Dear Family & Friends,

March 22, 2008
Just a quick note to let you know that the strike I was going to
attend has started, I'm on site and after a tough and wearying start, we
had a very lovely, quiet and compatible day this Saturday. We had NOT a
SINGLE surgery all day!!! What a really strange occurrence, but we were
blessed with a supervisor who isn't a slave driver, encouraged our offers
to clean rooms, stock rooms, and generally get things all tidied up after
a tough week for the nurses. We all dug in and got the work done before
0930, took breaks, then did some lolly-gagging around. I was able to get
my computer fired up, work on a sticky problem with my direct deposit for
this strike, and get another book nearly completed.
So much quiet made us all tired and sleepy, so we took some power
walks all over, had a good lunch, and while the guys watched a basketball
game, we girls bonded around girl talk. It was a nice opportunity to
forge some bonds that will help us start Monday with a real team
attitude, and ability to work toward common goals. There were the usual
little dust-ups that occur among such strong personalities as an OR
generates, magnified by the fact that we're all very tired, and all
experienced OR nurses who've been traveling for awhile(yeah, 20 years
could be considered awhile). We achieved a modicum of collaboration, and
I'm hopeful that this will help make the rest of the week go much more
smoothly than might have been anticipated.
I also had an opportunity to get some bonding with the OR Manager,
Brett, so there's more of an understanding of his management style, his
commitment toward making this week go smoothly and not kill us, and his
approachability. I believe this could be another pleasant strike, at
least on the site, and that's great. I still don't know how I'm going to
manage 10 days straight, working 14-hour days, but I'm just taking it one
day at a time. We already had one girl call in sick, and I expect to
really collapse by Wednesday, but we'll just have to see. Thanks for
your prayers for my health to be sustained, and my stamina to be
recharged every day. Must get to bed...


Love,
Debbie

Dear Family & Friends,
OK...the March 3-7 thing is on, but it's probably just 4-7, and
only two of those days are actually paid work. Still...it's getting me
in the door, and allowing the boss to see what I can do, so they can
decide to give me that 2-3 month thing, which lets them see more of my
abilities, which gives them time to decide whether they can take me on
for either a 6-month or 12-month exclusive contract. After several
emails and one phone call, I finally learned that my interview with Linda
K was with the Director of Internal Operations at DJSullivan Healthcare!!
She had emailed me rather informally, so I didn't have her usual
"business signature" at the end of her emails, and didn't know how far up
to totem pole she was when we had our interview. Not that it
would have made a whole lot of difference, because I talk very frankly
with folks so that I don't have to make excuses for how I normally talk
with them after they decide they want to hire me. I've learned a little
diplomacy in my years as an interim manager, but not so much that I'm not
me anymore either. Yes, it may be off putting to the high-brow folks, or
the ones who like all that P-R craziness, but then I wouldn't be able to
pull off acting like those folks anyway for very long, so why not just
let them see enough of the real me to judge me on my merits, not my
ability to speak PR language.
Anyway, before you all get the wrong impression, this is one of those
really short (hit-n-git as they say in the South) projects with several
consultants hitting the same hospital at the same time to really do a
huge overall assessment. We'll fly in (usually on Monday) this coming
Tuesday, work Wednesday and Thursday, then fly home on Friday. It
appears that I'm assigned to be mostly on my own, doing 13 separate
assessments in the OR, over two days, and then have to write my report
about what I learned. Please be praying that I'll be able to do the job
well that they need done, make a very good impression, and fit in with
the other team members with whom I'll be working. I don't think I'll see
the boss (LindaK), but she'll be getting reports from the team members
about me, so it's really important that I do well.
As I said, from the emails that LindaK sent me, this thing next week
may lead to a 2-3 month contract to help them wrap up some lagging
projects and tie up loose ends on them for some special clients. That
allows me to show my flexibility/adaptability to the boss, and learn
their ropes enough to let them decide if they can put me to use for much
longer and more consistently. This is a great opportunity and I trust
that it will go well next week. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers
and thoughts all next week, but specially Wed and Thurs.

Love,
Debbie