It has been a hot minute since I've written a blog post, so this one is going to be very life-update heavy. But there is a really cute story at the end, so power through!
So, as seems to be a trend with me in the months of January and February, I got a new job! My old job had served me well and was paying the bills, but there was almost no hope for growth/advancement. The main reason for that being that my direct supervisor was never anywhere near the department and treated us like a bother when we needed anything. This had become a source of frustration and I started looking around to see what else was out there that could better serve me moving forward. Worst case scenario, I stay with a job that is perfectly fine for the time being. So, nothing to lose by checking!
As seems to be the case for me, when I started throwing applications, I started having more interviews than I knew what to do with. This was partially due to an event that has nothing to do with my abilities: the Omicron wave of our constant unwanted guest, COVID19. The increase in cases means an increase in testing, which means that medical laboratories have a higher volume of tests, which means they need to hire more people to handle it. A lot of places that contacted me were for temporary contract work, which I was not particularly of interest to me. But there were several others with permanent positions that piqued my interest.
One phone interview stuck out from the get-go. The person on the phone was a potential supervisor, and we seemed to get along quite well. I was happy with how I answered the questions an the job description seemed a good fit. I received an e-mail saying that they were interested in an in-person interview and that the lab director was a Hillsdale graduate! We Hillsdale people tend to find each other, I guess. And I'll take any advantage I can get when it comes to job interviews. I had 3-4 interviews a week (either phone or in-person) lined up for the next couple of weeks.
As I ticked off one interview after another, my top choice remained the the nice-sounding job with the Hillsdale lab director. The in-person interview went well, too, and afterwards I prayed for an offer. Everything about this seemed perfect.
You know how I say I'm one of the luckiest people I know? Two days later, I had an offer in my inbox for far more than I was currently making, with better hours and chance for advancement. Well, that decision took approximately 0.8 seconds to make.
So, now I am a clinical laboratory technician at CCRM DFW. It's a fertility clinic, so we do all of the procedures surrounding helping people start or expand their families when the natural way is not possible. I work with the male portion of the process, analyzing semen and preparing sperm for the process of IVF. I also run our in-house blood tests, which track female hormone levels throughout the treatment process. This is really cool stuff to a biology nerd like me, so I'm really enjoying learning about it.
I am really glad that I took this job, especially for the work environment. Everyone who works here wants to work here. We know that what we do is so important to our patients, and the doctor I work for is very compassionate and kind.
So, I've worked here for 4 weeks and I already have a fun work story. On Friday, I was minding my own business, processing the blood like usual, and I get a call from our receiving nurse. She asks if my co-worker (the only guy in the lab), knows how to jump a car with a dead battery. I, like a good mechanic's daughter, immediately pipe up with "I know how to jump a car, do you have cables?"
Sure enough, there was a patient with a dead battery in the parking lot. I pulled my car around, hooked up the cables, and got her on her way. I was quite pleased with myself for being able to use such a random piece of knowledge at my work, and the poor lady was so happy that I could help.
Today, I was putting something in the freezer, and on my way back, who should I see but that patient, back for another round of testing (not uncommon when tracking fertility cycles). She recognized me and handed me a gift:
I was floored. This little beauty product set made my day today. And about an hour later, I processed that patient's blood test just like I would anyone else's. I'm glad that my new job allows me to be of service in new ways. I'll just have to wait and see what else God can use me for in this new place.
I'm trying to not sound braggy, but I just love my new job. So, yeah, that's my big fat life update and sweet work story.
