Certified!
Today was a memorable day. I received my certification from ASCP in the mail. I am officially Rhonda M. Daily, MT(ASCP).
Now that I've been working for almost 2 months, it's all starting to sink in...I did it. I went back to school after almost 10 years, juggled homework, summer research jobs, kids, husband, dogs, internship, studying for the boards, trying to retain some form of sanity, a smidge of a social life and everything else that was thrown on my plate. Sometimes I feel as though I'm so far behind having gotten my degree at the ripe old age of 33. But when I look ahead and my husband and I start planning where we want to be in the next 5, 10, 15 years...it's comforting to know that we can get there.
Prior to going back to school, I worked for a home medical equipment company. I did all forms of patient services, custom fit orthotics, wheelchair fittings, Medicare approvals for durable medical equipment, and on and on. I enjoyed the job, but after 18 months I had essentially maxed out what there was to learn about the job. The salary was OK, but that too would have maxed out far below where I am now.
It's hard to describe the satisfaction I feel every day at my job, knowing I'm actually using the knowledge and skills I've acquired over the last few years. Working in the microbiology department, I'm making decisions every day on every culture based on what I know. Of course, there are procedural guidelines, and the wealth of experience of my coworkers to back me up, but I get to THINK every day. That was definitely something missing from other jobs I've held in the past.
Of course, there is much discussion about MT wages, in comparison to nursing and other careers in the medical field. Yes, we do have an extensive education and yes, I'd love to be paid more. But all in all, I'm happy to have a job I enjoy and I can live a comfortable life with what I'm being paid. Now, when my girls hit the teenage years, that may be a different story! They are only 9 and 7 now, so I'm hoping I've got a few years until they turn into fashionistas.
So, I'm settling into my new career. The summer is flying by--we've managed to fill our days off with lots of fun family activities, and most importantly I've been able to finally RELAX!