Since it took me 6 months to find a freaking job after I graduated, I have had a lot of catching up to do in the $$$ department in order to achieve my financial goals within the 1 year I gave myself while I sat in class making plans and dreaming of a day when I would be done with homework and actually making money. So, needless to say, I have been working a TON of overtime.
1) Working this much makes you tired and grumpy. It's like you are PMS'ing all the time. One minute you are laughing and thinking "I can do this!" and the next minute you are crying in your husbands arms and saying "Why did I think I could do this?"
2) I never feel like I've gotten enough sleep. When I'm sleeping I dream of work and when I'm awake I dream of sleeping. It's a sad combo my friends. One that includes a lot of caffeine during the day, and Benadryl to knock myself out at night.
3) Nurses get the crazy schedules that don't ever coincide with anyone else's schedules. Because of this, I have missed my visiting teaching for the month (sorry dear companion who had to go alone) and I never get to see my husband :(. This makes it very tough to feel like you have a life that actually includes another human being outside of the medical world.
THE UPSIDES TO WORKING:
Yes, I complain a lot... but I promise I actually do like my job and I feel like 90% of the time I enjoy what I do. There are definitely perks to being a "working woman" haha.
1) When people ask what I do, I proudly tell them and a little spark inside me ignites and I feel like I am exactly where I've always wanted to be in my life.
2) With all this overtime, my paychecks have been huge! So of course on payday I tend to forget all my grievances and I again feel that sense of pride. (Now, keep in mind, my idea of huge is probably small compared to what other people are making lol).
3) By March I will have achieved my goal (even faster than the year I had planned on)! Josh and I will officially be debt free! We have paid off our car and with just a few more pay checks we will have all my student loans paid off!
4) Now, here's the best part! My company is sending me to Orlando, FL at the end of April for the American Nephrology Nurse's Association Annual Conference! They are paying for everything including airfare, food, hotel, etc.! And we're not talking cheapsters here...I will be staying inside Disney World at their Dolphin Resort for 5 days!!! What's even more exciting is they are letting me bring Josh along with me so we get to make a vacation out of it! I will have to go to the conference classes during the day and then by 4:30 pm I will be free to play! We're already making plans to go see the things we missed the last time we were down in Orlando. I'M SO EXCITED!!
5) And of course, there are those amazing days when I feel like I am doing good in the world with the knowledge and skills I have been given. I look at Josh and his chosen field of work and I think, "how does that field attract you?" It is a constant dog-eat-dog atmosphere and no one ever looks at you and says, "Thank you, you just saved my life." instead they say, "Where's my money A$$-hole?!" (Sadly, I'm not exaggerating here....) So I am grateful for those special moments I get with my patients when I can be there for them during this hard time in their lives. I'm grateful for every moment I get to spend with them as they cry tears of sadness because they don't think they're going to make it this time, and as they cry tears of joy because they just got put on the transplant list. All of this makes it worth it.
Now, bring on Florida!!!
