As most of you know, I am very reluctant to extend an assignment for various reasons. The longer I stay in a place, the more burnt out I become; the more drama I witness or become a part of; And the more antsy I get remaining stagnant. The only time I have ever extended, I ended up staying at that site for an entire year! At the end, I was exhausted and too attached to my patients. I told myself I would never extend again.
Fast forward to now and I find myself extending in Chicago. I had visited Chicago before but I didn’t realize how awesome it would be to live here. There is so much to do, historical activities, festivals, night life, cultural diversity, and delicious food.
I also really enjoy my current job. My patients are mostly Hispanic so it reminds me a bit of home (Miami). My patient population is geriatric so I am able to form a relationship with them, as they come to the clinic on a monthly basis or sooner. Plus, I find the job rewarding because you can measure your outcomes as patients become healthier and avoid going to the hospital.
As much as I was open to extending, it would be a big sacrifice for me to extend. Especially since it will be summer and I would be giving up the opportunity to go to other states that are finally warm. So, when I was approached by my recruiter about extending, I told her I was interested, but couldn’t extend for free. Since the site had already increased my hourly rate at the start of the assignment, I knew they would be reluctant to pay anymore.
However, I told them that the last time I extended was with their same company in Virginia, and they had given me an extension bonus. The site was quick to say they couldn’t cover any more costs, as I expected. My recruiter let them know I was not interested in extending in that case.
I was not concerned during the negotiations because I knew the site needed me.
They had no Spanish speaking provider available to cover the 250 patients I had accumulated. They needed me way more than I needed them.
I was not surprised when my recruiter eventually told me that they had agreed to my extension bonus after all. But they wanted to squeeze every last minute out of me. If I request any time off during the extension, I will have to make up for it at the end.
I am happy to spend more time in Chicago, but I really hope I won’t regret it!
