Next Stop – Maine

As I mentioned previously, searching for my next assignment I wanted to go somewhere up North that is normally cold but would be pleasant over the summer. I also needed to go somewhere with a quick licensing turn around. Thus, I ended up in Maine!

Originally it seemed like a random place to go, but after researching activities to do, Maine appeared to be an ideal place. I wanted to be somewhere that I could be outdoors and enjoy both weather and nature. Maine is perfect for that, as there are tons of hiking trails. It is a nice mixture of coastal beach town meets mountain life.

I have been here for a few weeks so far and I feel like I have reincarnated into Henry David Thoreau (who is from Maine by the way). I feel peaceful and harmonious with myself, work, and all of life.

I am working for a clinic owned by a local hospital, covering a maternity leave. It has been a truly positive experience. Everyone is so laid back here – the supervisors, the medical assistants, nurses, physicians, and even the patients. It’s nice working somewhere where patients don’t feel entitled and staff is extremely friendly.

My patient volume per day is light. I see between 8-14 patients per day. The majority of the patients are pediatrics so I do a ton of well child exams. These are pretty easy since the nurses handle the immunization schedules and I just verify the accuracy. I do have some adult patients but they are straightforward. Even the patients that my medical assistant warns me are “complex” or “nuts” are pretty basic. Sometimes I reminisce about my complex geriatric patients in Virginia. I miss them and the challenge. Yet, this zen life is too good to give up!

Each of the physicians and nurse practitioners have one day off a week for admin time. To be fair, the clinic is giving me one half day off a week, paid! I obviously don’t have any admin work to do, so I just get paid to go home at lunch time and spend the remainder of the day lounging around. Some days I use my free time to go on a nice hike…while getting paid. Yes people, these jobs exist.

The only issue in the work setting is the EHR. They use Cerner which most nurses would know belongs in an in-patient environment. It’s not user friendly, is redundant, and complex. All of the other providers and staff loathe it. It’s not as bad as Meditech but it’s a close call. Had I been seeing a patient every 15 minutes, I may have gone insane. But since my schedule is light, I have enough down time to maneuver the system.

Another great thing is that the coding here seems to be laid-back as well. I am used to having to change ‘well child exam’ to ‘well child exam with abnormal findings” (when there is something wrong) and linking diabetes to all other complications (neuropathies, chronic kidney disease, hyperlipidemia etc). Here, Cerner doesn’t give you all of those coding options so the coders have protocols to update the charts for us. This a big relief for us providers, considering how time consuming the billing/coding aspect of documentation can be.

I am so happy with my decision to come here, and I am looking forward to exploring the region!