Work has been really rough since I gave my (premature?) notice three weeks ago. I guess I should have waited to tell my boss that I was leaving until I had a job offer…but I decided to be a KIND employee so she could rehire without being left stranded at my departure. Six weeks notice is definitely too long for an outgoing employee’s sanity. Hopefully I’ll hear back on the Emory job Tuesday or Wednesday. I was so ready to commit career suicide yesterday…
On the Chopping Block
Posted by on November 21, 2008 2 Comments
First Down
Posted by on November 7, 2008 1 Comment
Yesterday I had my first interview for a job in Atlanta at Emory University. It was a phone interview, but it went really well, and they want me to come down next week to interview in person. The interviewer said, “We’ve gotten a lot of applications on this position, but you were the only one we’ve wanted to actually interview.” The position sounds right up my alley, even though it’s less healthcare-focused than I’d intended. It’s still administrative, but it’s with the med school.
Since I gave my notice at work in Michigan last week, there’s been a marked change in my happiness there. The past few weeks had actually been under control, as far as my workload, and I was feeling a tinge of sadness that I was leaving. But after a difficult experience Monday, and a ridiculous meeting Wednesday…I’m having a hard time imagining staying through the next few weeks. The surgeon who I’ve been working with since March leaves this week (for Atlanta, consequently) and I’ve been given a lot of the office’s grunt work to fill my time. I’m so glad it’s Friday!
Taylor’s on reserve in Atlanta this week. He got to play with Clint for two days after returning from California. Yesterday he got called on a ferry flight to Cincy, and then got extended overnight for a few more legs. He didn’t bring any extra clothes or his toiletry bag because when he left for the airport, he was supposed to be back in 6 hours. Hopefully he won’t have to work much this month….he really needs to finish his algebra class.
Resuming Resume Revision
Posted by on October 2, 2008 4 Comments
Now that we’ve come to the decision of moving (which took nearly 3 months to do), it’s time to iron out the details. Moving trucks, apartments, new job, new school, new gym, good neighborhoods, commutes, distance from airports, etc…. It’s a pretty daunting task to come up with a new life when you’ve never really visited the area. Next weekend, Taylor and I are planning to fly down to ATL and drive around and get to know the city, check out some apartments, do some touristy things that we won’t have time for once I’m working. It’s the weekend of our anniversary, and it would be nice to do it without Rosie (so much harder to non-rev with a kid), but finding someone to watch her for the weekend would probably be harder than bringing her along. Taylor and I get so little alone time these days, and it’s only going to get worse till we move.
I dusted off my resume, and added in the details of my current job. Even though I’ve only been in my position 7 months, I’ve acquired some good new skills (OR scheduling, cost accounting, charge entry, physician recruitment and relocation, and the lingo/procedures specific to thoracic surgery) and fine-tuned some others (transcription, purchase requisitions, procurement, more complex call schedules, etc.) I’ve been my department’s Joint Commission Accreditation and safety specialist, and know all the ins and outs of NPSG’s and SCIP and all the other acronyms.
It’s a tedious process, especially to focus on finding a new job in a new city, all while being exhausted from a hard day at work.
In a Pickle
Posted by on April 4, 2008 Leave a Comment
Today was my second day in my department. The person training me only sat with me for one day, and today I was on my own. I booked a few surgeries, did some misc scheduling for my surgeon, took some online training modules, got my pager, attended a class, and some of my other job duties too boring to mention. I think I’ll like the position. As long as I can handle the parking situation, I’ll be sticking around UofM for a while. I purchased a yellow parking pass, which is supposed to be the closest lot to the hospital…almost walking distance if you have enough time. Yesterday I drove around for almost a half hour looking for parking. I ended up down the road at the orange lot, and took the shuttle over to the hospital and was 15 minutes late on my first day. I was worried about being late, but everyone expected it and laughed it off when I walked in totally flustered.
The funniest thing of the day was the gift that my new boss gave me…a pickle. She just got back from Disneyworld and Epcot, and gave me a shiny green pickle Christmas ornament. Apparently, pickles are a German Christmas tradition. A pickle would be hidden somewhere in the boughs of the tree, and the first child to find the pickle would get an extra gift from St. Nick for being so observant. Not sure how that translates to my new position, but my new cubicle is graced with a decorative pickle.
