Looks like we're going to keep traveling- we are heading to Northern Montana.
We have wanted this particular job since August of last year. It's somewhere we've always wanted to go, both for its beauty and for special cultural significance to us. We are confident that we will make some great memories there.
But after three weeks in our house, we are leaving with heavy hearts. We've so enjoyed seeing family and friends. We love going out to eat or to the grocery store and recognizing people. We love going to church and having friendly Southern people shake our hands and welcome us. It's good to be home, and it's hard to leave again.
So keep us in your prayers and we'll keep you posted.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Crazy ER Stories: The "Free" Emergency Room
Crazy ER Stories: The “Free” Emergency Room.
A large percentage of the population is under the false impression that the emergency room is “free.” ERs are legally obligated to treat emergency patients regardless of their ability to pay, so many people use the ER as their personal doctor’s office/laboratory/hotel—whatever.
Until I married my ER nurse husband, Brandon, I had no idea how many people abuse the system. One hospital where he worked actually considered closing the doors to their ER, because it was such a “black hole” financially.
While I can understand why some people use the ER for non-emergency purposes, there is one type of patient I absolutely cannot understand: the pregnancy test patient.
No matter where he is working, Brandon has at least one woman per day come to the ER for a “free” pregnancy test. Never mind the fact that every one of these cities has had a crisis pregnancy center, a family planning center, a health department, and a Dollar Tree. Rather than visit a center that provides free pregnancy tests, or fork over the dollar + tax it would cost to buy one themselves; these woman choose to come to the ER, sit in the waiting room for hours, and use hospital resources to take the same pee test they would be given somewhere else.
In Wisconsin, Brandon had a woman who came in every month for a test. She never bothered to wait for her period, or even calculate whether or not it was late. She never even bothered to think back to her social life to see if there was even a reason to worry. She simply came in each month for a “standard, free pregnancy test.”
On a day where the ER was full of true emergencies, and three other women had already come in for pregnancy tests, Brandon had had enough. When his regular walked in, he decided to have a talk with her.
“Why do you always come here for a pregnancy test?” he asked, while checking her into the system.
“Because it’s free,” the woman replied promptly.
“Actually, it’s not. Every time you walk in the door and sign your name on the list, it’s eight hundred dollars. When you pee on that stick, it’s another two hundred. So basically, you run up a thousand dollar bill every month that you come in here for a “free” test. YOU don’t have to pay for it—that gets left to your insurance, or to the hospital, or to the American taxpayer. But it’s certainly not free.”
The woman was obviously confused. Brandon softened a bit.
“Listen,” he said. “There is a free pregnancy center right down the block. In fact, there are five free pregnancy centers in the city. You can go there and get a free test anytime. You won’t even have to sit in the waiting room like you do here. OR you can go to Dollar Tree and buy one for a dollar. You can take it in the privacy of your own home, anytime you want. And I know you have a dollar to spare, because you always have at least four packs of cigarettes on you when you come in.”
The woman was genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know I could buy one for a dollar. But since I’m already here, why don’t you just go ahead and run one. After all, it’s free.”
Oh, well, at least he tried.
A large percentage of the population is under the false impression that the emergency room is “free.” ERs are legally obligated to treat emergency patients regardless of their ability to pay, so many people use the ER as their personal doctor’s office/laboratory/hotel—whatever.
Until I married my ER nurse husband, Brandon, I had no idea how many people abuse the system. One hospital where he worked actually considered closing the doors to their ER, because it was such a “black hole” financially.
While I can understand why some people use the ER for non-emergency purposes, there is one type of patient I absolutely cannot understand: the pregnancy test patient.
No matter where he is working, Brandon has at least one woman per day come to the ER for a “free” pregnancy test. Never mind the fact that every one of these cities has had a crisis pregnancy center, a family planning center, a health department, and a Dollar Tree. Rather than visit a center that provides free pregnancy tests, or fork over the dollar + tax it would cost to buy one themselves; these woman choose to come to the ER, sit in the waiting room for hours, and use hospital resources to take the same pee test they would be given somewhere else.
