In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “If You Leave.”

I was going to write a little update about my new job this week, but when I saw this prompt about leaving, I thought I would tie it in as it fits perfectly.

I am not a person who likes change very much. As you may have gathered, I am very routine oriented, set in my ways, and I suppose, a bit of an old stick-in-the-mud really. however I knew that i was going to have to bite the bullet and make a change in my life, or shut up moaning about it!

Without going into details, work at the hospital had changed since I had started there some five and a half years earlier. I used to love going in to work every morning and was always upbeat about it. A year later, I ,moved wards as part of some training I was doing and stayed there for the remainder of the time.

The camaraderie amongst the staff was what kept me there for so long; they are a wonderful team and coped with numerous changes without a lowering the quality of care they gave to the patients. Then slowly, but surely, and for various reasons. staff started leaving, and the dynamics were changing, as was the atmosphere. Morale was pretty low by the time the 20th person in a year had left, and I must admit, this was when I decided it was time to go.

Nothing stays the same of course, and sometimes change is for the better, but it did not make me feel better at all.When the job came up in the community, I decided to go for it. As you know, much to my surprise and delight, I got the job!

I then panicked for a bit as it meant change, and although I wanted it, I was worried about starting again. After all, I knew everyone at work, and they all knew me, Not only that but I was confident in my job and knew what was expected of me. In my new job, I would be learning a totally different way of using my skills with a whole new group of people who I didn’t know.

Well, I made the decision to take it. I knew that it was the right thing for me to do. I was not happy at the hospital anymore, and I would be a miserable influence on others which isn’t fair.So here i am, three weeks in and on a week off already! (I had already booked this week off for half term)!

I have been welcomed by the team who all seem to be very friendly. I have learned lots of new techniques, new ways of doing things, and have made friends with Mr SatNav who is going to be a constant companion to me due to my useless sense of direction!

It is going to take me a little while to get re-acquainted with full-time hours, but I know I can do it, (After working for 18 hours per day in a kebab shop 6 days a week in the past, I am sure I can hack a 37.5 hour week)!

My only regret is not saying goodbye properly to the staff at the hospital. I did not want a leaving do as it is not my thing really, and I ended up going very quickly in the end, once the paperwork was sorted this end, so there were some staff I hadn’t seen at all! Mind you, I am not good at goodbyes and bawled my head off on my last day at the hospital!