I’ve been counting down my final shifts for about a month ago. You’d think it would be easy, but it’s a bit harder than you think. Officially I’m what’s known as a .6 FTE (Full Time Equivalent). This means I’m scheduled for 24 hours a week (i.e. 60% of a 40 hour work week). In reality, I pick up a LOT of extra shifts. I’ve done this for three main reasons:

• To get into PA School I needed a high number of Patient Contact Experience hours.
• I get overtime pay
• Often times the apartment is very short-staffed and well, I can help out and get the above benefits.

So, even two months ago I could easily say, “Ok, with my vacation. I have X number of shifts left.” But like how NASA countdowns don’t proceed uninterrupted or without changes, my countdown had its own changes and interruptions, including picking up more shifts.

So, I had a rough idea that when I had say 8 official, scheduled shifts left, I likely had 12-16 total shifts left.

So barring any changes, Thursday is my last shift as .6 FTE ED Tech.

Note I tossed in the .6 FTE. That’s because for a few reasons I applied for and was accepted as a “student” track tech. This means during my few breaks from PA school I’ll be able to pick up a few shifts. But I won’t be picking any up right away. Between Thursday and the start of school I’ll be finishing figuring out where I’m living, packing, finishing some projects about the house. So Thursday is it for awhile.

But honestly, I’m ready to move on. I’m excited and nervous. I’m also a bit sad. I will miss working with so many great people and having such an impact on the lives of people.

So, “We are at T-12 Hours and counting.”