As a part-time PA student, I have time to keep a job. So I've been working at a new hospital as a dietitian ever since I moved back from my summer on campus. It's been a huge adjustment -- I've dealt with some imposter syndrome, done a ton of training, and was finally starting to feel like I was getting in the groove.
When I was originally hired, I was told I would be in cardiology/neurology. But then due to some staffing changes, I was offered the chance to job share with a dietitian who covered the Surgical ICU. I was elated.
I cover the SICU at least two days each week, and it's a blast. The nurses are great, my pharmacists have been amazing support, and I've learned so much from the physician teams. I get to round with them, and we all have great discussions during this process. It wasn't uncommon for an attending to grab a marker and start drawing a heart on a patient's glass door to explain physiology. I was learning so much that I even brought a notebook to work so I could jot everything down!
A few PA-Cs and NPs also rotated through on a critical care fellowship, and you can imagine my eyes get wide with excitement thinking about maybe getting a similar opportunity for myself in the future. I've learned over the years that who you know matters a lot, and I could see that this environment was ripe with good connections.
And then this week I got some very bad news.
The woman I job share with is quitting, meaning the position in the SICU will now open up to the person with the next highest seniority. That means I get the boot. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I was crushed. Felt like an amazing opportunity was being ripped out from under me.
I get it. I have the least seniority and it doesn't make sense to prioritize me (someone who won't even be there as a dietitian long-term) over your other employees. And since I only work 3 days a week, scheduling me is a challenge.
But I've cried about it (a lot). And now it's time to just put on my big girl panties and deal with it. There isn't anything I can do about it, so I can be miserable or just accept it. So I might as well just accept it.
I'm reminding myself of the following:
Thanks for reading,
Olivia
When I was originally hired, I was told I would be in cardiology/neurology. But then due to some staffing changes, I was offered the chance to job share with a dietitian who covered the Surgical ICU. I was elated.
I cover the SICU at least two days each week, and it's a blast. The nurses are great, my pharmacists have been amazing support, and I've learned so much from the physician teams. I get to round with them, and we all have great discussions during this process. It wasn't uncommon for an attending to grab a marker and start drawing a heart on a patient's glass door to explain physiology. I was learning so much that I even brought a notebook to work so I could jot everything down!
A few PA-Cs and NPs also rotated through on a critical care fellowship, and you can imagine my eyes get wide with excitement thinking about maybe getting a similar opportunity for myself in the future. I've learned over the years that who you know matters a lot, and I could see that this environment was ripe with good connections.
And then this week I got some very bad news.
The woman I job share with is quitting, meaning the position in the SICU will now open up to the person with the next highest seniority. That means I get the boot. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I was crushed. Felt like an amazing opportunity was being ripped out from under me.
I get it. I have the least seniority and it doesn't make sense to prioritize me (someone who won't even be there as a dietitian long-term) over your other employees. And since I only work 3 days a week, scheduling me is a challenge.
But I've cried about it (a lot). And now it's time to just put on my big girl panties and deal with it. There isn't anything I can do about it, so I can be miserable or just accept it. So I might as well just accept it.
I'm reminding myself of the following:
- I'm grateful to have a job in an acute care setting.
- I have health insurance and a good income to continue supporting myself.
- I don't need to be in the ICU to learn and be a successful PA student.
- I don't need to be in the ICU to make connections and find great clinical placements.
- I wanted a job to keep my clinical knowledge, and I can still do that on a general medical floor.
- This job isn't my forever plan; I need to keep my eye on the prize - becoming a PA.
Thanks for reading,
Olivia
Comments
Post a Comment