So....I missed NCH so much I decided to go on full time. OSU has been a great learning experience, but it doesn't even begin to compare to what I find at Children's, and that is that my coworkers feel like family.
I was there until January, at which time I started at the Ohio Department of Youth Services as a nurse. I truly enjoyed it there, enjoyed the youth, etc. They were in there for felonious crimes and ranged in age from 13 to 20. My job was to keep them healthy and assess them after fights. Also, to help them with therapies. I truly enjoyed it, and then I thought I would find a job that worked better with my schedule. I started at Bella Care Hospice in late July.
Hospice is for some people; ultimately, it is not for me. I appreciate the excitement that was at CJCF (Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility). Bella also stopped training me after a month or so. Any attempt to ask for help was met with, "I'm too busy," other than when asking other nurses, who really were overextended. I was constantly told by facility staff that the families were upset because they had not been hearing from the company, and concerns were not being attended to.
The other nurses were absolutely fantastic, as were those in the front. They did what they could to help me, but ultimately, due to management being "too busy" to help me get better, and my ultimately not being meant for hospice, I was essentially forced to resign. I was relieved, ultimately. I knew I didn't really want to do hospice about a month before it happened, but thought I would ride it out. They helped me make what was ultimately a really good decision.
So, 3 days later I was offered a job at Netcare Access. It is a mental health care facility on the west side of Columbus, and it takes people without insurance (or with) who are having a mental health crisis. They then try to find resources for them to help them regain their lives. I started last week. I love the atmosphere, the other nurses, their mission.
Children's was great. I will forever be grateful for how they helped me develop. I don't know that it would have worked long term because I get so attached. I wound up becoming a PCA on the respiratory NICU. It was actually a long term NICU for preemies who had developed lung problems as a result of their mechanical ventilation. I mostly hung out with toddlers with trachs. Sometimes, I fed and changed and did vitals on babies. We got them around 36 weeks gestation, most were born between 22-28 weeks. I got attached. One of my little guys died of cancer, some of them went home (yay for them!!), and some of them stayed....and stayed....and stayed with setback after setback. It was exhausting. I gave 100% of myself, came home, and had nothing left for my family. But I loved every moment of it.
In March, we got 3 of my sister in law's children. An 8 year old, an 18 month old, and a 4 month old. The younger 2 we connected with instantaneously. The 8 year old was more difficult, but ultimately we DID connect. The behaviors were ultimately too much, and dangerous for the little ones. There were also several developmental delays. She went into foster care the beginning of this month, and her 3 year old brother went with her due to some of his behaviors.
Their oldest brother, who is 13 is in a mental institution due to mental health issues making him a concern to the general population. The 12 year old is with my father in law, where the 13 yr old and 3 yr old were initially, and she is doing great. She plays football, soccer, basketball, and is involved in school clubs. We still have the now 2 year old and the almost 1 year old. Mom plans on signing her rights to them over. We are so grateful for that, because Tim and I tried for years to have babies and here they are. I just didn't give birth to them, but I could not love them more.
Also, in January, after I had graduated from nursing school (in December) and passed my NCLEX, I gifted myself a new pony! Her name is Piper and she is a saddlebred. I am doing endurance with her and I got her for free!! She certainly is not free to take care of, though. Right now we are figuring each other out and it is so fun. She is a blast, definitely different from horses I have ridden before. She is a rockstar!! Here she is:
I gave Kandi to Kiley in July. They adore each other. 😊