In Wisconsin, Brandon had a woman who came in every month for a test. She never bothered to wait for her period, or even calculate whether or not it was late. She never even bothered to think back to her social life to see if there was even a reason to worry. She simply came in each month for a “standard, free pregnancy test.”
On a day where the ER was full of true emergencies, and three other women had already come in for pregnancy tests, Brandon had had enough. When his regular walked in, he decided to have a talk with her.
“Why do you always come here for a pregnancy test?” he asked, while checking her into the system.
“Because it’s free,” the woman replied promptly.
“Actually, it’s not. Every time you walk in the door and sign your name on the list, it’s eight hundred dollars. When you pee on that stick, it’s another two hundred. So basically, you run up a thousand dollar bill every month that you come in here for a “free” test. YOU don’t have to pay for it—that gets left to your insurance, or to the hospital, or to the American taxpayer. But it’s certainly not free.”
The woman was obviously confused. Brandon softened a bit.
“Listen,” he said. “There is a free pregnancy center right down the block. In fact, there are five free pregnancy centers in the city. You can go there and get a free test anytime. You won’t even have to sit in the waiting room like you do here. OR you can go to Dollar Tree and buy one for a dollar. You can take it in the privacy of your own home, anytime you want. And I know you have a dollar to spare, because you always have at least four packs of cigarettes on you when you come in.”
The woman was genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know I could buy one for a dollar. But since I’m already here, why don’t you just go ahead and run one. After all, it’s free.”
Oh, well, at least he tried.
Is there a medication for wanderlust?
We've been in Arkansas for a full two weeks now, and while it has been a blast, I'm already itching to see new scenery. I'm not quite ready to leave my comfortable bed behind for three months, but I sure wouldn't mind hitting the road for a week or two.
I guess that's why we love travel nursing. It requires a lot of sacrifice, but it satisfies our never ending desire to keep moving.
We love the beauty of this country. We love her beaches, her mountains, her forests, and her plains. We don't just want to hit a pretty spot for vacation once a year-- we want to live in the beauty. We don't just want to drive through it-- we want to experience it.
I will confess that I am so moved by the beauty of this country, that every time we hit the road I am compelled to sing "America, The Beautiful." Loudly. Usually with tears in my eyes.
Yes, it's a bit dorky and overly dramatic... but it's how I feel. America IS beautiful. I want to see it all.
I guess that's why we love travel nursing. It requires a lot of sacrifice, but it satisfies our never ending desire to keep moving.
We love the beauty of this country. We love her beaches, her mountains, her forests, and her plains. We don't just want to hit a pretty spot for vacation once a year-- we want to live in the beauty. We don't just want to drive through it-- we want to experience it.
I will confess that I am so moved by the beauty of this country, that every time we hit the road I am compelled to sing "America, The Beautiful." Loudly. Usually with tears in my eyes.
Yes, it's a bit dorky and overly dramatic... but it's how I feel. America IS beautiful. I want to see it all.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Where to begin?
I haven't tried to post an "update" lately, because there really isn't much to update. We made it to Arkansas safely and had an amazing time getting here. At some point, I will write about our road trip adventures, but those memories have been shoved to the back of my mind for now.
We've been in our house for a week and a half now. It's fantastic. This is the longest we've spent here since May of 2008. It feels so luxurious to have a working coffee pot, curtains, clean sheets, a bathtub, a dishwasher, cleaning supplies, and a couch. I've mopped my floors at least six times- simply in celebration of the fact that I have a mop.
It's also been great to have so much free time. Brandon has had a few interviews, but other than that we have just been relaxing. We had an emergency fund set aside just in case, so we haven't had to stress too much about being out of work... though now that we are on week three without a paycheck, I'm starting to worry a bit more. I really want new kitchen appliances (my oven catches on fire whenever I try to use it) so I'd like to hang on to the rest of the fund. :)
But the reason I've avoided updating is because we simply do not know what is next for us. There are very few travel jobs left. With the state of our economy, people are losing jobs like crazy. Many nurses are trying to fill the gap in their own families by working 60+ hours a week. Hospitals simply do not need travelers when they can have their own people work overtime for less money.
