What was you favorite job?

[eauclaireliberal]

What was your favorite job?

Mine:

Covenant Health Care (not its real name) is the name of a local nursing home. As a nurse aide, I loved my hallway. Some were physically incapable to do ADL's, others were mentally incapable. Two of my folks I'll mention:

H was about 5 feet tall, thin, shaggy white hair, coke-bottle glasses. She was demented. She had a great smile, laughed, made my day. She could carry on a conversation with you and then perk up "...oh, really?" She was cute. I was one of three people in the world that she could recall by name.

Her roommate was L, sound of mind but victim of three consecutive strokes resulting in right-side paralysis. She was in her upper-70's and required help with all ADL's. She was always funny: She always had a joke for you. One of my memorable moments when she was having a hard time voiding and after nearly 20 minutes on the pan with nothing to show for it, she called me in.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but the plumbing isn't working. I really thought I had to go."
"No problem, L. I'll just get it out for now, you can try again later."
"I tried you know."
"Well that's all you can really do."
"Yeah, but maybe that's what they will put in my epitaph: 'she tried.' Hey, maybe they'll make my tombstone in the shape of a bedpan!"

She has this really roaring laugh that was funny in itself. I really miss those folks. I'm tied between pursuing gerontology and psych when I finish RN school. Old folks are a blast.

***BTW: Grumpy old people were grumpy young people. Patient experience and developmental psychology has shown that growing old doesn't make one grumpy; that comes from unresolved issues from years long gone.

[blondeatlast]

1. I have it. I'm a library assistant and I get to buy books and read

publishing journals all day long!

Plus I have a great boss.

[Flaxbee]

2. My mom lives in an assisted living facility and

has been in and out of nursing care b/c of broken hips, etc... and all I can say is "Thank You!" for being so kind and loving your job. I live far away, and I know my mom forms good friendships with some of the people who work at her place. People like you make ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

Maybe geriatric psych? My dad's a psychiatrist and I know this is a specialty; I'm assuming RNs are needed in this field, too...

[eauclaireliberal]

3. Mayo's hospital in Eau Claire

has Behavioral Health Center. It has a full range of mental illnesses in their units: PS, MD, AODA, and some of your most extreme of dementia cases. I'm hoping that by the time I finish school they will have an opening. I seem to be the only one in my college's nursing program that wants to work psych. Everyone else wants trauma care. Then again, I'm one of a few males, and in my late 30's. Most of the students are young women under the age of 25 who are looking to move to Minneapolis or Chicago after they graduate.

As for my work as an aide (and is the case in care-taking in general): one of the first things that you are told is to not take shit personally. Even if it is, so what? They are human beings and have the right to say whatever the hell they want, right or wrong. As a caretaker it is my obligation to assess their issues and develop a resolution that will (hopefully) be satisfactory. There were some that held on to some resentments were grumpy, but I continued to "kill them with kindness." After a while they start thinking along the lines of "Hey, this kid isn't THAT bad is he? No he's not. He doesn't yell back or criticize me" Eventually they came around, some to the point that they would get angry on my days off. "Where's JJ?" "He has the day off." "Oh great. Now who the hell are you?" Even one of the "No male caretaker" residents told a newer girl-who was assigned to my hall for that day-"listen, girlie, just go get JJ would you? He knows what to do."

[BikeWriter]

4. My favorite jobs have usually been caring for the animals...

Horses, exotic birds, exotic fish, and dogs I raised. I've always watched for those I could purchase. Some I rehabilitated and profited on, others I gave away. All animals I owned went on to a good home.

[khashka]

8. He's not being entirlely truthful......

He's saying animals are commodities. Cash in hand.

He's lying. He loves them One of the things i admire....


Now if I can only get him to get together with me and have him teach me how to handle horses.


Khash.

[BikeWriter]

9. Thanks, Pard. If you ever get the chance to watch...

anyone using John Lyons horse training methods, please do so. John emphasizes the animals don't get hurt and the trainer doesn't either.

[khashka]

5. Working in a bookstore

Oh man I was good!

People would ask me what book they would like, that they should buy for others.... and I was always right. And it was fun!


People would call and ask for me....

When I quit to go to graduate school one woman (richer than god) begged me not to.

It was amazing - giving other peope pleasure. Sharing mine with them.


Khash

[Nicole]

6. Working in a Head Shop

in the 70's. :)

I always had the coolest clothes & newest music to pick from. Among other stuff.

[eauclaireliberal]

10. That must have been interesting

There was a place on Brady St. in Milwaukee called (I think) Tobbacco Road. They pretty much had everything you could possible think of and then some. As usual, it got shut down thanks in large part to the Holy Rollers.

[Nicole]

11. It was interesting

for sure.

The place I worked at is actually still in business. It's the only place in this city, that I know of, where you can still buy vinyl albums & eight track tapes. Of course they're mostly used.

Some of their inventory has been deleted though. They still sell incense & oils but no herbs. Some of the clothes now in stock looks like stuff I sold back then. As do the lava lamps & black lights.

[Ava]

7. the one i have now

I'm a "runner" for a law firm.

[swag]

12. My first one at the record store during high school was the funnest.

I also worked there during summers home from college.

Typical late 70s early 80s mall shit and its attendant delightful sins, plus we ordered ourselves a lot of good records.

[deadparrot]

13. Well, I'm a college student.

But I love my part-time summer gig.

I'm an usher/tour guide at an outdoor musical theater. Lots of Broadway people come to do the shows, which are always awesome.

Sure, it's hot as hell (khaki pants in 100+ degree weather) and you get yelled at by people when you tell them that they can't bring in their beer, but it's so much fun. You do actual work for an hour or two, then get to watch and enjoy the show from the wings.

[Horse with no Name]

14. I used to grow alfalfa and bean sprouts for a produce company

Rinse rinse rinse rinse....they are like babies just starting out, and when they rot, they smell and look like the end product you find in the diaper.
BUT, I was 18 years old.
I worked about 25 hours a week--but they were odd hours.
I had a free house and utilities. I made $125/week and I had a company car (whichever one the owner wasn't driving--either a Benz or an Audi.)
It was good.