Scrubs again
I'm still sorta settling in to this concept of being a working tech. The Landau scrubs are working out rather well, and even though they are expensive comparatively, I like them. They are well made and comfortable. I went to search for some undershirts to wear under my scrub shirts last week. I bought some simple t-shirts that I thought would work well, but the sleeves on those were longer than my scrub sleeves and that just didn't work for me. I went to look for a couple other options and found some sleeveless tshirts that should work a lot better. I wanted a crew neck tshirt, so the regular tank tops weren't gonna fit the bill. This time of year, its cool enough outside in the mornings that I need something extra to stay warm, but not cool enough that I want to wear a jacket. I also just think the scrubs look nicer with a t-shirt of some sort on underneath. I also purchased a Starter brand long-sleeved undershirt type garment that I might try out as well. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do for cold weather yet. It's not cold inside our facility so I'll have to find that balance...
Chasing Documentation
I'm going to be starting work soon and I have a pre-employment screening tomorrow morning. This screening is a health screening that requires some blood testing and nothing to eat for eight hours prior. I also have to take in all my immunization records, which meant I had to go gather those up again today. I had to go to the school administration building and get a copy, but I got an extra copy this time for future use. I also had to go to the health department to get a copy of my Hepatitis B vaccination record from there. This screening was rather short notice, so I had to scramble to get everything in order for it.
During my last 5 months of job hunting, I have learned something. It would be absolutely wonderful if there could be some sort of national standardization of job applications. During the last 5 months, I have filled out no less than 42 applications. What's even worse, some companies make you do it all over again if you apply for a different job within the same company. Everyone (or most) seem to be requiring online applications these days. That being the case, there should be some sort of standardization applied to the process. Most of the information collected by job applications is the same everywhere you go. They want your name, social security number, phone number, address, employment history, education history, and references. It would be so simple to standardize that data collection process, but its not happening. All of that data could be stored in a small file on my computer and I could upload it to a potential employer. It could also easily be stored on a smartcard. It could also be stored in a secured database online where I could give potential employers a single-use access key to that information. The information would be formatted in a standard way where the employer could request the info and it would fall right into place in their computer system with no hitches. I could also update the data as needed. Its so easy in a world where computers already run businesses.
My First Job
Well, it wasn't easy and it took a while, but I have finally landed a job in the field of Radiography. I graduated from my Radiography program at school in May and it took me until now (September) to find my first job. It's a part-time job, but it's a start. I consider myself very lucky to have it since the economy is in the toilet and no one seems to be hiring anywhere.
I also consider myself lucky to have been offered the job I'll be starting soon. It's an outpatient imaging center, and it was my personal favorite clinical site during my 2 years in Radiography school. The people who work there are absolutely great and I'll have all the opportunities that I had hoped for. Since I'm very interested in expanding to additional modalities, I will have the opportunities I need in this environment to make that happen if I apply myself.
I don't really know where to start. I'm waiting on information from the HR department about my orientation day that is supposed to be on October 12. I have to get that done before I can start working, and then there is supposed to be a second orientation day sometime in November. This job is technically listed as only one day per week (Thursdays) but I was told there will be some extra opportunities for work as people take vacation time, sick days, and other situations where extra help is needed. I was told I could also have some possible opportunities to do some PRN work at the hospital when needed if I was interested, so this work might be quite diverse after all.
I bought two sets of scrubs to get me started. I told myself after I graduated that I would never wear white again because our student scrub pants and lab coats were white. This job site requires the Ceil Blue scrubs, which isn't the greatest color but it's better than white! I still need a new pair of shoes that I haven't purchased yet, but I'll get those soon enough. I still have all the x-ray lead markers that I used in school. I want some different markers and it will probably also take me a while to figure out what brand and type of scrub tops and pants I like best and where to get them, but I'll figure that out soon enough I suppose.
I don't know what will be posted in this blog yet, but I can assure you that I will be posting regularly once I actually start to work in a few weeks. In the mean time I'll be adding some content on various pages here and I'll also be searching for other radiographers who have blogs...
