So since around Thanksgiving 2010, I have been working for an ENT office...
It's busy and the hearing aid part of it is a bit challenging since I've been out of the business for several years, but I'm enjoying it...
I see patients of all ages and the days go by pretty fast. The only thing I don't like is the days when I am not in clinic with the doctors, I am pretty bored... my hearing aid clientele has not built up enough yet to keep me busy on those days... and with all the snow lately, we've had some pretty slow clinic days....
But winter will be over soon and folks will have Christmas paid off and will be more likely to purchase aids again.... and I have a feeling all the 6-month aid checks are going to roll in once the weather gets a bit warmer...
I'm looking forward to warmer days.... I miss the sunshine....
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Job
In November 2010, I was offered a job that was drastically different than the one I had been doing at the hospital.... But before I get into that, here's a little back story:
You see, when I first was hired to run the newborn hearing screen program for the health system in the late summer of 2005, it was my dream job. I had a big, quiet office, I could come and go as I pleased, and the only person I really reported to was the state health office. I had every intention of staying in the position until I retired.
Then the department underwent some shuffling in the summer of 2007 and we were absorbed by another department in another building. I lost my big, private office and was forced to share much smaller spaces at 2 different locations. I had a more involved supervisor (which wasn't a bad thing, just different) and I was moving around a lot more than I would have liked. Still, I liked the job and the people I worked with so I never had any intention of ever leaving...
When the hospital contracted out the entire hearing screen program in the spring of 2008 and I essentially lost my job... however, the company they contracted to hired me to continue doing pretty much the same thing I had been doing... but when they hired me, they literally said, "you are no longer an audiologist... you are a hearing screen coordinator.... you need a high school diploma for your job... you may not do anything outside that scope of practice..."
My internal responses:
1) I will always be an audiologist... you can't tell me that unless you want to pay off my $100k in student loans and even then you can't take away my education...
2) I will remain licenced and will keep up my certification so I can do whatever the hell I want in the audiology scope of practice...
3) Crap, I need this job and can't afford to tell them like it is...
4) At least my supervisors are many states away and I don't have to put up with them breathing down my neck and trying to tell me how to do a job I had already been doing well for 3 years...
My external response:
Yes, I understand, thank you.... (and so began the corporate grind)
Then, after 2 1/2 years of their BS, I was offered a position with an ear, nose, & throat practice (ENT). No more babies, but no more corporate politics, no more early morning and weekend texts or phone calls, and no more administrative headaches... I could go to work, do my job, then go home without worrying about weekend troubleshooting, CPR/TB expirations, and holiday coverage... I'll take it!
More to come, so stay tuned.... ;-)
You see, when I first was hired to run the newborn hearing screen program for the health system in the late summer of 2005, it was my dream job. I had a big, quiet office, I could come and go as I pleased, and the only person I really reported to was the state health office. I had every intention of staying in the position until I retired.
Then the department underwent some shuffling in the summer of 2007 and we were absorbed by another department in another building. I lost my big, private office and was forced to share much smaller spaces at 2 different locations. I had a more involved supervisor (which wasn't a bad thing, just different) and I was moving around a lot more than I would have liked. Still, I liked the job and the people I worked with so I never had any intention of ever leaving...
When the hospital contracted out the entire hearing screen program in the spring of 2008 and I essentially lost my job... however, the company they contracted to hired me to continue doing pretty much the same thing I had been doing... but when they hired me, they literally said, "you are no longer an audiologist... you are a hearing screen coordinator.... you need a high school diploma for your job... you may not do anything outside that scope of practice..."
My internal responses:
1) I will always be an audiologist... you can't tell me that unless you want to pay off my $100k in student loans and even then you can't take away my education...
2) I will remain licenced and will keep up my certification so I can do whatever the hell I want in the audiology scope of practice...
3) Crap, I need this job and can't afford to tell them like it is...
4) At least my supervisors are many states away and I don't have to put up with them breathing down my neck and trying to tell me how to do a job I had already been doing well for 3 years...
