job$ somebody's gotta do... 

                                                                 

  

  The transition from education to a career can be a challenge for some of us, while others coast right along following their chosen occupation.  Pursuing a degree in a specialized field probably spells out what that person will be doing in the near future.  

  Some of us recognize from an early age how we are going to participate in the adult world.  Those lucky people don't go through the angst, worry, and, doubts the rest of us experience.  It is said those people have a calling.

  HUH?  What's up with that?  

  From early childhood, I took care of family members when they were sick, Tina Dezarn said.  It seems I have always wanted to take care of others.  My grandmother was a nurse and I have several cousins who are nurses.  I've been a nurse for 35 years.  It's like it was my calling.

  I know you work for Accredo Specialty Pharmacy now.  That wasn't always the case for you.

  No, I started out in a hospital and did labor and delivery for many years, she stated.  I worked in several other areas before taking this job two years ago.  

  You are what is called a traveling nurse.  How did that come about?

  My twin sister has cancer and she gets her infusions at home, Tina explained.  I was looking for a change and one day I asked the nurse taking care of  her if Accredo had any openings.  She said they did and I applied and got the job.  

  So, now you travel and don't punch a timeclock.  What is it you do when you go into a home?

  I teach patients how to take their drugs, how to give themselves self injections, and, other therapies, she ticked off.  Accredo has a lot of levels of therapies and as a patient, you have to know how to administer to your own needs.  And, that's where I come in.  I teach you how to do that.  

  You must spend a lot of time in your car.

  I do, she laughed.  We travel Monday through Friday and I go as far as the Appalachian territories, Indianapolis, Cincy, and, all the way down to the West Virginia border.  

  I would assume traveling presents a different set of challenges compared to a hospital setting.   

  It sure does, she agreed  You are alone and you are going into stranger's homes, so, it is all unknown.  If you get into an emergency situation, you are solo.  Sometimes I go into a home of aggressive behavior.  There are socio-economic challenges too.  I have also walked into a home and found the patient in distress and had to care for them until 9-1-1 arrived.  

  You have done both.  You have worked in a fixed situation and you have traveled.  Which do you prefer?

  I would choose the job I have now, she said.  But, I do miss talking to someone.  Emergency situations can be intimidating. 

  What do you do when you need to talk to someone who understands?

  Well, I have coworkers I can call and I have a great boss I can knock around my thoughts, she said.

  How about spare time.  Do you have hobbies?

  I create balloon decorations for weddings, parties, and graduations.  When retirement comes, I want to do that fulltime, she confessed.

  Do you consider yourself a role model?

   No, I do not think I am a role model, she admitted.  I think I was put on this earth to do what I do every day.  I learn from my patients and hopefully I can be a better person and a better caregiver.  

 Do you have a career goal?

 I would like to retire when I am 55, she smiled.  Until then, my goal in this job is to learn all the therapies and educate my patients in a safe manor.   

  Tina, thank you for your time.

  My pleasure.

  Coming up:  another oddities, observations & ?'s; more POS (people over 60), and; another job$ somebodys gotta do.  

  And finally.  I recently lost my hearing in my left ear due to a case of shingles on that side of my face.  My audiologist/doctor is a young woman who has worn hearing aids since she was four years old.  Perfect for me.  She understands.

  Two weeks ago, she explained in her office the two types of devices that would best suit my needs.  An appointment was made for two weeks in the future to be fitted with my hearing aids when they came in..

    Well, that appointment was yesterday!  Hooray!  I will be able to hear again!  But, it didn't happen.  Of the two devices, she ordered the wrong one.  Following the disAPPOINTMENT, I went home and made a telephone call.  Here is that brief conversation I had with my son, Jeremy, who lives in Florida.

  Well, I didn't get my hearing aids today.                                                                                                     

  What?  Why not?

  Apparently, two weeks ago, when she asked me which one I prefer, she wrote down the wrong one and ordered the wrong one?

  Hmm.  That's crazy!  Didn't she hear you? 

  HUH?  What's up with that?