Time for booze

Basically, if you look in monster.com or medhunters.com for job listings it goes like this:

Registered Nurse: 100,000,000,0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 (in the united states)

Nurse Practitioner (primary care or family care):
20,0000,0000000000000000000000

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner:
3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am a specialist. A niche if you will. Limits the job options. But, I am getting better responses to my resume now that I am certified and am this close to getting my state license to prescribe.

My interview went fabulous. I always interview well. I am articulate, skilled and most of all, they need a prescriber. I can and will prescribe psychotropic medications and be responsible for everything those medications do the patient. I carry this weight, but it is not heavy. I know what kind of nurse I am and presented myself as such. And again, they need me.

So I took advantage of this. I didn't do all that I normally do for an interview. No spray tan, no knee high, black leather boots with the three inch heels. No perfect hair, no perfect portfolio. Just my favorite summer dress, painted toes and a folder with my info.

No prepared answers, no corporate energies. Just me, laying out who I am, what I can do for patients. How I feel about being a nurse. They guy kept nodding and saying 'right, right' and 'that is so true'. I was preaching to the choir.

I will have more interviews to go. These places all need me. I am using this to my advantage. If they need me I can ask for things. Like ending my day at 3.00 pm in order to pick up the girl at school.

I will still have to move my family. But where I am going to move will be SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE NASCAR BACKWOODS place we were going to move to. This time, moving will be easier. Again, I am not a speciality offered in my city.

Notice I didn't say not needed. But, health care is a business. Don't get me started.

I must say though, the interview was one of the best I have been on. I felt good, like I was being heard. I have been on interviews for registered nursing jobs many times. Because of the nursing shortage, you just need to be a warm body and they will hire you. They don't hear your skill or your passion.

But interviewing as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner is a whole different ball game. I am not there because I am a warm body. I gots mad skills. I should, after all I have worked effing hard.

The interview went on for about two hours of us just talking. Finally, I had to cut it off. This place shares my passions. hmm ...

I would get an office. My own office where I could turn on the radio! And see people who were not court ordered. People who actually want my help. No more doing care while making sure roaches weren't climbing into my backpack. The clinic was so clean. Very weird.

It's sometimes really hard to think about my dreams coming true. This, just like the wee ones in my life, mean the world to me. And the weight of it is sometimes a little too much to take.

There is a certain responsibility to winning the lottery. I can't say I am not a little terrified. I am actually becoming a grown up. Or at least faking it really well.

Ok-off to collect myself, breath deep and drive the three hours back home.

What was the best or worst interview you went on?

:)

Mrs. Hall