My external response:
Yes, I understand, thank you.... (and so began the corporate grind)
Then, after 2 1/2 years of their BS, I was offered a position with an ear, nose, & throat practice (ENT). No more babies, but no more corporate politics, no more early morning and weekend texts or phone calls, and no more administrative headaches... I could go to work, do my job, then go home without worrying about weekend troubleshooting, CPR/TB expirations, and holiday coverage... I'll take it!
More to come, so stay tuned.... ;-)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I'm Baaaaack!
In the last several months, my world has been a crazy busy typical life of a working mama....
Then there has been some recent upheaval....
But before I get into that, here is a recent pic of my little sunshine:
Kayden Kaetana is 16 months old, 27 inches tall, and 25 lbs....
Then there has been some recent upheaval....
But before I get into that, here is a recent pic of my little sunshine:
Kayden Kaetana is 16 months old, 27 inches tall, and 25 lbs....
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Where I Rant...
I hate when people make assumptions about a group of people or a way of life because they "heard" that's what they do or what they believe.... and they just believe it... they don't even bother to educate themselves and find out the truth and/or form their own opinions.
For example, I heard that La Leche League (LLL) was a bunch of "breastfeeding Nazi's" from a girlfriend who attended a meeting, was turned off by it, but still nursed her daughter for almost 12 months... She is a fairly good friend and while I value her opinion, I still chose to attend a meeting when Kayden was born and form my own opinion... And now I am not only a member, but I am a Leader Applicant working on becoming a LLL Leader.
It's sad that there are people out there who choose to think of LLL (or any other group) that way because someone told them their opinion... and then they don't even take the chance to check it out and form their own opinion...
So if someone says something like that, I ask them if they have ever been to a meeting or if they have ever participated in an activity with that group... if they haven't, I ask them "Then how do you know?" and tell them "Don't knock it til you try it" (not necessarily those word but that's the gist...)
There are so many things about me that changed once Kayden arrived... I was "never" going to co-sleep, I would "let her cry it out and learn to effectively self-sooth" and I would not "spoil her" by carrying her around all the time...
Now I am proud to say that I am a co-sleeping, baby-wearing, rocking-to-sleep FOOL!!!! :-)
It's a parent's job to educate themselves about all the options and make an informed decision about what's right for their family and individual child... it's sad that not all parents actually do their job....
For example, I heard that La Leche League (LLL) was a bunch of "breastfeeding Nazi's" from a girlfriend who attended a meeting, was turned off by it, but still nursed her daughter for almost 12 months... She is a fairly good friend and while I value her opinion, I still chose to attend a meeting when Kayden was born and form my own opinion... And now I am not only a member, but I am a Leader Applicant working on becoming a LLL Leader.
It's sad that there are people out there who choose to think of LLL (or any other group) that way because someone told them their opinion... and then they don't even take the chance to check it out and form their own opinion...
So if someone says something like that, I ask them if they have ever been to a meeting or if they have ever participated in an activity with that group... if they haven't, I ask them "Then how do you know?" and tell them "Don't knock it til you try it" (not necessarily those word but that's the gist...)
There are so many things about me that changed once Kayden arrived... I was "never" going to co-sleep, I would "let her cry it out and learn to effectively self-sooth" and I would not "spoil her" by carrying her around all the time...
Now I am proud to say that I am a co-sleeping, baby-wearing, rocking-to-sleep FOOL!!!! :-)
It's a parent's job to educate themselves about all the options and make an informed decision about what's right for their family and individual child... it's sad that not all parents actually do their job....
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Updates...
So it's only been 2 months... life and work are unbelievably busy... but as Kayden grows, I'll be able to do more on here, I promise...
As for now, Kayden is 10 1/2 months old. She weighs about 23 lbs and is crawling all over the place... she started "cruising" on the furniture this week and, out of the blue, last weekend, started waving bye-bye...
She verbally says "da-da" & "ma-ma" and signs "milk" but seems to use the sign for all food and drink... she sometimes claps for "more".
She's growing so fast... plans are in the works for her 1st birthday party....
