Welcome to the Shangri-La: My (Almost) Perfect Job

Viva- I can't imagine you getting fired from any job. You are never controversal. You always know the right supportive thing to say, unlike myself who has never learned to zip it.I too had my Shangri-La but it wasn't bedside and it was a temp/time limited position. I could have stayed there forever. I managed to keep for 2 yrs until I was offered too low a pay to live off of by the new company that took over the contact. I cried for days on end. I look back and wonder if I should have taken the low pay and found a second job to make up for the $1,200/month difference. I still grabble back and forth if I did the right thing.The job I took post Shangri La, was permanant, only an $800/month pay cut with bene's and almost identical in role, I have already left it. It was a nightmare. I knew day 2, it was not the place for me, when I saw how the patients were treated. The ironic thing about it was- the management was very supportive and didn't have a clue how ugly, horrid and uncivil the staff behaved. The staff talked to walkie talkie alert but destitude patients like they were dogs. The managment were very trusting of their staff and should not be. I can't go with that flow. HR saw how unhappy I was, we had a talk and I never went back.I have a new temp/time limited position starting for the original better wages and i have no idea what to expect, never done it before but what the heck. The pay is good. it's not hospital/bedside. The commute is 1 hr each way. I guess I will be the "Queen of the temps" for alittle while longer. Maybe, with my bills getting paid, it will be a ticket out of nursing for good.So- if Shangri La comes your way. Hang on to it,especially in Nursing. The next nightmare is right around the corner. There is an old saying- "Better the devil you know, then the one you don't".

You can say THAT again, kc! I won't deny that there have been some really tough times at this job. The past 6 months were especially challenging because of some mental health issues that proved difficult to control; but even as I was going through it all, I never quite lost sight of the fact that this job is my lifeline---not just because it pays the bills, but because it gives me a vital part of my identity, a reason to get up in the morning......a place I can call home, away from home. Of course, time changes everything and this may not last forever, but I'm not going to worry about that now. All I know is that I'm going to keep on going for as long as I possibly can, until the time comes when I cannot nurse anymore and decide to become a Wal-Mart greeter (believe me, there are days when I think about that!) and/or a freelance writer.

Walmart doesn't have greeters anymore, at least not where I am.

Uh-oh.........:uhoh21:

Love this snap-shot of your career, I wish nothing but the utmost happiness for you....for a looooong time coming

I like to believe that Shangri-la of nursing exists!!! Thanks for sharing your story. ;-)

I found some great inspiration in this post and can relate on such a large scale that it's scary. Shangri-La DOES exist. It doesn't always relate to where you are in your career or even to your career at all. After spending 18+ years in my current profession, I couldn't find it. But I know it's out there...and I know it's in Nursing.Thanks Viva!

You are refreshingly insightful in a world where it seems like it is ALWAYS somebody else's fault!

Aargh... it's nice to hear your story, because I don't think I'll ever find my Shangri-La - at this point I'm only in it for a paycheck, sad to say--

I'm glad you've found your perfect job as I am still looking for mine.I'm just not sure I'll find it as a nurse. I'm glad that you did.

Thank you so much for sharing this. I've been a nurse for only 3 years, but haven't kept the same job for that long for a lot of the same reasons you've listed above. I really just haven't found my niche yet either. I yearn for a job where the stress doesn't drive me up the walls and have me feeling like I didn't do enough. I really am burnt out from rude doctors, management, and families...I'm thinking bedside isn't for me anymore. But like I said, I haven't quite found my niche yet.Anyway, glad to hear I'm not the only one. Your article helped to calm the waters for me..for now (although I continue to search for job openings). Good luck. Thanks again.

Please explain what a peripatetic nurse does.