Better Late than Never!

Did you miss me? Be prepared...it's a LONG one!

I'm sorry it's been nearly a MONTH since I last posted! It's been a busy few weeks, needless to say! I had school stuff I've been working on (the LAST of my projects EVER!!), interviews, traveling, working, and trying to find time to sleep in between. My apartment is a MESS and is proof of my busyness! Hopefully I'll get around to cleaning it at some point (maybe when I'm actually in town for a weekend!).

So, I left y'all with some suspenseful news as of my last post. The news was that I was really wanting to move back to Savannah after graduation and be closer to home for a change. My decision to move up to Greenville was not becoming one I was so happy with afterall. Well, I had my interview up in Greenville and I went into it with the mindset that I was pretty much just going to get "the interview experience" since I didn't actually want to live up there anymore but already had the interview set up. Much to my surprise, I left the interview wondering how I was going to find a job that could possible be any more PERFECT than that one! The facility was great! They are a healthcare facility that serves both pediatrics and geriatrics. They do long-term and short-term care, contract out to the local school, as well as the local (teeny!) hospital! And they were REALLY wanting someone to help out with the hospital rotations...which is what I'm most interested in doing. I'd be doing a little bit of everything, which I've discovered is what is most interesting to me, since it's always changing and doesn't give me an opportunity to get bored. The entire Rehab team was very nice and there were a lot of younger girls that could help me "socialize" in my new town. There were about 5 other Speech Therapists that I'd be working with that I would also be able to call upon whenever I had a problem or needed some advice. They also worked with Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists. The situation couldn't of been more perfect for me.

However, I was just not sure if I should take it since I hadn't had ANY other interviews, and I was waiting on places in Savannah to open up. Well, 2 weeks rolls by and I've either not heard word from any places that I applied to, or I had been denied based on no availabilities. So, after some nudging from my Dad, I turned down the radio in my car (while on my road trip to visit one of my besties, Allie, in Augusta) and spent an hour just talking to God about the whole thing. It's AMAZING what some quiet time with God can do! I cleared my head of every thought and just really "talked it out" with Him. And I came to a conclusion. I realized that I had been asking God for some "signs" of what He wanted me to do. I was just trying too hard to find an excuse NOT to take the job I think. God had given me signs...I was just ignoring them! The first one was back in October when I saw the advertisement for the position in one of my Speech magazines. Sign #2 was when I went to ASHA (our National convention) in November and ended up being recommended by one of my professors to visit the booth of that same company. Sign #3: the company told me about that same job position. Sign #4: how GREAT the interview went. I mean, c'mon Megan...how many more signs from God do you want?!

So, I talked it over with my parents, called up the facility and told them I wanted the job. And BAM! They offered me the position (and with QUITE a nice 'lil salary as well!)! So, folks...I'VE GOT A JOB!!!!!! Come June, I'll be moving on up to Greenville, South Carolina! (Ok, it's actually Simpsonville that I'll be living in, but that's just a minor detail...). I've now moved on to looking for places to live online so that I can visit them once I get back up there in May. I mean, how CRAZY is this?! My goal was to find a job before I graduated in May...and I did! Woo-hoo! Graduation is May 7th (YES!) and I enter the real-world in June! WOW. Guess I'm almost all grown-up. So, anytime anyone makes a trip up to Greenville, SC...feel free to give me a holla! (because a 2nd bedroom is a MUST for my new place! The more visitors the merrier!) :0)

Sending you love and JOY! : D

High Praise...and other stuff too

Today was my mid-term evaluation for my externship at the hospital. I was confident that I've been doing a good job and wasn't worried about the grade I would receive. However, what I wasn't prepared for was the extremely high praise that I received from my supervisor. My supervisor has had many students over many years, so she's seen her share of good ones and not-so-good ones. During my evaluation today, my supervisor informed me of what a great job I've been doing so far...and then she went on to inform me that I'm one of the best students she's ever had. Really?! Wow! I was flabbergasted... What does a "flabbergasted" face look like? Because I tried REALLY hard to not look it! I felt really honored too, though. It was kind of like an affirmation to myself that I really am cut out for the medical part like I thought I was. Going to work loving what you're doing all day must be the key. I think back to when I took one of my first classes in Neurology back in undergrad, and I was SOO fascinated by it all, and I wondered if that meant that I'd enjoy the medical portion of the field. We didn't get much hands-on access to the medical part of our field before we went out to our externships. When I began this semester...it just felt like it all fit. And I now have that "feeling" confirmed. I have my confirmation of affirmation.....now if I can just find a job......

And as for the job hunt, I've got my interview in Greenville next week. I'm hoping it goes well! But I've actually had some new "developments" in my once thought set course....but more on that at another time. I know, I'm such a tease, right??

Later!

Job Searching

I think I lied to myself. I made myself believe that job searching for Speech Therapy was gonna be a piece of cake. Turns out...not so much. I mean, it's just so difficult to know where to start! I've called a hospital system a couple of times, but they won't return my calls. I don't know if that means they're just bad about returning calls...or if they don't need any help. I just want to know one way or the other. After that...I don't know where else to look.

There is a bright side though. At my ASHA convention in NOLA back in November I met a company based near Greenville. They took my resume and seemed interested in me. The recruiter gave me her card and told me to e-mail her. Well, I lost the card. However, she kept my resume and ended up e-mailing ME a few weeks ago to see if I was still interested in the job. My Dad said that's a blessing since most company's just aren't seeking applicants right now. So, I decided to look into them. Turns out, they're based in a little town near Greenville, but they do a LOT. They're a Rehab facility that services outpatient pediatrics and geriatrics, works in the school system, as well as services the inpatient acute care in the local hospital! I mean, really?! That's A LOT! And a lot of those things are exactly what I was wanting to do. I'm not so thrilled with the whole school portion, but as a first job...there's a lot of potential there. It's got a lot of areas that would let me "get my feet wet" and see where I'm really best fit. I've got a "tentative" interview set up to visit the facility and such in March, so I'm moving ahead with my "big girl" things. This place almost seems too good to be true. I don't really feel like searching for other places to apply, but I also feel like I really should as well and not put all my eggs in one basket. Man, being a grown up is already hard stuff!!!

Decisions, decisions.......