Bailey is doing well... despite lots of attention, she always seems to be under foot or in our faces... she steals food out of Kayden's hand when she's in the highchair but Kayden seems to think it's the funniest thing ever when she does... They are good friends and Bailey is very tolerant of the little pats and tugs Kayden dishes out...
We are one big happy, yet busy, family!
Looking forward to cooler weather so we can all visit the dog park again...
As for now, Kayden is 10 1/2 months old. She weighs about 23 lbs and is crawling all over the place... she started "cruising" on the furniture this week and, out of the blue, last weekend, started waving bye-bye...
She verbally says "da-da" & "ma-ma" and signs "milk" but seems to use the sign for all food and drink... she sometimes claps for "more".
She's growing so fast... plans are in the works for her 1st birthday party....
Bailey is doing well... despite lots of attention, she always seems to be under foot or in our faces... she steals food out of Kayden's hand when she's in the highchair but Kayden seems to think it's the funniest thing ever when she does... They are good friends and Bailey is very tolerant of the little pats and tugs Kayden dishes out...
We are one big happy, yet busy, family!
Looking forward to cooler weather so we can all visit the dog park again...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Unsolicited Advice
As I go along on this crazy parenthood ride, I've decided to share with you things that work for me... somethings I will have learned during my many years as a nanny and others I will learn as I go along...
In regards to kiddos of all ages, but especially those in the peak tantrum toddler years, I have found the more control you give them over their everyday lives, the more likely they are to do what you want when you want them to.
Examples:
Do you want the blue or the green plate?
Do you want Sofie the Giraffe or your stuffed octopus to play with in the car?
Do you want to brush your teeth or take a bath first? (Noticed I said FIRST.)
I have done this with MANY toddlers as a nanny over the years and am doing it with Kayden already. I actually started when she was very young with her diapers... the one she looked at was the one I assumed was her choice. Now that she's older, she'll grab the one she wants.
We will still have tantrums from time to time but the frequency and intensity will be greatly diminished. She will more easily accept the phrase "it's not a choice" (like holding my hand in the parking lot) and she'll learn that her choices have consequences (if she chooses the blue plate, someone else may get the green plate) very early on.
********************
Her first word is officially "milk." She signs it with gusto when she sees her sitters with the bottle... it's not consistent enough with me yet, but that may be because I sign "mama's milk" before I feed her so I add an extra step.
In regards to kiddos of all ages, but especially those in the peak tantrum toddler years, I have found the more control you give them over their everyday lives, the more likely they are to do what you want when you want them to.
Examples:
Do you want the blue or the green plate?
Do you want Sofie the Giraffe or your stuffed octopus to play with in the car?
Do you want to brush your teeth or take a bath first? (Noticed I said FIRST.)
I have done this with MANY toddlers as a nanny over the years and am doing it with Kayden already. I actually started when she was very young with her diapers... the one she looked at was the one I assumed was her choice. Now that she's older, she'll grab the one she wants.
We will still have tantrums from time to time but the frequency and intensity will be greatly diminished. She will more easily accept the phrase "it's not a choice" (like holding my hand in the parking lot) and she'll learn that her choices have consequences (if she chooses the blue plate, someone else may get the green plate) very early on.
********************
Her first word is officially "milk." She signs it with gusto when she sees her sitters with the bottle... it's not consistent enough with me yet, but that may be because I sign "mama's milk" before I feed her so I add an extra step.
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Circus
If you every have the chance to see the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, PLEASE do so!
It is an old fashion circus that actually takes place under a big top tent. They had acts with unicycles, trapeze, rope dancer, a girl balancing on a rolling board, a clown, an act with birds, a juggler.... it was so much fun!
It is an old fashion circus that actually takes place under a big top tent. They had acts with unicycles, trapeze, rope dancer, a girl balancing on a rolling board, a clown, an act with birds, a juggler.... it was so much fun!
Outside the big top tent, they had a large inflatable slide and a pony ride...
Kayden's favorite thing was the snow cones...
Kayden's First Circus was probably more fun for us but I think she had a good time too...
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