I took the girls to the Ponds this morning. It's looking less winter-like but not quite spring. I finally got some prints made from the Badwater photos. I've been intending to do a scrapbook or photo album but never got around to it. Now that I have a little more free time I will work on that project.
Sunday I did a fifteen mile out & back from the stadium, over the hills on Centenn-ial Drive and over Bingham Hill Road. A cold headwind froze me on the return trip, but I didn't feel bad at all. I ran every step and felt less like a snail by the end than I expected to. Saturday I felt exhausted, after two days of work. I couldn't motivate myself for anything. 
Last week I finished studying for my certifica-tion exam for work and dragged my butt up to Cheyenne to take the test. I passed, and I'm glad to have it behind me. The past month I spent a lot of time studying and I hate sitting on my butt for long periods of time. It's ironic though, that I often wonder these days what a desk job would feel like. After running my butt off for thankless 13 hour days, keeping endless details and lists in my head and trying to satisfy everyone, never taking a real break, not eating or drinking or peeing enough, and feeling wiped out after just two back-to-back days, and dreading having to work that third day later in the week, I can see now why so many nurses burnout or leave the bedside so quickly.
The system is set up for it to be an insane job, I really think that human beings were not designed for carrying so many details in their heads for so many hours at this relentless pace. Young people can probably do this for a while longer, but given that the average age of nurses in the U.S. is 45, I think some things need to be changed. But nurses have been saying that forever and it never does change.
I need to make a change for me, for my health and sanity, like spring, change is on the horizon.
2 comments:
Still beautiful! Quite a change from the last pics. Thanks for taking them. I love seeing the scenery.
When I lived in KS, I was studying to become an EMICT paramedic. As an EMT, I had to pay for college, certification, more college, volunteer to work for free as an EMT for the years I'm in college for EMICT, then the burn-out rate for EMICT's was 3-4 years. I went, woah, doggie! 5-7 years of training for a 3-4 year career?
I became a machinist.
Now I'm in technology.
The rewards aren't as great, but I can do this until I retire.
Thank god for nurses, though.
I tried to become a nurse, but kept being told there was a three-year waiting list to get into nursing school - but, oh, there's a nursing shortage! WELL OPEN THE FRICKIN' DOORS! It seemed to be an artificially created shortage. There was no shortage of applicants.
But nurses only lasted about 7-8 years average career.
This was back in the 80's. I doubt it has changed at all.
I still keep thinking about volunteering. It's rewarding to know I've helped someone through their stresses.
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