I’m still not better from the illness fiasco I’ve been dealing with for 3 weeks now. I finished up two rounds of antibiotics, but I think the infections aren’t gone yet. My throat still is swollen, my ears and eyes hurt, and my sinuses are tender and stuffy. I’ve been coming home from work and crashing on the bed to recover from these long workdays. At least I’m not sick like my friend Erin, who at 23 years of age came down with the chicken pox this week. My teeth are also still hurting like mad. I’ve been having these frightening, recurring dreams that all my teeth fall out while I’m giving a public speaking address. I’ve been brushing with Sensodyne again, but the nerve pain lingers. I opted for my insurance benefits and dental plan today, and pretty soon I’ll have the info to find out what dentist I can see. Until then, it’s Motrin every 4 hours for me.
Random thoughts on my last afternoon of freedom…
Posted by on April 1, 2008 2 Comments
Yesterday I started my orientation with UofM Medical Center. Yesterday was a full day of patient safety, corporate culture, medication error reporting, HIPAA and JCAHO regulations, customer service videos, and all the other junk you’re required to review upon hire at a hospital. This morning was a little better…ID badges, benefits, retirement, and parking. They let us leave at 11 am, so I spent the afternoon with Taylor unpacking. Yes, we’ve lived in our apartment for two months now…but with all the travel, we still had a lot to do. We cleared out about 15 boxes, organized our bedroom, spent 2 hours on Rosie’s bedroom hurricane, and put up a few pictures on the wall. I start my job for real tomorrow.
My teeth have been hurting so bad lately. I’m not even sure it’s my teeth, more like the nerves to my teeth. I had so much dental work done in November and December (over $3000 out of pocket after insurance) and I’ve never felt back to “normal.” The left side’s bite still feels wrong after two adjustments on trips to Cali, and the nerve flare ups have been occasional, but never less frequent than a few times a week. Since I got back from Utah, it’s been constant pain on both sides. My new dental plan was in effect as of yesterday…and for the first time ever I have dual coverage. I need to talk to my new supervisor and see how soon I can take time off to see a dentist.
I’m so geeked for the NKOTB reuniting on Friday morning. If only I started work next week, I would SO be there…I’d fly out to Rockefeller Square and hold up my big sign while screaming till my lungs gave out. Yesterday, Taylor found a Russian legal download site where we found the whole NKOTB library for 10 cents per song. I downloaded about 30 songs. Unfortunately, my Ipod is on the fritz. The night before I left for Utah, my iTunes crashed, and I lost EVERYTHING. I had to do some mad file transferring to get it back, but I lost about 8 of my 25 GB of music. It’s been syncing for 3 hours now…
Oh, and I got a call from Becky Anderson, the guidance counselor from MHS. I was having terrible luck getting anyone to call me back about renting MHS for the reunion, but she called me back (the day after Robin got the info). We chatted for about 10 minutes…she ended the call with “Glad to hear that you’ve turned out to be such a success.” I smiled.
A battle of wits and wisdom
Posted by on March 5, 2008 4 Comments
This morning I got a call from the Thoracic Surgery department administrator, saying that they were very interested in meeting with me again, and interviewing with the surgeon that I’d be working for (if I chose this position.) The only time that he’s available to meet is Thursday morning at 7:30 am. I have my PEP interview at 9:00…so this works out fine. When I mentioned that my Pathology interview went really well, and that they wanted to hire me…she said they were willing to fight for me. Does this mean I have leverage for a better salary?
In other news, I have been laid up in bed for most of the day. I have been feeling shooting pains and spasms. I don’t know if it’s from Clint’s adjustment, or from using muscles not usually used while swimming…but I’m pretty sore. Hopefully I’ll wake up without pain and be able to trek (through all these new inches of snow) to the gym.
Two Awesome Interviews
Posted by on March 4, 2008 1 Comment
This morning is the first time since December that I got up, did my hair and make up, and dressed myself in business casual. I did my last resume revisions, filled up the gas tank, and drove to Ann Arbor. I gave myself an extra hour to get there, just in case random road hazards or parking situations came up. So I arrived in the UofM parking structure at 10:06 for an 11:00 interview. I listened to some Colbie Caillat on my Ipod to pass the time.
The first interview was in Thoracic Surgery. I could tell that the two ladies interviewing were both impressed and entertained by me. The job would be a direct secretary and assistant to a surgeon just out of his residency, plus one other surgeon that would be starting in July. I’d be planning travel, reconciling expense reports, coordinating his surgical and clinic schedules, and transcribing consults. It’s a lot of independent work, and the surgeon expects 100% effort 100% of the time. I also met with the department administrator, who told me she was pleased with my qualifications and would be contacting my references.
