Time off March 18, 2008
Posted by keepbreathing in Career Advice, my life, respiratory therapists.trackback
After a couple of epic weeks of almost nonstop work I finally have some time off. I need it badly. In this last two-week pay period I slammed 164 hours out at the hospital. That’s only four hours less than the number of hours in a week. I’m amazed that the hospital let me do that, but they’re so understaffed they can’t say no and the patient load is way up lately owing to a unique combination of illnesses and stupidity in the local area. The simple truth is that they’re desperate for staff and it’s (arguably) safer to have some very tired and fatigued staff than to have no staff at all.
As for why I would even work that much, I’m poor and even after Uncle Sam takes away most of my overtime to subsidize the lazy ignorant unemployed bastards I spent my workweek taking care of*, I’ll still come out ahead. Someone asked me if I was “desperate or just stupid” to take this much extra time, and I honestly couldn’t answer them. But none of it seems to matter at the moment…because until I have to return to work on Friday, I am off. I plan to knock back a few frosty cold beverages and spend my time reading some very non-medical books. I suspect that this little break will be enough to recharge the batteries and chase away these nagging feelings of burnout and apathy that have been chasing me around lately. I may update between now and then, but I may not.
*Not that I am at all bitter about this. You know, putting my energy and my finite time here into futile anti-Darwinistic care for people who may or may not actually deserve it for a measly paycheck, half of which is confiscated by a government who will simply use it to pretend to solve problems by flinging cash at them. Rant over…
Where I work we are not allowed to get overtime, which is not such a bad thing. After working my 6 of 8 stretch, I don’t want anything further to do with this place.
P.S. I’ve gone four days now on my blog without complaining. That’s a streak that will end tomorrow.
The Black Swan is awesome, you’ll enjoy it.
As for the desperation vs. stupidity question, I’ll just point out that desperation tends to increase subjective stupidity (and piling up overtime like it’s going out of style tends to hit the IQ pretty hard, too). Says the woman who despite freelance writing and working a 9 to 5 at the hospital is still looking for a way to actually sock something away for medical school–something really lucrative, like cocktail waitressing or selling my eggs. Got an Ivy League degree and looking to my reproductive organs to support me…sigh.
Get some rest. You deserve it.
We are on a NO OVERTIME demand here, which is good and bad.