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The Navy Life of A Pilot's Wife

7 years, 4 States, 2 Countries, & 1 Love Story

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Thriving During Deployment

I’d say that I need a massage, but …

2013/02/07 CorgiMum Wedding Leave a comment

It’s crunch time for the reception – our guests will be starting to arrive this time next week, reception events begin a week from tomorrow, and the reception is next Saturday. I’d say that I need a de-stressing massage, but I got one tonight. Maybe I need another. So. Much. Left. To. Do.

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I just sat for an interview with my per diem nursing company’s PR team about being a military spouse and working per diem as a nurse. I feel empowered, catered to (who doesn’t love that!), enabled, and successful on my own terms doing per diem nursing work, so I was excited to have an opportunity to tell my story to a wider audience. I love finding companies that enable their employees, and I found that with #ConnectRN. I’ll post the article when it’s published online 👩🏽‍⚕️ For now, enjoy this picture I took during a Friends & Family Day aboard the USS George Washington in Japan ⚓️✈️🇺🇸 #flynavy #perdiemnursing #militarywife #navywife @inkhousepr

I am weeks away from starting the hard work of researching my dissertation topic for my PhD in Nursing Science. My topic is chronic pain in current and former SEALs Operators, and therefore my dissertation hinges on talking to current and former SEAL & UDT Operators. I have buy-in from the Navy & Navy Medicine, SEAL community organizations, and the few former Operators I personally know, but I need help reaching out to Team families to gain broader community buy-in. The Navy can force Operators to talk to me, but that’s NOT a good way of gathering quality information about something as personal as pain. Many of our spouses have pain, regardless of where or how they serve. I’m asking for YOUR buy in, because if I can move forward on this topic, this dissertation will set me up to spend the next 40 years of my career researching and publishing on the topic of active duty and veteran pain and wellness. So, I am hoping that some of you who have connections to SEAL families, or those of you who know people who have connections for SEAL families, would be willing to lend me your network. I may not be able to change the whole military with this one dissertation and accompanying White Papers, but maybe I can start a change for a small part of the Navy world. And, if I can get the ball rolling, hopefully this research will carry me through to research that WILL change the way the whole Navy and the whole Military addresses pain in its service members and veterans. It’s a big task to change the military, but if anyone can do it, our military spouse community can. Any personal connections, suggestions, and advice is super appreciated. The military will never know the names of those who took part in my research study and what they said - I abide by ethical guidelines of scientific research.

One more Nurses Week post before this week is over. I was reminded this week that we all get by with a lot of help from our friends in our military married lives. When @milspooftheyear posed the question of what our go-to military resource is, I instantly answered that my go-to resource is other spouses. As I grow in my nursing practice, I’m finding that one of my greatest strengths is communication with my team: My CNAs, my RNs & LPNs, my nurse boss, my patients, and other professionals. I’ve learned a lot of my communication skills from figuring out how to build strong bridges with other military spouses, which I then apply in my nursing practice. We spouses aren’t all the same, sometimes we don’t have much in common, and we don’t always agree on the big stuff, but we band together, support each other, and are resources for each other. As I’ve grown in my military-based relationships over these past 7 years, I’ve built so many friendships and “working relationships” with fellow spouses. I’ve learned to start relationships quickly and to stay flexible in those relationships as our lives change, sometimes day to day. I’ve figured out how to get along to get along. I’ve learned to speak to others’ strengths and buttress their weak points, just as others have done for me. Now I apply those lessons at work, and my practice and my patients are so much better off because of my experience in our spouse community. THANK YOU to this amazing spouse community, which has challenged me, made me better, helped me get stronger, and provided so many learning and growth opportunities. Also, shout out to #ConnectRN for this awesome rose gold stethoscope gift! So excited to use it at work! #perdiemRN #nurselife #nursesweek

HAPPY NURSES WEEK to every nurse reading this, and especially to my fellow military spouses & significant others who are nurses, too. I became a nurse because I wanted to be a nurse, but I also hoped becoming a nurse would give me a portable career while my husband and I moved around the world for his career. This PCS, however, taught me that it’s really difficult for so many of us military spouses to get jobs, even jobs that we are super well qualified for, because we are illegally blacklisted by employers near bases because we move. I was illegally told during an interview recently that “nobody” will hire me because I’m “obviously a military wife” based on my resume, which is full of relocations. I have my RN, BSN, MS, and a PhD in progress, AND I have excellent job references and experience, yet the interviewer was right - I was blacklisted and I couldn’t get a job call back despite doing everything “right”. I love being a nurse, and after 5 months searching for work here, I was exhausted and considering applying to Home Depot just so I could earn some money and get out of the house (for real). Then one day I received a message on @LinkedIn from @ConnectRN that changed my life. A recruiter from the company saw my profile on LinkedIn and my location, and asked if I had ever considered per diem work, as they had a facility nearby that needed a per diem RN. The work was exactly what I had been looking for, and the hourly rate was more than I had ever been paid. I hadn’t considered per diem work for a number of reasons, but I am so glad I took this leap of faith. Now I work a few days a week at a facility literally 4min from my house and I only work shifts I want to work. I’m a charge nurse, so that’s management experience I can continue on my resume. I’m in school earning my PhD, so when I am busy, I don’t have the added worry of having to work a regular schedule. This is a superb situation for me, and I recommend trying per diem or travel nursing to any military spouse nurse or nursing assistant. Also, l would be so happy to refer you to @ConnectRN if you would like an introduction. #notanad #justabeliever