I had an hour to kill before my next interview, so I chilled in the cafeteria with my bagel dog and Tazo tea. It was fun to watch the full spectrum of diners…students, doctors, patients, techs, and important people in fancy suits. I could tell UofM takes a lot of pride in is Ultra-Academic environment, and I know I’ll love being a part of it.
My pathology interview was at 1:00 in the path conference room. I first chatted with Craig, who just barely was promoted to anatomic pathology supervisor. He looked like he was about 25, but when he said that he had 16 years of path experience and a double-masters degree, I figured it was just his dual ear piercings that threw me off. I also met with Beth, who was the AP Manager. The synergy of the interview was great. They were grinning from ear-to-ear, and skipped over the lame, stock HR questions…saying “We already know that you’re a pro at that.” It was awesome that they were already familiar with Dr. Geyer’s publications, and they said it wasn’t necessary for me to name drop Dr. Warren for them to be impressed. I left the interview feeling warm and buzzy.
I made a few phone calls to give the dish on my interviews on my way home, then threw my phone on the couch when I got home to take a nap. When I got up 45 minutes later…
I had a voice mail from Craig saying that he was very interested in hiring me, and I just needed to finish up some pre-employment junk with HR before he could extend a formal offer. I set up my PEP interview for Thursday, and I should have the details on the formal offer by the end of the week.
Another UM job interview on Monday
Posted by on February 28, 2008 1 Comment
Market Title: Admin Asst Inter Healthcare
Department Name: Pathology
FLSA: (exempt or non-exempt) non-exempt
Salary Range: (optional)
Pay Grade: (If applicable)
Hours: 40 Shift/Days: Mon-Fri, 8-5 pm
Provide administrative support to the Director of Autopsy and Forensic Pathology Services and two additional faculty members. Coordinate, schedule and maintain calendar, serve as coordinator of the Forensic schedule and other administrative tasks associated with this service. Coordinate travel reservations and itineraries for Director and visiting faculty; assist the Director in the preparation of the annual report, manuscripts, presentations, etc. as required. Candidate must be proficient in Microscof Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills. Reasonable knowledge of medical terminology. Ability to establish priorities.
Monday’s Job Interview at UM
Posted by on February 27, 2008 1 Comment
| Market Title: Admin Assistant Intermediate -Thoracic Surgery FLSA: non-exempt Hours: 40 Hrs Shift/Days:Days/M-F Provide administrative support for surgeons in the Section of Thoracic Surgery. Maintain and reconcile faculty research and CME accounts. Maintain faculty calendar and update faculty curriculum vitae. Organize travel. Collect, enter and extract clinical data into a database. Knowledge of patient operating room scheduling system desirable. Requirements: |
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To work or not to work?
Posted by on January 9, 2008 Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago, I’d made the decision to just stay at home and do school full-time in Michigan. I’m still wavering with the idea of working, because I know that our bank accounts are pretty dry and it’s not going to get better anytime soon. So I was looking online this morning, and found this job that I want. This is the type of job that will get me out of bed in the morning!!! I applied, but I’m not really hopeful (It required a bachelor’s degree plus experience) I don’t know the pay either, but I have a feeling it’s pretty commensurate with what I made in Cali.
We are currently seeking an Epidemiology Research Associate in our Ann Arbor, MI office. The Epidemiology Research Associate will work closely with project teams to assist in administrative and epidemiologic aspects of studies.
Major Responsibilities
- Prepare agendas and take minutes at meetings
- Data entry as needed
- Assist in preparation of tables, reports, presentations and manuscripts
- Work directly with project managers to identify other related tasks needed for project
- Coordinate medical chart abstraction effort involving assistance in setting a timeline, utilize Access databases, mail letters and forms, participate in the creation of abstraction tools, assist with the development of training materials, train abstraction firms, track medical charts, follow up on pending charts, contact with abstraction firms, hospitals and doctor’s offices as needed
- Conduct literature reviews and summarize findings
- Other administrative tasks deemed necessary
Qualifications:
- Bachelors Degree plus experience (in related field)
- Interest in public health, epidemiology and pharmaceuticals
- Experience with Excel, PowerPoint and Access
- Experience with medical records and/or claims data a plus
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