New girl at the office

I HATE being the new girl at the office... I feel awkward, clumsy and not my usual streamlined self. But can think of no better place to be new.

I've just got part time week 2 under my belt and, slowly but surely, things are slotting into place. I'm now an allocations co-ordinator for a popular and very professional nursing agency and the pace here is fast.

Shift work is involved which is something in itself totally new to me but when you're working with a team like this, the hours don't really matter. From an outsider looking in, I can sense these girls have a real bond with eachother and I feel flattered that their door has been opened to let me in too.

I have had a bit of a struggle with the profession's terminology mind. I'm just one cog in the well-oiled allocation team's machinery that takes calls from hospitals, aged care units and all manner of medical facilities who, for one reason or another, find themselves short-staffed at the eleventh hour and need to find staff for the fast approaching shift. And pronto.

We take their details, book in the shift and then check on the availability of those nursing professionals that fit the last minute bill. During my first week, I didn't know a Div 2 Med Endorsed from an RN with specials experience but my mental framework is managing to bolt itself down. The only bit of nursing role experience I have is that of the midwife ... and there's plenty of those on the shortage list round these parts too.

Last night almost killed me, mind. My shift was 2pm-11.30pm and after the majority of staff had left for home about 6pm, my manager and I were left holding the fort. It got a little heavy at times and I wondered if we'd ever get through it, but come the strike of 10.45pm, the phones stopped shrieking at us and we were able to catch up and catch our breath.

Today I'm in at 2pm but only until 9pm. That means I'll probably get to sleep about 11.30pm after I've brought my spinning head right home to Mt Martha. I can totally understand now how anyone who works shifts simply cannot go straight to bed when they get home. I had a friend in UK who would work a regular night shift and come in at 8.30am to settle down with a glass of Port. I could never get my head around that ... until now.

So my nickname of Easy Life Wife can now be cast aside with the countless others that husband has scribed for me over the past few months ... I might only be a part time worker but I'm a full time mum and even more full time party girl now I have a job that pays enough to keep me in copious amounts of lipstick and grog.

Cheers!