I’ve been busy lately between working extra shifts and seeing Navy friends. I made it down to Annapolis this week very briefly to see two fabulous Navy friends and their families. While there, obviously I hit the Academy shop and bought myself a few gifts, including these adorable anchor earrings. Peep my cute E/A-18 bangle bracelet from @thenomadicnationshop 😬😂😜⚓️✈️🇺🇸 #flynavy #navalaviation #EA18 #Growler #EA18G

Happy Weekend! #FlyNavy

I knew he was a keeper when he took me to see F-18s “bounce” on our second date (showoff!) 😄 No zoom necessary - taken from the grass at the edge of the field. Have a Great Navy Day! ⚓️✈️🇺🇸 #calltheball #FlyNavy

⚔️ Happy Game of Thrones Night! Wishing you a spectacular week ahead! ⚔️

This is not an ad - just a plug for the military-friendly per diem nurse staffing company that I work for, #ConnectRN. As a military spouse, I have a very hard time finding work every time we move. A recruiter from ConnectRN reached out to me on LinkedIn shortly after we arrived at our current location because she saw that I was looking for work and, according to LinkedIn, I lived in the same town as a facility that just contracted with them. I wasn’t sure if I would like per diem nursing because I like regularity, but I WAS SO WRONG! Now I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to regular bedside nursing, even when we move! I love the flexibility of per diem nursing - which is so important when you’re living that #shoretour life for the first time in 7 years! - and I love the employees of ConnectRN. I’ve had nothing but positive interactions and lots of support from the HR folks, who seem to really believe in the work they’re doing. I’m working 3-4 shifts/week with ConnectRN, and ONLY shifts I want to work, which is so awesome compared to working directly for a facility, which might schedule you for shifts you don’t want because of staffing needs. I’m getting paid more than I’ve ever been paid for nursing work, too. The #ConnectRewards aren’t so bad, either 😉 If you’re nurse (any level) and your spouse/loved one is stationed in New England or the Mid Atlantic, I’d be so happy to refer you to ConnectRN. They’re military-friendly and an easy company to work for.

We spent an unforgettable Navy Day in Boston. We watched a friend’s promotion ceremony aboard the @uss_constitution in the morning, after which the group of us received a private tour of the ship with an exceptional sailor/tour guide. I discovered I am exactly the right height to be a sailor aboard the Constitution, as everyone taller than me struggled with the low ceilings. We laughed when my husband had a double #batesblowout (damnit, @batesfootwear) and unknowingly left a trail of shoe debris in Boston. We enjoyed our friend’s wetting down party at a little Italian place in the North End, and then we toured the Old North Church, which was the site of “one if by land and two if by sea”. Perfect day in a city that I love and a great Navy Day.

Hi all, it’s been a really wild 12 days. My parents were on the #VikingSky cruise disaster, so I was offline for 10 days as I cared for them at their home. I’ve never been so glad to be a nurse. I’m back to our regularly scheduled program now. I received a few very sweet messages from IG friends asking if I was okay during my unexpected absence. Thanks for the check ins ♥️

I posted all about what comes next after a Naval Aviation officer is selected for Command ✈️⚓️🇺🇸 Link in bio. Thank you for reading! #FlyNavy #NavalAviation #TACAIR

My amazing husband screened for Command! I am proud of him everyday, but especially today ⚓️✈️🇺🇸 #FlyNavy #USNavy #FighterPilot

I started working this week, so it’s been a quiet week here and on my blog. The first week or two of work at a new facility is utterly exhausting. I endeavor to be “on” every minute of work for my first few shifts so that I can make the most of the learning process. Compartmentalizing the externals, forcing my introverted self to be an extrovert, processing everything as fast and as thoroughly as I can muster, and reframing my perspective and brain to be a nurse again is so exhausting ... not to mention running up and down hallways for 12 hours at a time and dealing with difficult patients and families. So far, I love my new job and my CNAs have been outstanding. I’m also starting the hard labor of putting together my dissertation topic/background/research. I FaceTimed with my advisor yesterday and she gave me some great starting point advice. It’s time to get going on that. AND, the research paper I’m working on with several fellow medical professionals is in its final evolution! I’ll get back to posting regularly once I am used to the ebb and flow of this new job, and I hope to share some info about my dissertation, too! #nurselife

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