Unofficial Job Acceptance

I have unofficially accepted a full-time position at the skilled nursing facility I interviewed at on Monday. I was waiting to hear from the hospital/skilled nursing facility that I interviewed with a month ago and finally got in touch with the rehab director today. Their hiring process requires that all interested candidates receive an interview before a decision is made. They have had a hard time scheduling interviews with some of the candidates, and now think I may not hear from them until late January/ early February (and that a start date could be as late as March). I have indicated that I continue to be interested, as there could be opportunities for me to work PRN for them in pediatrics or acute care, however, I needed to make a decision about my full-time job for now and have chosen to work for the facility that was able to offer me a job currently.

I am very excited to start working soon and will keep myself busy in the meantime doing pre-working paperwork, studying for boards, and paid orientation at the facility. We have set a flexible start date for the facility as Feb 2nd (to begin skilled OT), however, I will probably orient earlier than that.

It really seems just around the corner now! Yipee!

Job hunting is a full time job!

Well,

Yesterday marked my first "real interview"...well, kind of-haha.

I went to a skilled nursing facility associated with a major hospital in Pensacola for a "peer interview" yesterday. However, the facility is down on therapists and a permanent occupational therapist (they have a few contract therapists as well) who was supposed to be a part of the peer interview was stuck in South Florida from a weekend flight. The rehab director asked if I could come back on Wednesday for the "peer interview".

Needless to say, I was able to meet with the rehabilitation director (the person I had a telephone interview with) and I went for a tour of the facility. I also stayed for a holiday lunch provided by one of the physical therapists to mix and mingle (as many of the therapists at the lunch would be the ones in my peer interview on Wednesday). I was disappointed about the interview being postponed, however, it seemed like a positive experience overall and I hope I left a great impression :).

This morning I met with an employment "person" (don't remember his official title) at the Fleet and Family Support Center on base. I mainly met with him to discuss how I might get an "in" with health care jobs related to the federal government (I had applied to an open OT position at the VA in October but have not heard about my application and there is no way for me to contact the facility directly). Anyways, this gentleman was incredibly helpful and kind in helping me understand how to apply for a job with the federal government (i.e. doing exactly the opposite of what I assumed- I had assumed being concise and brief would be preferred). He gave me several websites to post a "profile" on and many tips on how to rearrange my resume for this type of job. Last but certainly not least, he had a contact at the VA and was able to call the department I was applying to and left a message with one of the therapists to have the supervisor call him back. I was so thankful for the help only he was able to provide (as it would not have been preferred for me to try to contact these people directly). I am hoping to hear back from this man regarding what might be some useful steps for how to get an "in", etc etc. While I may not get a job with the federal government at this duty station, it is a long application process and it can only help to do these things now. This summer the President introduced a new legislation that gives military spouses priority for jobs with the federal government, however, the man I spoke with said it might take awhile for everyone to get on the same page.

So, I have a few things boiling in my pot and I am hoping for a great opportunity! It is a funny time of year being that I am initiating these things and then Josh and I will leave for CT, but I'm sure it will all work out.

Now I am off to rework all of my applications, try to recover our missing household goods, change my health care insurance provider, and maybe, just maybe I'll get some studying in!

Occupational Therapy....Here I come!

It has been a long road to pursue my career in occupational therapy (or at least it has certainly seemed that way at times)! Today I felt I made some progress towards actually working as an "OT" some day....finally!

Today I applied to take my boards and applied for Florida licensure- fun, but expensive business apparently!

Just when I thought we were done with all the "fees" related to becoming an OT, there was another around the corner. Oh well, just the way it is I suppose.

Tomorrow I will take an online course in medical error prevention. In two weeks I will get my CPR re-certification. And in a few months I will actually take my boards.

On another note,

I suppose part of being a big girl and getting a job means having a more versatile form of transportation rather than "going into work" with the hubby when I need to run errands. Josh and I had fun test driving some cars and hope to get me a set of wheels before I begin my job. I have historically not particularly enjoyed driving, however, I'm hoping to turn over a new leaf in the new year and feel safe and confident at the wheel, rather than depending on my trusty and loving chauffeur all the time.

Edgar can testify to the fact that it's not easy getting old and having responsibilities-after all, he actually had to move "downstairs" in his guinea palace while I cleaned the "upstairs" (shelf). Today I noticed that our tailored "plan my move" calendar (courtesy of the military) suggested we begin talking with our "children" about the upcoming move and select "age appropriate" books as a resource- I considered writing them for suggestions on books to provide our beloved guinea pig, but somehow, I think he'll make it....as long as green beans are involved.

Phone interviews and real interviews!

Well, after 3 rather "money/productivity" focused phone interviews, I was beginning to think this is just what health care has come to! While I have many potential job opportunities simmering, I learned of a really neat opportunity today.

I had a phone interview with a rehab coordinator (and Physical Therapist) today that seemed to go really well. It was more of an interview than the others really because the other 3 went something like this: when can you start? How much do you want to make?

This interview actually required thought! I was rather stumped by some of her questions (e.g. how do you measure success?), but hopefully I managed to come up with an impressive answer ;).

I learned a lot about the facility and what they are currently looking for. They are looking for an OT to either work only at their skilled nursing facility or to split the day in half and work half the day at the acute care hospital and half of the day at the long term care facility. One neat thing about this facility is that there could be opportunities to get a wide range of experiences (with pediatrics at the hospital, adults, and older adults). Anyways, I have an "official" peer interview where I will be asked questions by a panel of therapists at the facility on December 15th. It seems so far away but I know these next several weeks will fly by!

One really neat thing about the facility is the opportunity available to be mentored by other therapists and to provide care to people regardless of whether or not they can pay for it (a very similar mission to Jefferson Hospital where I did a clinical that I enjoyed).

Well, that's all for now!