Working Life

Well a couple of shifts down and I feel I have a reasonable handle on things now - that first shift is always the worst.  The staff at the hospital are all pretty friendly, there are a few agency staff working there at present and quite a few students from USQ doing placements - I always like having students around as they are so positive and eager to learn and bring a different dynamic to the job.  Got my first roster and its pretty crappy - lots of night shift which I haven't done for over a year so thats going to be a shock to the system!!

We have managed to book sites back at the Mission Beach campground and move there on Wednesday next week.  The camp here at Tully Heads is okay but we we much prefer Mission Beach and the distance to Tully for me is the same. 

We are heading in to Cairns on Monday as the DMax is due for its 3000km service - that clocked up fast.  We have a list of things to get while in there for the van etc and it will be good to have a look around Cairns as neither of us have been there before.  Will organise for Chip to go to doggy daycare somewhere in Cairns so we can be free for the day or may even end up staying the night there as I have the two days off work.

Have been chatting to the staff at work and patients and their visitors and learning heaps about how bad cyclone Yasi was here.  There is so much damage to houses still not even assessed properly  let alone being fixed.  One staff member was telling me that her house is probably going to have to be demolished but they are living in it at present waiting for the insurance company!  Another staff member was telling me how a few tradesman have been up in her roof assessing damage and have found several snakes up there....apparently when they came and fixed the hospital roof they found several snakes are up there too...freaked me out!!!  Mal has decided that he won't be contacting the local electricians to see if there is any work available afterall..he doesn't like the idea of being stuck in a roof or under a house with snakes - fair enough!

The wife of a patient was telling me yesterday that they got their insurance renewal notice - normally their policy for house, contents and car insurance for a year is around $2,000 - their bill for this year over $5,000!!!  A sign of things to come probably for all of us.