In the past, when we were ready to look for an assignment, we would be given a list of options. We would research them, think them over, and choose 2-3 as potentials. The hospitals would receive Brandon's resume, call him for an interview, and we would go from there.
Now, there are so few jobs and so many travelers that the recruiters don't even call us. They automatically send our profile as soon as something comes open. Jobs are closing in as little as two minutes, because hospitals are getting flooded with resumes. Most hospitals are receiving 100-200 resumes within the first few minutes.
So where does this leave us? Brandon has a good possibility in Montana. He has already interviewed and is on the short list of candidates. Our major problem is that they are dragging their feet big time. We've been trying to get the job since the day we left California, over two weeks ago. We can't wait forever on a "maybe."
Brandon did turn down a permanent position here, but he is interviewing with another hospital tomorrow. I have also started applying for jobs in the area.
So anything could happen! We could be settling down here, which honestly wouldn't be so bad. Or we could head to Montana, which is a little like the California situation: sounds great on paper, but some key words ("resort", "rural area," "blunt force trauma") have sent up some red flags.
Of course, in our lives, there is always the possibility of the unexpected. Our opportunity could be something I haven't even dreamed of.
In the meantime, I'm hanging out with family and friends, spending time at the animal shelter, fostering a beautiful (though obstinate) Siberian Husky/Alaskan Malamute, and cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning. It's wonderful, and I really mean that.
We've been in our house for a week and a half now. It's fantastic. This is the longest we've spent here since May of 2008. It feels so luxurious to have a working coffee pot, curtains, clean sheets, a bathtub, a dishwasher, cleaning supplies, and a couch. I've mopped my floors at least six times- simply in celebration of the fact that I have a mop.
It's also been great to have so much free time. Brandon has had a few interviews, but other than that we have just been relaxing. We had an emergency fund set aside just in case, so we haven't had to stress too much about being out of work... though now that we are on week three without a paycheck, I'm starting to worry a bit more. I really want new kitchen appliances (my oven catches on fire whenever I try to use it) so I'd like to hang on to the rest of the fund. :)
But the reason I've avoided updating is because we simply do not know what is next for us. There are very few travel jobs left. With the state of our economy, people are losing jobs like crazy. Many nurses are trying to fill the gap in their own families by working 60+ hours a week. Hospitals simply do not need travelers when they can have their own people work overtime for less money.
In the past, when we were ready to look for an assignment, we would be given a list of options. We would research them, think them over, and choose 2-3 as potentials. The hospitals would receive Brandon's resume, call him for an interview, and we would go from there.
Now, there are so few jobs and so many travelers that the recruiters don't even call us. They automatically send our profile as soon as something comes open. Jobs are closing in as little as two minutes, because hospitals are getting flooded with resumes. Most hospitals are receiving 100-200 resumes within the first few minutes.
So where does this leave us? Brandon has a good possibility in Montana. He has already interviewed and is on the short list of candidates. Our major problem is that they are dragging their feet big time. We've been trying to get the job since the day we left California, over two weeks ago. We can't wait forever on a "maybe."
Brandon did turn down a permanent position here, but he is interviewing with another hospital tomorrow. I have also started applying for jobs in the area.
So anything could happen! We could be settling down here, which honestly wouldn't be so bad. Or we could head to Montana, which is a little like the California situation: sounds great on paper, but some key words ("resort", "rural area," "blunt force trauma") have sent up some red flags.
Of course, in our lives, there is always the possibility of the unexpected. Our opportunity could be something I haven't even dreamed of.
In the meantime, I'm hanging out with family and friends, spending time at the animal shelter, fostering a beautiful (though obstinate) Siberian Husky/Alaskan Malamute, and cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning. It's wonderful, and I really mean that.
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