As I've previously mentioned, finding employment as a pilot student's wife when you are also the primary caregiver of two younguns--and do not want to feel like your kids spend more time in school, at daycare, and with babysitters, than with their parents, is a feat in itself. That challenge, for me, was compounded by the fact that I have been more or less unemployed for the past 5 years, that I may look like a nursing school dropout on my resume (thanks to my decision to leave UCO after my junior year to keep our family together during UPT), and that--while I have an LPN-equivalent education--I have no nursing or CNA experience or externships under my belt and I have yet to take/pass the NCLEX-PN.
By the grace of God, I have been blessed with wonderful fortune during my month-and-a-half-long job hunt. While I certainly did not have a 100% success rate in apps --> interviews, for the three interviews I took part in (one at each of the two local hospitals, plus one at the base clinic), I was offered three positions. I ended up turning down a full-time night job (3 days on, 3 days off, 12h shifts--or something to that effect) due to the uncertainty of Matt's schedule. I am too low in the nursing hierarchy to affort a regular babysitter for one thing, and the idea of someone else putting the kids to bed at night or caring for them overnight--when my youngest still creeps into my bed every night around 2am--and my oldest around 6--went from seeming unappealing to being unacceptable in a matter of days.
Instead, I accepted a part-time insurance specialist position at the base clinic for a contractor. I love the flexibility of this job--which I started yesterday. Basically, I need to commit to 4h/d, 5d/wk--but can also move my schedule to 5h/d, 4d/wk, intermittently, to enable me to take off on base family days and attend the girls' school functions, etc. I am also getting extensive training working with Microsoft Office software (which I am already pretty proficient with) and working with insurance companies (which can be very beneficial down the road in a variety of nursing positions, particularly those in clinics), plus I LOVE organizational busy-type work. I have also never really had an office job, but always sort of wanted one, thinking it may enhance my already strong adoration of the sitcom "The Office". :o)
Couple that with a dream position (for me, anyway) at a local hospital. I go for my physical/drug screen on Monday, and then will take two days off from my insurance job for orientation--and then I get to work as a flex clinic Med Assistant (and later as an LPN). Basically, the flex position is like the nurse equivalent of a substitute teacher, and my recruiter said there are always hours available--to the point where it can become essentially a full-time job (without benefits--which I am not after anyway, thanks to Matt's AF Active Duty status). I am beyond excited as I have been dying to enter the nursing field, but didn't want to do it at the expense of quality time with the kids. I am hoping to maybe do 1 full shift per weekend and 1 half shift per week...or something like that. Can't wait to see what's available!! :o)
The kids are excited too. My part time job pays just enough to cover their Montessori education, and enables my youngest to move to a slightly longer daily program (basically she gets to stay for lunch and nap--which she has been DYING to do--and which makes her much more even-tempered at home...normally she only likes to nap for non-family members--so she has been exhausted many days by 5pm prior to starting her school nap schedule). The flexibility of these jobs also keeps me available to take the girls to swim lessons at the Y and to maintain my new position as a Daisy Scout leader (yikes!!).
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