This summer has been a whirlwind of hard work and change. I don’t like change. But I recognize that sometimes change can be a really good thing.
I quit my job in June. I had been an Orthopedic Team Leader at my facility for almost 6 years, and it was the only job I’ve had since moving from Texas to Alabama in 2015. It’s the OR, so of course I had a love-hate relationship with my job, but overall, I really enjoyed what I did. I didn’t realize just how close I had gotten to several of my coworkers – until it was time to say goodbye. It’s amazing how close we get to the people we work with, isn’t it? We spend so much time together, and share so much of our lives with each other, that it really does feel like saying goodbye to family when it’s time to go.
I’ve been through alot with these people. They have listened as I vented about my constant frustrations with a few very high-maintenances divas surgeons. We’ve been in the trenches together until 1 in the morning doing emergency cases, and walked out in the pitch black of downtown Birmingham together, making sure everyone got to their cars safely. A few of them walked with me through a season of serious anxiety and depression, and they put up with my very out of character emotional outbursts. Some of us also share a bond formed through tragedy, and we’ll carry the PTSD from it together for the rest of our lives. To say that I will miss all of these people, both pictured and not, is a vast understatement.
And yet, change is inevitable…
If you’ve read my About Me section, then you know that my husband is a pastor. We’ve moved so that he can be the pastor of a church in Selma, AL. I love our new church, and the people there have been so kind and welcoming to us. Selma was just too far for me to commute to Buirmingham, so I had to start looking for a new job.
In the past month, we have moved to a new house, gotten our old one ready to sell, I’ve quit my job, and started the miserable process of filling out applications and looking for new jobs. As a side note, why do hospitals let you submit a resume, only to make you enter all of the same information into their online form? The redundancy is so frustrating!
New beginnings
Despite my frustrations with online job applications, I have found another place to work. I’m going to be branching out from the Orthopedic world and refreshing my skills in more surgical specialties. To be honest, I’m a little terrified! I love Ortho and it’s all I’ve done for 6 years, but now I’m back to being the newbie relearning GYN, ENT, Eyes, etc… Wish me luck!
I will also be spending more time working with First Case – the OR podcast that I co-host. You’ll see me doing more posts on social media and providing more educational content. If you haven’t listened to the podcast yet, you should definitely check it out. And if you have great topic ideas or suggestions for the show, I would love to talk to you about it!
My new OR job starts today. Of course, there’s the week of hospital orientation first. So I’ll be back in the OR first thing next week. I’m excited for the new beginnings that change can bring. I’m looking forward to learning new things, even if I’m terrified of making a mistake while I’m relearning everything. I’m also afraid of what kind of environment I’m walking into. I really liked everyone that I met in my interview, but what’s the OR really like? What’s the culture like? How will I be treated? Isn’t that what we’re all afraid of everytime we go to a new place?
It’s a good reminder for me and for all of us – all of us were new at one point, or brushing up old skills and trying to learn new things and catch up. None of us are complete OR experts. And while we can’t control how anyone else acts, we can control how we act. Choose to be kind. It will go a long way in improving our culture.
Until next time,
Melanie
