Day 17

Where do you work?

Well, I’m currently looking for a job.  I had an interview today, but I’m not sure I’ll get it.

I am a nurse.  I have been a nurse for 10 years.  I have a wide variety of experience, from peds to ICU.

After my first brush with chronic illness in 2005, I was advised to stay the hell out of the hospital.  I contracted one of those lovely hospital associated infections and was sick for 9 months.  I have been told repeatedly that my immune system is not normal and I should minimize my exposure to horrific illness as much as possible.

So the hospital and hospital like care centers are out.  That is probably 80% of the field of nursing.

I have done “telephonic nursing”.  I absolutely loved it.  I was able to talk to people all over the country about being healthy, their chronic illnesses and medications.  It was very rewarding.  I left that job when I left my ex husband.  And it killed me to do so.

Since I’ve been here in Texas, I have done public health nursing, which I found boring, and then I went into hospice.

I love hospice care.  I can  handle it, which many nurses can’t.  After my years in the ICU, where I had to disconnect vents, see people perpetually kept in a state of limbo between life and death, providing a “good death” for my patients is key.  A “good death” is where the patient passes away at a location of their choosing, usually at home, and without pain or discomfort.  Patients get that with hospice.

Many times they are diagnosed with something like cancer or lung disease and they decide to forgo all treatment and focus on quality of life rather than quantity.  I have seen patients do some amazing things with the time they have left.  It is very rewarding, very spiritual, very emotional.

My problem with hospice right now is that I don’t think I’m well enough to carry a full caseload of 12-18 patients.  Each patient needs to be seen once a week at the minimum.  Sometimes more.  And the Austin area is pretty spread out.

When I got sick with the autoimmune disease, I was seeing 14 patients in a 50 mile radius.  I was doing 100+ miles per day on my car.  I was also working call on the weekend.  I see now that working so much probably triggered my disease.  So I’m trying to avoid that.

I’m looking for anything 16-20 hours per week that is office based, home based, in home health.  Currently my car is pitiful,  but hopefully we will be getting a new ride soon.

I am applying for telephonic nursing again, office jobs, hospice “as needed” nursing.  Hopefully I get something.

Anyone need a nurse?