was super convenient and even though I didn't love working every single Monday and Friday I LOVED having 2-3 days off a week and a really flexible schedule. In addition to my regular schedule I was also filling in as needed on some of my off days at my OB/GYN clinic as a backup for when the regular sonographer was sick or took vacation here and there. All in all it all really fit in a strange way.
So fast forward two years later to December 2011. One Tuesday morning when I was sitting around waiting on a call from my OB/GYN clinic to hear back about my lab value. The lab work I previously blogged about for Little O. My phone rang and it was my clinic. Not only did I work at the clinic PRN but have also been a patient there since I was about 17. The phone call I received that day was not was I was expecting it all. It actually had nothing to do with my lab work at all. The phone call was to inform me that the regular sonographer was going to retire (a big surprise to me might I add) and that they wanted to offer me a job.....wow....was NOT prepared for this one at all! Might I add that I am a creature of habit and my job was really working for me for the most part and I wasn't really looking for another opportunity. With that being said, I always knew that if the right opportunity found me, I definitely would not have my door closed. As I discussed this opportunity over the phone and gathered all the details, I really didn't know what to say other than I would have to talk with my husband and return with an answer of whether or not I would be interested. The initial offer was to join on with them as Part time with benefits. There are many more personal details to this but that's the basics. I have to admit, the more I thought about it, the better it was sounding. It really didn't take me too long to realize that I was pretty interested, I just needed that extra push of reassurance from my loved ones and I also had some pretty big concerns. This move was not going to come without some big sacrifices and changes. And if you haven't met me......I don't do change well, like I said, creature of habit! After a long talk with Jason and my mom and my sister, I not only realized that this was a good opportunity, it was a great opportunity! And they thought I would be crazy not to accept it! So here I am, totally pumped and ready. Long story short, I expressed my interest in the position and later found out that instead of a part time they were now interested in hiring a full time person. I had, for the most part, initially stated that I wasn't interested in full time. Knowing I more than likely had a baby on the way or if not, would be looking in that direction, in addition to the fact that I was quite comfortable with my part time gig. I started to see this opportunity slipping away and wondered if I let it pass would something like this ever come my way again. I found myself asking if I could still be considered for the position as a full time. In other words, changing my original statement that I was not interested in full time work. The answer was yes that I could be considered. So, back to the drawing board of, "let me talk with my husband and I'll give ya a call" So, I go back to my support group with the news. I might add to the equation that the days/week difference in full time and part time was only 1 day. Initially, I was offered to work 3 ten hour days a week. The full time position would be 4 ten hour days a week as our clinic is closed on Friday and everyone works 10 hour shifts. I must admit, I struggled. I had gotten pretty excited about the idea of working 3 ten hour shifts, same day each week, having every Thursday and Friday off to start off a long weekend every weekend. In addition to the fact of gaining benefits and PTO. Now the game had changed. What to do?
It doesn't take a genious to figure out that this decision I was struggling with was an obvious choice in the long run. Basically just talking about working one extra day than I had originally thought and the benefits and PTO would actually be better as a full time employee rather than a part time. I guess you could say my biggest concern was is this really the right timing for this? I felt like it was because Jason and I had already been super concerned about insurance coverage for maternity care for quite some time. Through his work we were covered under a high deductible health plan and there really weren't any other affordable options. The horror stories I had heard about having children on high deductible health plans already had me scared to death. This opportunity would surely fulfill our insurance coverage worries for the new baby. The reason I felt like it wasn't the right timing was basically that I had maintained a part time job for a lot of reasons but one of them being that we thought it would work out great for when we had children because I would be able to still work yet be at home with them a decent amount as well. And now that we were about to have a child and now when I needed to be home more than before, I was considering going to work 40 hours a week. Not to mention the drive to Little Rock : ) no more ten minute drives down the road to work. Be prepared for commuting and spending extra money on gas. Ahhhhhh! What's a girl to do???
Well, after several talks with my peeps, I came to the decision that this was the right thing to do. And it was the right time. Even though my schedule was flexible it was also very erratic, probably not very family conducive. I was also looking at an opportunity to let go of taking call, something that was starting to grate on my nerves more than I liked. NO ONE in the medical field likes to take call and I think it would be fair to say that everyone would take an out if it was feasible. Every since I graduated school I always said that I would love to work at a clinic where you could free yourself from call, nights, holidays, and weekends! That was this situation in a nut shell. I also knew if I took this I would be looking at a different "type" of work. While I had been completely happy at the hospital and loved the variety of work I did, I knew that as the months went on it was only going to get harder on my body trying to physically man handle my patients. Pushing wheelchairs, stretchers, and lifting patients had always fallen on my "no problem" list but who knew what was going to be in store later down the road. I knew my body was going to put limits on me that I would definitely have problems dealing with...I'm not one that likes to be told no or that "I can't". So I had officially decided that God had brought this to me for a reason, that he knew better than I did, and that I needed to trust and take a leap of faith! I already knew everyone at the clinic, I was already an employee and familiar with mostly everything, what easier transition could you possibly ask for?!
