The Filter is OFF: Brenner Children's Hospital

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

I Don’t Wanna Work (whining involved)

But, I don't wanna bang on these drums all day. That's the hubby's plan.

I find myself feeling the true meaning of burnout. The link is an excellent description from the Mayo Clinic. Maybe I've been there for a while.

I LOVE the job that I do. I said that not too long ago in the post about being a Navigator. Loving what one does is not the same as loving the job. To all of my BCH peeps, I think you're amazing and I am so lucky to have great clinical staff around me.

My job constraints are what I struggle with. My standard schedule is 11a-11p. I am assigned to 4 units, plus responding to the ED traumas. Twelve hours of feeling pulled all over the place is hard. I have done it for over three years simply because I love what I DO.

I find myself wishing more and more that I could take a long break and just write. It's impossible when I work this regularly, then the part-time hours elsewhere. I do it and don't sleep enough. I miss out on feeling good enough to keep my house pristine. I miss out on settling down to watch my favorite show when it's on. I miss out on finishing the library book I checked out two weeks ago, when on vacation, I can read 5 in a week.

I used to juggle so much more when Olivia was alive. But, that was from home and not a concrete guideline. I was a different person, then, too. For my other blogger friends and already accomplished writers: How do you organize your time if you're not just a writer? Where do you fit your dream into your reality?

*This blog is my personal view. I am not an official Medical Center Spokesperson.*

Friday, March 16, 2012

I'm Karen. I'm a Navigator...

I don't talk about my work publicly often. Well, I take that back. There was this one time in 2010 when I was on The Nate Berkus Show and I talked about it quite publicly (search for my maiden name, Karen Hawks, on his website and you'll see it's fo' realz). That wasn't the show topic, though, so it was just a tiny portion.

Some people work. I have a passion for what I do. I work at Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC. My title is Pediatric Critical Care Navigator. I work with parents who have children in intensive care or who have been critically injured in a trauma. That also includes the Intensive Care Nursery. It was a pilot program through a grant that began in February 2009. I was the first Navigator and the last of the first standing. That's right. I'm the shit. Nah, I just love what I do.

I also help extended family, foster families, siblings at times; whatever I have to do at that moment. One of the things I'm best at, which I think won't surprise you, is helping families who are experiencing the death of their child. It makes some days extremely hard, but for some families, it makes all the difference knowing someone is with them who has walked the walk. I know having those people saved me when Olivia died.

I worked a split shift with my cohort yesterday, but it was one of the best days I've had in very long time. I think that's what brought about my cheering about work. Really, who cheers about work?

I can say that I have a great group of people. I'm spread among four units: Peds ICU, Neonatal ICU, both of their Intermediate Units, and the ED when major traumas come in. I guess that's technically five. During some of my toughest times over the past year, they have been right beside me. They're also there during the fun.

So, now you know what a Navigator is. You've been introduced to Brenner Children's. You know I had a flash of fame. My only other dream is to be a published writer.

What else do you want to know that won't classify you as a stalker???