Okay, well I’ve taken quite a hiatus from blogging. I guess it falls pretty low on the priority list; there just seems to be so much to do in so little time.
I took a position in the emergency department in Crete, Nebraska, a small town approximately 25-30 minutes southwest of Lincoln. The population is just shy of 7,000 people and it has a high Hispanic population (there are a few manufacturing/production/meat packing plants). It is the home of Doane College, a private liberal arts school with approximately 1,000
students.
I work four 15-hour night shifts and a 44-hour weekend shift every two weeks, which averages to 52 hours of work a week. Although the hours are less than ideal for myself, it is the best way for Jeff and I to switch off watching the baby without having to spend too much time away. Yes, sleeping is allowed, but I can tell you that I feel a little deceived about how “low-volume” this ER is at night: you normally average about 1.5-2 hours of sleep overnight (This was the CEO's justification for why I work more for less pay...). The other day I got about 30 minutes of sleep the other night. Frankly, I’m concerned about how I am going to be able to keep up this schedule plus take care of a baby during the day, let alone survive doing this for four years and with two or three kids.
As of right now, our game plan is for Jeff to (hopefully) start dental school this fall and since dental school is twice as expensive as med school and he’s almost maxed out his student loans, I would work these night/weekend hours and take care of the kids during the day. This would allow
us to avoid as much debt as possible (particularly private student loans or credit cards). We’d still need to take out some loans (dental school is crazy expensive and I’m super underpaid here—$10k a year underpaid!), but we’re going to try our best .
More about the baby and pregnancy soon!
5 comments:
WOW!!! Congrats on the new job, very exciting, but WHAT IS THIS ABOUT A BABY??? You can't just drop that in there like that!! Sounds like all kind of congratulations are in order! Excited for your new job, and I hope that your body gets used to the routine and it's not too stressful on you. Hope you guys are doing great, and good luck on all the new plans!!
Tasha, I've been thinking about you a lot lately! I'm glad to hear that you at least have a plan even if it isn't the way you saw things going in your head. We will eventually be moving back to NE (if things go as WE plan!) so we will need to get together on your off days. Good luck with your last few months of pregnancy!!
I've been thinking about you. Glad for the update, Tasha!
A new job and a baby! I'm so happy for you two, ahem, three. Let's hear more about it!
You've always been one to do things right and to the best of your ability. You are a serious inspiration.
Miss you!
Wow, 15 hours is a long shift, especially overnight. Of course, 44 hours is much longer (hello, no weekend break!) It does sound like the hours are "good" for your circumstances, but they are still exhausting. All I can say is nap when the baby does!
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