Still being a little nervous about change I decided this was an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss and happily accepted. Spreading the news to my co workers and current boss was super scary but they could not have been more gracious about it. They assured me that they understood I had to do what was best for me and they totally supported me. It felt great to know that they understood where I was coming from and while I never expected them to be mad at me, you just never know what to expect when you leave a job.
So on January 3, 2012, I started my first big girl job! Finally at the age of 28 years old, just one month shy of 29 might I add, here I go for my first full time career. I'd say it was definitely time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED working part time. I still miss it. But sometimes, you've got to make changes for a better quality of life. A happier life. Add in to the equation that I also had to think about this new addition on the way and I quickly realized that it would be extremely unfair to expect to continue a life of unpredictability. Leaving my baby in the middle of the night to go to work would not ever be high on my priority list, this I knew. I also would now know that I wouldn't have to worry with spending holidays away from my family because, once again, a hospital never stops and no matter what day it is, someone must always be available at an arms reach on call for anything emergent.....orrrr not emergent, but don't get me started on that!
So here's the update, I have officially gotten into the swing of things! Working full time has proven to be pretty much what I expected. It's busy and I'm really tired. I'm not so sure if it is more the new job or the first trimester pregnancy, but by the end of the day I am literally dragging. It's usually all I can do to make it home, eat dinner, and most nights I'd be just happy to get in bed by 7:30 and stay there for the rest of the night. I miss getting projects done at night and working on things such as blogging. Currently I have a ton of pictures I've taken that seriously need some attention. I am hoping this exhaustion will pass soon. I've also learned that if I don't get as much done as night as I can, my morning will be a total wreck. Coffee has to be prepared and set on auto program the night before. This means that when I'm putting on my makeup at 6 am, coffee is brewing away and waiting on me to fix it up in my travel mug for the drive to work. Speaking of 6 am, I've learned that it is a MUST to be up and out of bed at 5:45...no wakey, no makey to work on time. And honestly, I'd prob do much better to get up at 5:30, but I'm resisting for the time being. Fixing as much of my lunch as possible the night before is also a must. Hard to believe how much of a time saver that is but it can seriously make or break me on time in the mornings. And lastly, must be in the car and out of the driveway by 7 am if not a little earlier. The traffic into Little Rock is BRUTAL and leaving 5 minutes late easily makes you 15-20 minutes late arriving to your destination...ugh! Not fun! But what's a little adjustment, no big deal, it's good for everyone! And I am quickly learning to adapt and learning to love my routine. I never knew how much I was lacking consistency in my life. It has certainly been a good thing. And last but certainly not least, let me just tell you how much I LOVE having Fridays off work!!!! Oh glorious Fridays! By the time Thursday rolls around, I am one super happy person who can't be brought down because, hey, it's Thursday, my weekend starts at 5:30 this evening! LOVE IT! Currently, I am still PRN with the hospital and leaving myself available to fill in with them on Fridays when they need help. It isn't my favorite but it is an opportunity to make extra money and that makes me happy! Not a bad deal all in all. I'm already formulating lots of plans of how I'm going to put that money to work in the upcoming nursery, as soon as we find out what gender our little sweetie is! Taking a full time job has also showed me that with a few less days off during the week, and little opportunities to sniff out local sales, I have less time to participate in my favorite pastime....you guessed it, shopping! AHHHHHHH.........could this be the end of the shopaholic??? PSSSHHHHH....I say NEVER! It only forces me to be more creative in my searches...no worries my sweet grounded husband, I will always find my outlet for peace ; )
Entering 2012 proved it was going to be offering lots of change for the Otwells but so far, it's been pretty great. The baby seems to be growing just as it should and everyone at my new job have been nothing short of wonderful. So welcoming and caring every single day. It has been a great feeling and I am also loving my patients. Most of them have been patients forever and knew I must be the new kid, they have been so warm and welcoming as well. Let's just say I think the whole equation is just what the doctor ordered for us. An answer to so many unspoken prayers and a solution that we never even knew we were looking for. Funny how God works in our lives. He knows what we need even before we do. To say I feel blessed would be an understatement! Thanks for listening to my forever long rant, stay tuned for weekly baby posts and updates.....if I can ever get my head off the pillow long enough ; )
Cheers,
Kelly
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