Snapshots

I knew I wouldn't have much free time when I signed myself up for six weeks of working M-F and then 8 hours of class each Saturday and Sunday. It's starting to catch up to me though, and I'm sooooooo looking forward to having an entire day off again!

Work: We had a meeting about how we shouldn't harass each other on Facebook or form cliques or gossip. WTF? I'm so glad I was completely out of the loop on whatever was going on. Am not Facebook friends with any of my current coworkers and now I'll be sure to keep it that way! Also, one of my very favorite old guys is moving into my facility next month. He's been on the wait list for about a year, and came and toured again the other day when I was working. I like to think they decided to move him in because I'm there, but it could also be because a private room (most of ours are shared rooms, 2 residents) finally opened up.

School: Tomorrow we start our clinicals at a Real Live Skilled Nursing Facility! I'm excited a little differently than my classmates are. I already know I like that environment, and am not stressing about "how will I do pericare on someone who is standing up and not laying on the bed like the manikin?". I'm curious to see what it's like to take care of people without dementia (will I like it or will I find it boring?) and to see if I think the pace is something I could handle or not. At my job, each caregiver has around 10 residents to care for per shift. At a SNF it's between 10-15. I wonder if it's much faster to care for them because of their cognition, or if that's just an insane workload and you never get everything done. If it seems doable, I will likely apply to a SNF in my town later this year. I like the GreatRep, but the pay is pretty crappy and there's no health insurance. If I am certified, I can work at a different place in town where the base pay is $2 more per hour than I make now.

PS I got to wear my brand new ciel blue scrubs to class today, and stopped at a gas station for a diet coke on the way. Someone there asked me "Do you work over at Sacred Heart?" and I wanted to be able to say yes so much. Someday, buddy, someday.