Work

Work this week was not so much fun. I was out of the comfort zone of my usual assignment and working with the surgical oncology clinic. The good part is that I now no longer detest all surgeons (now it's just plastic surgeons I despise). The bad part is that anyone who is supposed to have surgery next week will be lucky to get it, unless the insane number of forms and papers I had to complete ever finds their rightful mailboxes.

I am also being yanked out of my assignment to take on more of the "resource" role in the title Clinical Resource Nurse (whereas now I am more "Clinical" than "Resource"). In theory, it means I will arrange staffing for the clinic, and organize and provide orientation for new nurses, and sit on a bunch of committess which are supposed to give me the impression I might be able to help make positive changes around the institution. In practice, it means I will be the SuperFloat nurse, who gets to work in a clinic whenever a nurse calls in sick, and will never get to do my own work (whatever that is). Well, it's a term position that I have until August '06, at which time I can go back to my own little corner of the clinic and do the work I feel most comfortable doing, if I want.

The other bummer thing about this week has been the morale around the building. No one seems happy and I know of about 3 nurses actively looking for new jobs because of it. I am just getting so sick of hearing people bitch and whine about how awful the job is. The worst part is that you can't even expect that they should be coming up with any suggestions for improving the place because the place is so top-heavy with management that it will take, literally, months to get the smallest change institutionalized. It's a Dilbert world and incredibly frustrating. I have come up with a few suggestions - which will go nowhere. The why-bother mentality is very tempting.

I am seriously thinking of more education, sooner than later. The problem there is what to take. I could do a Master's in Nursing, or in Education (ick), or a Nurse Practitioner degree. I am also interested in a Bioethics degree, which may pave the way for some cushy government appointment, which is really what I'm after (because a smallish bureaucracy like mine isn't frustrating enough). Who knows. All I know is that the deadlines are all coming up, so I'd better get off the pot if I want to start in September.

Well, I think I've killed enough time... my eyelids are heavy. We went out for a nice dinner tonight with friends, and I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow, and my sister is redecorating the bathroom. So exciting things are afoot around home, if not at work. Keep you posted.