A Big Transition

I am going to miss friends like these at work!

For the past five years I have been blessed to work as a nurse at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett in their Family Maternity Center. Due to a number of factors, I feel the Lord is leading me to take the next step and quit my job. My final night at Providence will be this Saturday. Returning to serve in Indonesia, has always been part of the plan but that doesn't make saying goodbye any easier.

When I returned from Indonesia back in November 2006 I knew for sure I wanted to make the transition from practicing pediatrics to obstetrics here in the US. So I sought the council of some wise friends and one of them, an OB nurse herself, told me to go to a big hospital, one where I would get lots of experience and see just about every complication possible. This she said, would better prepare me for whatever and wherever the future led.

So I searched for jobs in the Pacific Northwest and found an orientation program starting at the Providence Hospital in Everett. The hospital in my hometown was a Providence hospital and I knew and respected their values. I applied but didn't hear anything for several weeks. Then when I was at WorldVenture's Renewal Conference in late January of 2007 I got a call from the manager. I told her I was in Colorado for the week, so we did a phone interview. The next day I got a call saying she had checked my references and I was hired. The job was starting in early March, so I needed to figure out all the details including moving to Everett quickly, but the Lord opened the doors and with the help of my family (best moving crew around!) I found a place and got settled.

Those first days were a huge adjustment back to American medicine routines including computerized charting, technology and transitioning to a new specialty. I had done OB nursing in Indonesia but my experiences there were obviously very different from the US.

Thankfully, I was warmly welcomed and had a fabulous preceptor, Cid. When I finished my orientation period she gave me a bouquet filled with the things we used on a daily basis like amniohooks, fetal scalp electrodes and of course some beautiful flowers. Over the next five years I was blessed to get to know a fabulous group of 200+ staff, some I hope will remain friends for life, like Becky Epperson and several others. Together we survived the ups and downs of being short-staffed, then over-staffed and now short-staffed again. We struggled together to save the lives of critically-ill patients and found joy in the simple normal births. They cheered me on, quizzed me, and proof-read papers as I went to graduate school. They supported me on the days when I struggled with my health. 

I learned so much during my time there and I am thankful for all that we shared. I will take what I have learned there and the best of those moments with me. Now however it is time for one of the many transitions that will happen in the coming days. Time to leave a group where I am known and comfortable for places that while not new are different. It is time to say goodbye and I have to admit that is hard. So while I am excited about the future I am also grieving the loss of the relationships and comfort of the place I am leaving. 

The plan right now is to stay here in the Everett area for the next 4-6 weeks and then move to Oregon to live with my parents. During my remaining time here in Everett I will be attending a week-long training in Florida and then focusing full-time on partnership development and support-raising. One of the support raising events will be a Mary Kay Giving is Beautiful party next Tuesday, April 10th. 40% of all profits will go toward my outgoing expenses to go to Indonesia. If you didn't get an invite and want to come just send me an email. Can't come but still want to buy for a good cause, just click over to www.marykay.com/angeladebell and put my name in the notes section of your order.