On getting to the conference this afternoon I had taken a quick glance around the room and had not seen anyone that I knew. There was one table with only one person at it so I headed there. The other nurse who was from Legacy and I were talking about the Legacy system expanding to include Silverton Hospital as well as a few department specific things. We had been talking for about five minutes when out of the corner of my eye I noticed one of my Samaritan Pacific co-workers. I invited Paula to join us and we all three continued talking about different hospital systems in particular Providence and the hospital in Lebanon. I have worked with Paula on several occasions now and have really enjoyed the conversations we have had. The speaker began introducing the conference. The main agenda for this pre conference day was simulations and drills. We stayed together through each group: stabilizing early preterm infants, cardiac arrest in a pregnant mother, and hypertensive crisis.
When I saw that the conference was scheduled to be 12:00-9:00pm today I missed a two hour scheduled break from 5:00-7:00pm. What to do? Should I have Chad and the kids pick me up and take me back? Should I find a way to bide my time checking out the town?
Paula invited me to join her for dinner at a friends house on our break. I was hesitant because I didn’t want to inconvenience her at all. I did end up taking her up on her offer. It was fun meeting her friends from years back working at Klamath Falls. Her friends were warm and inviting. The two hours flew by. I took this picture of a Zinnia flower!! So gorgeous! This is with no edits for color enhancement.
At 7:00pm we headed back to our evening networking get together. It was a good day with lots of time spent outside of my comfort zone. I feel completely blessed to have had this opportunity to get to know Paula. I am looking forward to learning more in the next few days. Staying informed in a rapidly changing medical specialty are a must.
Owens Endeavors 