One of those people who actually like tests.. and waking up early.

I'm certain the title of this post would come as no surprise to any of my friends.
I really, truly do enjoy reading text books, studying, and taking tests. My class would unanimously say I was the class nerd. It's interesting how few of the details I memorized have been useful. It's skill in clinical assessment and knowledge of equipment that I really rely on. I use nerd knowledge for physician interaction only.(speaking in their language works much better)

Anyways:

The NBRC has developed a new exam for our profession and word got to me that they were paying RT's $200 to take the test. One of my friends just took it an achieved what would seem to be a passing grade- without studying. Her reasoning for not studying was to use the exam as diagnostic for how much she remembers from school.

I Just now applied to take this exam. Getting paid for it would be nice as well. Should I use it as a diagnostic of how much I remember from school? or be sensible and study at least a little for it, to get the best score I can, on the most completely irrelevant exam of my life? (most likely what I'll choose)



So I've been applying for various jobs, So I can work again in the light of day. All the health research I've read about working the night shift, as well as everything decidedly non-night shift people have said about the night shift, has all proven true. It's a little vexing that my half year working contingent at one place overlapping the 8+ months now working 40 hours full time in critical ICUs at another, is still not sufficient for the "1 year 20 hours exp+, 3 months critical ICU" requirement many positions have. The chronological year of banishment from light is the price new grads pay for admission. Well in three months we shall see. I'll be able to mark 'Yes' on those questions.

It's been awhile since I made a post here. It was easy to lose track since I'm currently working two jobs and going to school for my bachelors.

I was incredibly fortunate to not only get a job at a major hospital, but to also get a full time job at one. Even more so that it's a very fast paced high workload, acute care environment with ornery inner city patients. In a few months I've grown immensely. My bedside manner, helping upset patients and family, dealing with equipment shortages, Managing very acute ICU floors with several ventilator dependent patients. My coping strategies have grown immensely. Even in hospital wide emergency situations as I recently found out. The first month was really rough, the second was getting into my groove, now I'm thriving. I still have a lot to learn but I'm doing great where I'm at right now. I've made friends throughout the hospital- Nurses, fellow therapists. It's great to face the various challenges that come up as a team. People who rely on me and also tell me if I could do something better.

Working at my other job with patients who are long term is a wonderful experience as well. It allows a much better rapport with patients if you take care of them for months.
Using what is essentially home respiratory equipment is also a blast. Portable suction machines, LTVs, Oxygen concentrators, you name it.

The only major negative for me right now, is being so far from my family in CA. Also the oranges here are really truly awful. I wouldn't recommend them.

First ever two hour interview.

I am so happy right now. I had my first Respiratory Therapy interview. Of course it started out with questions, both simple clinical questions and a packet of What did yo do in this or that situation? (customer service/ conflict resolution).

Clinical questions I like. The other type make me very nervous- especially not having experiences and stories that matched the questions well. The interviewers were very nice and professional so it helped a lot. We had a great long rich varied enjoyable conversation.

"When can you start?" "Can you do midnights?" "This is how compensation works with HR"

Which I took to mean that I'm hired.. Two hour interviews usually mean good news anyways though, correct? What's funny to me though is that I have no idea which of the jobs I applied for I was actually interviewing for. Is it midnights? Is it contingent or full time? When do I actually start? I suppose I'll find out when HR contacts me.

Another interview in a few days. Also kind of funny to me since I did the 'hard' interview first. Of all the interviews my one friend had, he referred to this place as the 'hardest'. So of course it's my first professional job interview. I never do things the easy way.

Michigan, journey for job interviews. Questions, canceled.

So I Received my Michigan RT license in the mail. Immediately applied for jobs, and soon after got phone calls for interviews. Left California with almost everything I own in a sub compact vehicle, Made it through the 2350 mile journey- with some interesting events a long the way, and now I'm back home in Michigan.

First job interview was at a long term care facility with some negative press.
Canceled on me a day before my interview. "Restructuring". So in 3 days I'll have my first RT job interview. It's alright with me that it's taken so long. Trying to be there for my mom in California was worth it. Though I was not considered worthy even for a phone interview there. Family comes first, and the hopelessness of getting a job there no matter what I tried was a learning and also a thoroughly tempering experience.

I was talking to my best friend here and he expressed to me that it was imperative to work on interviewing questions. Well I felt relatively comfortable being asked completely random clinical questions. "Yes they ask some of those, but it's mostly another type of question." Awkward, strange, personality questions. How you had or would respond in different social situations at work- as well as questions such as "What are your weaknesses."

I have no doubt that I could and would respond well and agreeably to almost any social situation at work owing to my even disposition and good temperament. But not having any forewarning that such questions would perhaps be asked in an RT position interview would have left me to respond initially with a blank stare, then some awkward improvised response.

Why should it be at all a challenge for me? In my mind Professionalism, especially in the medical field, would require a mature friendly reasonable response to any situation. Knowing and believing in that and applying it to myself, I would invariably respond in a mature, friendly reasonable way that was tailored in response to the exact situation. I am an intuitive person and so that is how I respond. So to answer a question about a situation, but without specifics can have a dumbfounding effect on me. What could I say that honestly and adequately expresses a response I would have in that general situation? Of curse it would take me a few minutes to properly formulate an answer.

As anything with school or life, practice makes perfect. I hope to impress whoever interviews me, and to then go on and work hard and smart and to impress whoever I work with. Out of respect for them, my school, my teachers, my family, and myself.

I'm grateful how an interview being canceled doesn't upset me that much. I would have made the best out of working there, specialized my trach care skills, and been happy for the job. But there are others and it's nice to have an interview somewhere else in three days.