Ultimately, I decided to return to work in Bradenton, Florida once my 3-month European sabbatical ended. I enjoyed working there in the past and many of my peers were hopeful that I would return once I came back from Europe. It is also just a 3-hour drive to my home in Miami.
This would be convenient since I needed to be in Miami at least once or twice each month for the remainder of the year. I knew the site would be flexible as they have always been in the past, and I asked to have 1 week off each month. In return, I would agree to a 4-month assignment, to make up for all of the time I would be taking off. In addition, I asked for a $10/hour raise. They happily agreed to both of my requests.
To be honest, I considered taking the remainder of the year off. Just because I have a lot of personal things going on (good things). But I decided against it because I do not want to lose my medical skills since I had already been away from practice for 3 months.
There was a hiccup with my onboarding during the first week. Since I was gone for over 90 days, HR requested updated titers and a urine drug screen last minute. I completed these the Friday prior to my start date, but the results didn’t come in until the following Thursday. After I showed up to the clinic, HR said they didn’t want me seeing patients until the results were in.
So, I didn’t end up seeing actual patients until Thursday afternoon. I just went to meetings the other days and caught up with leadership and some coworkers. Fortunately, the site still paid me for the days I didn’t “work” that week, since technically the error was on their end. They have always treated me well and that is why I remain loyal to them.
It was great to be welcomed back by my co-workers and catch up with them. They reminded me that I bring stability and positivity to the center that impacts the work culture there. It was equally nice to see some of my prior patients who were excited to see that I had returned.
