After a 7 month journey of endless applications and resumes, many tears of frustration, few interviews, and even fewer glimmers of hope, I have received an official offer for a job at the Denver Health Pediatric floor and PICU.
Years ago, when I chose nursing as my profession, I loved the flexibility in hours, the ability to someday have a resume littered with experiences in the OR, the ER, inpatient peds, outpatient family practice, teaching, research, home health, travel etc... I've always had in mind, "well, at least I'll be able to find a job easily". The past 7 months have been challenged ALL of that!
It's been a challenge, and I feel like I should have been learning stuff like patience, or resillience; maybe God was teaching me contentment with where I was. I don't know, although I probably should have been looking UP more than I have been looking inward. And I do know I've been ready for something different for awhile and I'm so relieved/excited/nervous/(insert emotion here) change is on the horizon.
Don't get me wrong, I'll miss my clinic. We have a crew of hardworking individuals who always manage to pull through for our patients, no matter how frustrating the situation may be. We've got an amazing unique patient population of refugees who are trying their darndest to learn English and navigate the health care system, all while looking for work and raising 12 kids (birth control's a crazy topic for many of them!). I will miss the colors, smells and sounds of our waiting room. At any given time, I'd hear Amharic, Karen, Burmese, Nepali, Arabic, Swahili, Spanish being spoken. It was music to my ears.
During the past two years, my eyes and ears have been more opened to the needs of my community around me. Many of these refugees live less than 10 minutes from me, yet when I drive in their neighborhood, it's like I've traveed thousands of miles away. I'd like to always be a part of serving our diverse Denver neighbors, but I know my service will look different as time changes and seasons of life change.
Just this morning, I helped load up a moving truck of our church's adopted family from Eritrea. Dad's found a job about an hour and half away and the family couldn't be more excited! good for them! But i'll miss their sweet faces and the spicy smell of their home will linger in my mind. (in a good way...!)
What's next? I don't know for sure. We'll start with 2 weeks off to organize the house and my life, goof off, pray, read, and re-prioritize. Then it's off to weird hospital hours, sick kids and scared families, new coworkers, and whatever else God has in store for me!
Yay for new adventures, eh? =)
No comments:
Post a Comment