Happy New Year

I realize I am a bit late but wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone! I hope this year is better than last, although I had some great times last year too. I hope to have more time to spend at the torch and working on things I love this year. Here is a pic of some of my most recent work, a custom order set in Boise State colors!

Times when I really don't like my job

There are times in any job when you really don't like the things you have to do or deal with. Maybe there are a few of you out there who truly love what you do and don't have bad days, I hope there are. For me, most of the time I love my job. Being able to help someone is always a nice feeling. However, with it I guess comes the other side. The watching them die. Because of the settings I have worked in prior to this job, I have been lucky enough not to deal with death as much as some. You never forget the first patient you loose, regardless of the circumstance. But tonight we had one who was on hospice pass on. It was not as hard on me as some of the others, I haven't been there long. But to sit with someone and watch them die is tough for me still. I find some comfort, however in knowing that he was not alone; two of us sat with him through his last moments of life. It is just a mixture of emotions that I don't particularly care for and I hope we have some time before we have to go there again.

Thankful

Well I have survived my first couple of shifts "on my own" at work. I am grateful and thankful that those that I work with are easy to get along with, after all I went through with the last job, it really means a lot. Also, Mighty had his follow up appointment at the vet and she told us that because his improvement was so drastic, we will "write this off as an infection"!! We went from thinking we were going to loose another pet before the end of the year to having one who it seems feels much better than he has for a while.

The first week

I have now worked 5 full days at my new job and so far so good. I am always a bit reserved when I start a new job, I don't much care for change. So far I have had mostly positive experiences which is good in a setting such as this. I have never been a fan of long term care and have a ton of respect for those who can do it. However, I must say that it is possible (ok, likely) that what I am basing my opinion on, the experiences I have had, are not the norm. This, I am glad to learn. As a new employee in this facility, I have seen nothing but compassion and caring from the staff at all levels. That to me is the single most important aspect. The rest, I can deal with. Because the way things are done are so much different than what I am used to (not wrong mind you, just different), I feel like it is taking me a while to figure things out. The good part though is that those I have been working with have been great about helping out and showing me what needs to be done. So, for fear of jinxing myself, I will just say, "so far, so good". :)

Changes

So I wrote last about Mighty and that we thought he was doing better. Today his "tumor" is all but gone and he seems to be feeling better still. We have a follow up appointment set for next Monday to see what the doctor thinks but so far so good.

I have gone in for orientation for my new job, it has taken a while from when they actually offered me the job to get to this point and there was a bit of confusion along the way but I think everything is all worked out now. Tonight is my first full shift and training on the floor and I must admit I'm actually sort of excited about it. I have worked in long term care in the past but not in this capacity. It will certainly be a change from my comfort zone but so far in touring the facility everyone seems nice, so that will be a welcome change! I know that every job has its ups and downs...I'm just hoping that the downs are few and far between!