Interview

Valley Regional Medical Center

The interview went really well!  I met with the HR person first.  He has always been so nice.  They provided me with a packet of information plus apartment listings.  I talked with him for a bit and went over the finances part and how much I would make.  I would get an extra $1/hr since I have a BSN degree!!! =)  Being smart does pay off!

me getting ready for the interview =)

I then met with the director of the medical unit who gave me a tour of the unit and discussed how the unit ran.  I then met with the unit manager for days whom I spent most of my time.  She was really nice.  She explained how the unit functioned and stressed the importance of learning Spanish.  Most of the patients are Spanish speaking.  So glad that I took 4 years of French *lol* There is a computer interpretor available plus most of the staff speaks Spanish too so I could grab them in a pinch.  They offer tons of overtime so that's good.  She said it would be time and half plus $5/hr.  Holidays are double pay!!

After I spoke with the day manager, they wanted me to return at 4pm to meet the night manager and the person I would be working with.  She was the one whom I spoke with on the phone the other day.  She's super nice.  She said she had a gut "feeling" when she spoke with me and knew that I would be perfect on the unit =)

During my time in between interviews, the HR person called and offered me the job!!!  I was pretty excited!  So, I took going back to the hospital at 4pm as my last chance to take it all in and see.  I didn't have to make the decision right on the spot but I do need to let them know soon.  Their next orientation is on April 19th.  They also have a few in May as well.

After leaving the hospital and sitting in my hotel, I'm still very unsure of it all.  I'm just not sure if I can move this far away and leave my family and friends behind.  The hospital seems to be nice and the staff has been so amazing but I think the distance, plus being a new nurse, and the stress of living alone those first 3-4 months until Doug would move down would be very difficult for me.  Plus, the whole language barrier would be very hard until I picked up a few key phrases (the hospital also offers Spanish classes and medical terminology in Spanish as well).  Having to care for a patient and not having them be able to explain their needs would be very difficult for me.  I need to adequately assess my patients and want to make them as comfortable as I could.  How could I do that without being able to tell if they are in pain or not?  That would devastate me.  I would hate to rely on others to translate.

So, Doug and I have a lot to discuss once I come home.  I'm so happy for this opportunity and am glad that I went on this little adventure.  I would always wonder..."what if" if I never took the time to see for myself.

I'm excited to fly back home tomorrow!!!  I called and got an earlier flight so I arrive in Columbus at 5:55pm instead of 11:10pm.  Will make getting up on Wednesday for work so much easier!!  I'll keep you all posted on what we decide.  I told them to give me about 2 weeks to discuss this!  But I think I already made up my decision.  Just need to make sure it's the right one.