More changes

Well, it is happening. The clinic I work in will be closing its doors soon, partly due to money issues and partly because the physician is retiring, and I am back on the employment search train again. The sad part about this, though the PA I work with is going to try to take as many patients along to the next job (and mine will go with me), is how many physicians won’t take Medicaid anymore. It just doesn’t pay, and the loss of income on each patient, coupled with the impossibility of finding specialists to refer Medicaid patients to, and the restrictions on what we can and can’t order for them, it is not a viable option for a lot of physicians to take Medicaid. On the patients’ side, if they have share of cost, it is often so high, they can’t afford to get healthcare anyway. The whole thing just stinks.

The good news is that there are several options for me and I will not be jobless for long, if at all. The bad news is that things are so up in the air that I haven’t found a lot of emotional space to write in my blog recently, though I did get a new bike, well actually a recumbent trike. An arthritic girl’s best friend! And my dog’s favorite thing, too!

 

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Office Politics

One of the hardest things to do when starting a new job, is to get a handle on the office politics. The difficulty level is higher when there is a large group of physicians, other mid-levels and a large assortment of assistants and office personnel. Add some new services being set up and the mix gets a bit volatile.

I have never been a real political person, so I would have had a real problem with all of this only a few years ago. After the rigors of post-graduate education, and the “Project”, it seems that I have developed some new skills in dealing with the politics, and a higher level of personal confidence. So far, things are going relatively smoothly, and I am learning who the movers and shakers are, how to keep myself in the loop, who are my allies and which people I need to be careful around.

All in all, considering the amount of people in the practice and the sheer amount of patients seen and procedures done, this three-ring circus operates quite smoothly, and I am feeling more comfortable each day in my new role. We are settling into our new community, making new friends and enjoying the outdoor activities and beautiful surroundings we have here. There is a 43 mile long bicycle trail which runs past lakes, parks, and forest near by which we are enjoying each weekend. Life is good.

I need a new bicycle…

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Woo Hoo!

I passed my final exam…..only the presentation of my project is left.

I suppose I will have to change the blog title soon to “Trials and Tribulations of a New NP”. I have found a position with a group of GI physicians, this ought to be interesting! It is not easy to find a position when you are a new grad, I was lucky to get more than one offer, of which this one worked out the best.

The cool part is, I get to hang out in the cushy doctor’s lounge in the hospital between patients. 🙂 If I have time to hang out that is… Will keep you all posted.

 

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Clinicals are done……..

Wow, I can’t believe it. I posted my clinical hours fron the last 2 weeks, and I get a response from my instructor:

You are officially done.

Really? Already? Have I really put in over 660 hours of clinical time? I am conflicted about this. Part of me says, “You don’t know shit” and another part of me says “Wow, cool, I have learned a lot. ”

I think I will stick with the second part, I did learn a lot.

It’s funny, when I  just looked back at what I wrote, the negative feeling was in the third person, and the positive in first. Goes to show that I really do believe in myself and a little voice by my ear is telling me the bad stuff. My heart knows the amazing amount of knowledge I have gained, and experience.

There must be a point in this observation. Don’t listen to that little voice in your ear, listen to the one inside.

 One interesting thing, I got to meet a real live alligator wrestler on my last day, he had a bad shoulder. Why am I not surprised? He did tell us that alligators were easier to wrestle when they weren’t hungry…

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