New Career Choice... RN turn PA

After facing.. I admit it, DEFEAT... when it comes to my nursing program at Wor-Wic College, I've finally gotten around to really delving in and trying to find out why I failed at this attempt.

Checking out quizzes and test questions I missed, and comparing what I actually liked about the courses to what I didn't like too much:

I liked and exceled at:

1. Procedures - By far my favorite part of the program. Loved doing feeding tubes, tracheotomy care, injections, etc.
2. Medications - Figuring out dosage and properly administering medication was really cool and something I enjoyed.
3. Patient contact - I like talking, interacting, and educating patients.

I did not like:

1. Patient care - I enjoyed the interaction, but I enjoyed medically-based things, such as doing a procedure, or administering medicine. Showers, bed pans, etc. were not my favorite things in the world. I'd rather interpret what a large BM means, not clean it up and document it.
2. Inability to diagnose - Nursing diagnosis for problems treat the individual, not the problem. I'd like the be the one to figure out that a leg is broken via ordering and interpreting tests, not the one documenting that the patient has 'impaired mobility'.

I have the upmost respect for both professions, but I feel that the PA program plays to my strengths and downplays my weaknesses. I'm finally decisive... I'm going for it!!

To Call Me A Hick?

I really hate labels. And stereotypes. And most of all, I hate being called a stereotype by a family member, especially one that is not in any position to judge me.

I've been told that I dress and act like an "eastern shore hick". It really makes me mad to be called this, because I think of a "hick" as an uneducated, broke, clueless individual with poor personal hygiene. I am not a hick.

The reasoning for calling me a hick is no doubt the fact that I keep rare breed chickens and have a few pygmy goats that me, my wife, and my kids keep and raise as a hobby. I don't think this defines me as "hick", but I guess that depends on who's reading this and what their definition of "hick" is.

I do have a Carhart jacket I wear, usually while working outside in cold weather. Does that make me a hick? Again, I don't think so; I call it dressing appropriate for the situation. The carhart would never make it into a business meeting, likewise, I'd never build fences in a leather jacket.

It is especially offensive to be called this name by someone who is unemployed, broke,, shops at the Goodwill, lives in the filthiest house I've ever seen, has absolutely no control of his/her child(ren) and fits nearly every single qualification to be considered poor white trash. If we're going to be slinging stereotypes, this person fits squarely into that one whereas filing my family and me under "hick" is gray at best.

Second Jobs in a Bad Economy!

Hour cutbacks... commission cutbacks... what are we supposed to do in a time like this? Find another job, that's what I decided.

I thought maybe a job at Walmart would make a nice little income supplement, and the 10% discount would save me mega bucks each month, however, you know our economy is bad shape when Wally World isn't hiring. I found a night stocking job at Sam's Club and I found myself haggling over whether they were going to pay me $7/hr or $7.50/hr.

This just won't suffice so I've decided to get a second job as a CNA, or certified nursing assistant. The pay isn't great, but its got a few key benefits I really like:

1. Increased pay, about $5 an hour.
2. Increased hirability; hospitals and nursing homes always hire, even in recessions.
3. Foot in the door for healthcare
4. Work experience makes nursing/healthcare classes easier.

It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it. Do the dirty now, get a cooler, more rewarding job later.

How to Fail at Sales

Working as a sales representative for a Fortune 500 company during an economic recession is the greatest! Very challenging and reward. They expect a lot out of there employees, so to challenge our salesmanship they have enacted the following obstacles to help us build character:

1. Hiring double the staff normally required to run the location.
2. Increasing quotas.
3. Decreasing commissions.
4. Decreasing the hours the store is open.
5. Reducing our hours from 40 to 35.
6. Increasing the cost of our healthcare benefits.
7. Attempting to change our bi-weekly paychecks to twice a month.
8. Giving written warnings to anyone who clocks out above 35 hours.

If you couldn't detect the sarcasm, trust me, the preceding paragraph was oozing with it. I had to enroll in a Nursing Assistant class to have a decent second job since the preceding obstacles cost me anywhere from $400-$700 a month.

First Post

First post! This is going to me my personal blog to write about anything I want; just your everyday guy talking about his problems, thoughts, etc. It's random, no subject matter is off limits, and it's more of a personal journal than anything else.

Also, my friends can find links to my other services, like Twitter, Facebook, and Loopt.

Enjoy!