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December: This month i even worked so much that i worked on christmas eve and 16 on christmas day at the nursing home.  At that time, i did not mine because i know as a new employee and nurse i had to pay my dues to get certain days off.  I never complained and just went about my days and work.  I took it day by day never counted how many straight days i was working.  One of my weakness is i tend to get sucked in on working overtime.  I dont know if i can not say no or sometimes i think that im just too nice.  Although i'm trying to improve on that because i think i'm working too much and i can feel the fatigue physically and mentally.  But i did spend time with my family over the holidays, it was a traditional holiday.

January:  New Year was celebrated in my house. A new year and a new job for me.  I got a job offer at Rancho Los Amigos County Hospital and i accepted it because ive always wanted to work at Rancho since i was still doing my clinical rotation as a student.  I actually applied since September, but was never called until now. Anyway  I was working 2 jobs at the nursing home and at Rancho.  I wanted to challenge myself again and keep myself busy.  I've been working since i was 16 years old and since then this is my 2nd double job and im only 23.  Ive worked hard and a lot.  I had orientation at Rancho for one mth until February so it wasnt that difficult. So once again, my schedule was so busy. I was working everyday and some days doing 16.  Honestly, i wasn't happy even though i was piling up money in my account.  I realize here that money can not buy happiness.  I take a look back at the people in the Philippines, they don't have any money, they don't work, they are poor, and in need of financial help but they are happy.  Life here in America is just the reverse.  I was not happy because i felt like work took my time off from my family, off my social life, off my hobbies, and other things that made me happy.  I knew that this was just going to be temporary and had to give up one of my job. I experience that the more money you have the more stingy you become.  Money is an addiction. I rather have the balance in my life with having just emough money but still have time to do other things at the same time.

February: I resigned at the nursing home.  After a taste of Rancho i decided that it was a better fit for me.  I found Rancho a place where i can grow and learn as a nurse.  Not that i didnt learn anything from the nursing home, but i wanted to advance my learning and skill level and Rancho offers it.  Plus it's a county, so i have plenty of good benefits.  I left Briarcrest in a quite way.  I didn't informed everyone about my departure, because i was not happy with the workplace anymore.  It was getting so bad that i just want to leave peacefully. I disliked the DON in my previous job that my stress level was so high that i was suffering.  However, i had no regrets working there.  I believe that Briarcrest made me a tougher and stronger nurse to start. I learned from several mistakes which made me a better nurse.  In my profession, if you are just in it for the money, you wont last.  I have experienced it several times that the job and the stress level surpasses the money.  I double doubt myself sometimes on why i became a nurse. Despite all the stress and hard work i have put into, I LIKE BEING A NURSE. I think i have all the characteristic of being a good nurse, this is probably why god allowed me to become who i am now. 

March:  There were several competency check-list that I needed to do at work for county requirement like: CPR, code blue, vent, tracheostomy class, new-grad class, and several in-services.  So this month I had to focus in with work.   I took some classes they offer a to learn new skills and prepare myself. These classes took a lot of my time. See nursing is a continuos learning, no matter if you are a new grad or you’ve been a nurse for 30 years.  The skill level and knowledge requires update and or changes. I’m the type who thinks that if I don’t learn anything new everyday I consider my day as a failure. Anyway, you can tell that I have no life, because I continue to write about work, hehe.. I also believe in the say of if you are not challenge you are not growing.  Let me tell you more about my work.  I work at one of the challenging and toughest unit at Rancho.  But I like it, I don’t complaint and if I do its very rare and due to fatigue.  I like to be challenge because is where I learn the most.  I like to learn because it makes me a better and intellectual person. Many of my peers has told me that I act and think older than my age.  One of the reason I think is because I’m the youngest at work.  All my coworkers are well beyond my age so just being around them contributes in my maturation quickly.  I’m well accustomed to being around people who are older than me, and when I’m around people who are my age group I tend to stand out due to my maturity.  I have several friends who call me “ate” and we are the same age.  I have many mentors, admirers, to whom I seek, listen for advice, request for guidance and help.