Passing on the Fun

This morning I had my yearly review at my old job. (I had to have this since I am staying on with the company PRN and I want to be eligible for my raise!) I met with my boss and really wasn't quite sure what to expect from the meeting. Typically meetings with them take a while as we sort out how things are going and what my new goals will be, but considering I am now "just" one of the therapists I wasn't sure if we would go through all that or not.

We didn't. And it was great!

She went over the paperwork that my other boss had filled out and I got great reviews. There were some really nice comments including "stepping into a difficult situation" and "compassion and patience beyond her years". I was so thrilled! It meant so much to know that they respected what I had tried to do and that they recognized I put forth a lot of effort. There was not one negative thing mentioned.

The only thing they requested was that I train the lady taking my place. Done.

After hours and hours of talking and introducing and explaining and being diplomatic and choosing careful words I think that I have given my replacement as much information as I can give. I tried very hard to introduce her to the company and their values as well as prepare her for the issues she would be facing. I was as open and direct as I could be, in a nice way. Trying carefully to let her form her own opinions about people and situations and not take my opinion as truth.

I feel pretty good about what she will do. She is experienced and seems to be pretty perceptive. She agrees with things I have warned her about and her observations about certain people have been similar to mine. Which confirms that I am not totally crazy and should have spoken up about how I was treated before it got to the point I did not want to deal with it anymore. But that's over and done. She has great intentions and good ideas and is a hard worker. She will be fine.

She also has something I didn't have. Me. Someone who has been there. Someone she can trust. Someone she can vent to and not worry about where it will go or if she is crossing any lines. Someone who can come in and help with patient visits while she tries to deal with staff issues and still get home at a decent hour.

I laughed when she told me she was getting bored at her old job and felt she was up for the challenge.

There will be no time for her to be bored.

And I'm happy to help when I can. I love having the option of saying no. And I find it interesting that many of the people I worked with have told me in the days since leaving that I look so much more relaxed. I still haven't decided if that's good or bad. I don't like thinking that I wasn't hiding how I was feeling very well and that people who don't know me that well picked up on the fact that I was stressed out. On the other hand, it's true. I am more relaxed. I love my new job(s).

And I'm glad that people can see that. The real me.