Finally Starting To Work In Tucson
Granted, part of that time was planned; we purposely didn't work at all in December. Still, it's nice to finally be pulling in an income. I assure you, Jess is more than enthusiastic about me starting as well. We are both tiring of my role as house-husband for that last three weeks.
I've kept the house very, very clean. The sheets were washed more times since we arrived in Tucson than the three months in Madison. Zuri has been a wreck, since every time we clean she assumes that we are getting ready to move again. She isn't used to that much cleaning activity, so she has been pouting more than usual. That could be because she misses my parents' dog, with whom she spent December and became good friends with. Perhaps all my cleaning is just the icing on the cake.
At any rate, I've also kept busy running and hiking. I joined a nearby library, where I got a bunch of books on Arizona, as well as loads of CDs that I've been burning on my computer. I joined a photography meet-up group and actually attended a meeting, which I was never able to do in Madison or New Haven. So, my time hasn't been wasted.
However, the fun times have come to and end, or rather, they've been cut back to normal. The vacation is over. I'm currently sitting in a computer class, which is nothing if not boring and excruciating. The trick is being able to type without any clicking sounds and being able to make the instructor think you're actually paying attention. It's more difficult today; there are only three of us in the class. I have to be particularly subtle.
On Friday, I will spend my first shift on the floor. I'm working in a CVICU, so it will have a lot of cardiac. That's a little worrisome to me, but I'll survive. I'll be suffering this weekend, as I will have to be up by 5:30. These last three weeks, I've been getting up between 8 and 10, which has become my routine. Even worse, I'll be working seven out of eight days, so it will be relentless. That's probably good, to get me back into the habit of being up really early. The first few days will be painful, though.
One thing that I don't like at all about Tucson is its traffic situation. They wanted to preserve the small town feeling of this city, which is utterly ridiculous for a city of over 600,000 legal inhabitants (we are just up the road from Nogales, Mexico, so not all Tucson residents are documented). So, they didn't put in any freeways within the city. This means the roads are clogged most of the day and night, there are stoplights one after another, and it takes forever to get anywhere (this morning it took me 45 minutes to go 11 miles). I'm not fond of that at all. Any city over 500,000 should at least have a beltline going around it. From our apartment, it takes us 30 minutes just to get to the only nearby interstate.
I do like being around the friends I had starting in Tucson back in December. One couple is living just a few doors down from us in the same apartment complex. We have seen quite a bit of each other in the last three weeks, hiking, playing Wii, that sort of thing. They even kept Zuri for us last weekend when we headed to San Diego for a couple of nights; they like her enough we thought there might be fisticuffs trying to get her back.
Scott is a travel RN, and this was his first assignment. It hasn't gone as he anticipated, though. Given the economic situation, it was an unfortunate time for him to start. Three weeks into his contract, they told him that they were cutting his contract short, and gave him 30 days. Eventually he worked out a deal to take a seasonal worker position, the same kind as the position I've taken. He even stayed in his original unit. However, since he no longer worked for our travel agency, he had to move into another apartment, which ended up being in a nearby building. He had to pay a bunch of rental related fees, go through all of the hospital related orientation crap, and take a week off. It was a huge pain, and not really the best way to start out being a travel nurse. Still, he suffered though it well; this probably won't be his last assignment.
Speaking of the economic situation, this has been a very educational experience for us. We now know that travel nursing isn't immune to the downturn. Hospitals still need us, they just don't want to pay for us. We are a little concerned already about job positions come May, after my assignment is done here. Jess is even considering interviewing for adult units, to give us much more selection. Currently, there are very few PICU jobs out there, although that could change by May. On the other hand, we now have another tool to find jobs, the option of working as seasonal travelers. This may develop as a new trend as hospitals cut costs by hiring travelers directly instead of through agencies. It's good to know that this is a possibility, and even more. For example, we may find it's more lucrative to hire on as seasonal travelers, as hospitals may pay us more if they don't have to pay an agency. Of course, that means we would lose out on the benefits of the agency, for example the housing and tax perks. Still, having more tools in the toolbox is always a better thing.
Anyhow, I'm very excited to be starting. I feel like this will be a very educational experience, and I'm getting a little stir-crazy waiting to get working. Strangely, I am quite eager to get started, rather than sad to leaving behind a two-month hiatus from working. I never thought I'd be in that frame of mind. Hmm.
Until next time, be safe.
