March 11, 2013

Miscellaneous

I found a new job through the college website and began training last week.
Its at a 24h/7days a week emergency pet hospital.  I do front desk work like admitting patients, taking payments, filing, faxing and printing files, cleaning, and all the cleaning and maintenance on the lobby.
It is very demanding and they hold a high standard, which I like because I feel like they appreciate me more for trying hard and they hold themselves to the same standards and goals.
I have a head start with a basic knowledge of medical terms and prefixes and suffixes.  I learned on Friday night/Saturday morning how to read nursing sheets and I am starting to identify medicines and diagnoses.

The only hard part is that I come in to work at 2am and work until midday.  When I have a couple days back-to-back I get home and sleep until 9sh and then have a couple hours in the evening.  It doesnt leave me much time for schoolwork, but thankfully this week is spring break and I have a couple days to get used to the new grind.
School and work is going to be a doozy until I can conquer the new learning curve.  I also found out that the schoolbook I bought for one class may be an older edition and does not have the new information for me to take a test on.  I wrote the professor and asked what my options where (getting a copy of the material, getting tested on a different section) but I really dont want to buy a new book for one last module.
I havent been feeling 100% either most probably due to the stress of getting fired, the emotions and struggles of finding a new job, applying and getting turned down, finally getting a job and then the learning curve and push to do 110% even on your first day.... besides tests and grade worries and just the battle of everyday life struggling to find motivation for every day.

I swear, sometimes it just a victory to force myself up in the mornings!
But each small victory and all the little steps are what make the victories and the achievements, right?

One of the really good parts is I get to see, spend time with, and pet animals all day.  Mostly dogs, because cats are a lot more skittish in the ER and hospital situation and need caging.  Dogs are usually a little more confident (or overconfident) and are alright on a leash out in the treatment area.
Why, just last night there was this Great Dane that was almost 4 feet tall and probably weighed around 70lbs.  I spent a bit of time talking to her and petting her and calling her "horsey".  Right across to the next treatment area (about 6 feet) was this small Chihuahua (about 1.5 kiloes and not more than 8 inches tall at the most) shivering and waiting for his the test results.  On any busy day there will be euthanasia and pets bleeding all over the waiting room and the receptionist rushing around from one emergency to the next trying to damage control and keep people happy and clean and complete paperwork and protocol duties all at the same time.
What can I say?  I wont ever get bored, I wont ever run out of work, I wont ever be fired for lack of emergencies, and my job is really something that is necessary.  Comforting and reassuring frightened parents/owners and greasing the wheels of the operation.  I think I will be very happy where I am.....


...once I get my sleep schedule ironed out!!