On June 10th, 2015 I quit my fantastic hospital job. It was 10 days past the time I told myself I would do it, but I was hesitating. I had gotten pretty comfortable. The nutritional services department was like my second family, I had just gotten a raise for passing the CNSC exam, and I moved right across the street where I’d walk to work every day and walk my dog at lunch. It doesn’t get any better than that right??
As I scrambled to find my dog Amaya a temporary home, got rid of all of my belongings which I loved, and packed for a last minute flight to the UK were I’d have minimal things and be far from my family and bay area friends, I couldn’t help but think this was the worst idea I’ve ever had. It was an emotional roller coaster like no other. I was very attached to my furniture as I had used it to AirBNB my Berkeley apartment (and become a superhost!) and I think I may have cried more over temporarily leaving Amaya than after any breakup.
Still, I’ve always had this wanderlust. I really couldn’t go on doing the same thing anymore in the same place day to day. Was something wrong with me? Are people really ok doing the same thing day in and day out, 9-5 forever more?
In 2012, the year after my trip abroad to Australia and NZ, I started researching how I could live and work abroad again. After you’re 30 years old, you can no longer do this via the “working holiday visa” which allows you to live in certain countries for one year and work an unskilled job (ie fruit picking, hostel worker, barista etc.). I'd already been to Oz/NZ and Canada was too close, so my next best option was to research one of the only other places where I’d be allowed to do this as my qualifications are recognized- the UK! I found out my very first step was to become a member of the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). The application is extensive and they say it takes about 6 months to complete. I was initially rejected and so forgot about it for a while as I settled into my bay area California life. I do love it there and always will.
Months later, I received a letter from the HCPC indicating I could have another chance at applying. As I had put so much work into the application, I decided I may as well give it another go. I beefed it up and obtained additional information from my undergrad classes and details from my internship (*they wanted to know practically all of the labs you had in your classes and I did not keep or remember all of this information. Your transcript is not enough!). Anyways, I reapplied and on December 3, 2014 I received a letter indicating my application was successful and that I was a registered member of the HCPC! Woohoo!
As the maid of honor for my sisters April 2015 wedding, I couldn’t leave just yet. I’d leave shortly after I told myself. I started applying for jobs immediately after the wedding. I would need to be sponsored and as all of their citizens have priority over outsiders, I knew my chances would be slim. I applied for many jobs and most of the time “unsuccessful” would come up by my application on the website. I finally got a snail mail invitation for an interview request for a hospital just outside Glasgow, Scotland, but it was too soon- June 8th. I requested a skype interview or an alternate date, but did not receive a response. I received another invitation for an interview in Nottingham, England and this time they did accept! I had my very first skype interview early morning on my last day of work. It went well and they hinted at my coming the second to last week of July for a second interview. That was so close to my last day of work and I still had my furniture and Amaya to figure out so I was questioning whether or not I could make it happen. By Monday I had gotten two more interview invitations from different hospitals requesting me to be there on July 24th! With three interviews and potential opportunities to work abroad, I got busy posting craiglists add and booked my flight!
I have two interviews in Scotland tomorrow- Midlothian Community hospital just outside Edinburgh in the morning and Royal Alexandra Hospital just outside Glasgow in the afternoon! Here goes nothing!