Wrapping up in Ohio

As usual, this 3-month assignment went by quickly. I am actually sad to leave because I have had so much fun exploring the state, and work has been stress free. However, it just started getting cold my last 2 weeks so it’s a sign that it’s time for me to go. I have grown close to several of my coworkers and hope we keep in touch.

I have really enjoyed fall here. My last month, National Car rental asked me to return my current rental because it was due for an oil change. They ended up only having minivans and mustangs available for me to switch into. I definitely wasn’t going to opt for the minivan. I saw a bright yellow convertible mustang on display under upgrades and I jokingly asked if I could have that one. I was surprised when the agent said sure.

As corny as this sounds, having that convertible mustang made my last few weeks even more fun than it was. As a previous convertible sports car owner, I forgot how driving with the top down, wind on your face, and music blasting, can make you feel so alive! My favorite part was being able to drive through several metro parks with the top down to see fall foliage.

My time here has been great and I would love to stay if winter wasn’t quickly approaching. Ohio has been a pleasant surprise and I wouldn’t mind returning in the future. 

Interestingly, I was considering settling back down in Miami, FL next year. Yet, my time in Ohio was so wonderful that it reminded me how fun it is to travel and explore new places, even for work. Sorry family – looks like I won’t be moving back to Miami full time after all. 

Getting a Bonus in VA Beach

My previous assignment over the summer in Virginia Beach was with a geriatric clinic I often work for. They typically pay out a quarterly bonus to all employees depending on their performance. During my time there, I asked if I could be considered for the bonus even though I am a contractor, since I had a full patient panel that was doing relatively well.

The chief medical officer told me she would look into it. After my assignment ended, I knew the site was disappointed that I didn’t extend. However, I saw that my patient panel was still doing pretty well during the gap between me leaving and the new PCP starting. I figured I taught them the model well – to call us first instead of going to the hospital for any little thing.

So I reached out to the chief medical officer again to follow up on the bonus. She said that normally contractors aren’t given a bonus. I told her I understood that but I am not the typical contractor (for the company since I have worked with them on and off over the past 5 years); and that I have been given a performance bonus in the past.

She responded and said she really appreciated my help last quarter so was going to provide me with a one time bonus. I was very grateful and of course she snuck in the email to come back to Virginia when I finish in Ohio.

The bonus I received was $1200. I was thankful that my work was appreciated but a bit disappointed on the amount of the bonus. In the past I had been given $5000 per quarter as my bonus. But I had to remind myself that was when I had extended with the site multiple times. Even though the $1200 wasn’t as much as I was expecting, it is still better than nothing.

Anyways, the moral of the story is if you don’t ask – you get nothing! 

Two Bedroom Housing

If you travel with your children or a significant other, sometimes you want to have a bigger place to live while on assignment. The standard housing provided by your agency is a hotel or a 1 bedroom apartment. You have the option to get a 2 bedroom apartment but the agency will have you pay the cost difference between the 1 and 2 bedroom apartment from your paycheck.

However, when I was in San Diego, I was able to secure a two bedroom apartment without incurring any extra costs. How did I do this?

I asked the agency what the housing budget was per month (including rent, furniture, utilities etc.). Then I proceeded to look up housing options on Airbnb. I wanted a 2 bedroom place because I expected to have plenty of visitors during my assignment there.

I found a 2 bedroom apartment on Airbnb that was a bit above the monthly budget. I messaged the owner and asked if she could give me a discount since I would be renting from her for 3 months. Fortunately, she honored my request and provided the apartment for under budget.

I then forwarded the information to my housing representative from the agency. She went ahead and booked the apartment, no questions asked.

Had I found a short-term lease apartment that needed to be furnished etc., it would have been a completely different story. This is because a cheap 1 bedroom apartment would have been selected by the agency over the 2 bedroom apartment.

Thus, finding a 2 bedroom apartment on Airbnb or furnishedfinder.com that is within budget will allow you to have the extra space as a traveling nurse practitioner, without having to pay extra.

Fun Things to do in Columbus, Ohio

Turns out Columbus, Ohio is much bigger than I thought. Most people I told that I was going to work there, asked me “what’s there”?  There is actually no shortage in fun things to do! Here are the top 8 places I recommend visiting.

1.       Franklin Park Conservatory

This was a nice surprise because they have Chihuly artwork on display. The botanical gardens were beautiful as well.

2.       Columbus Zoo

Reminds me of the San Diego zoo. It is expansive and has all kinds of animals including camels, polar bears, and lions.

3.       German Village

A historic district with lots of German pubs, restaurants, and café’s.

4.       Short North District

This area has a lot of restaurants, bars, and entertainment. This is where the nightlife is.

5.       Columbus Museum of Art

Has several popular pieces including ones by Monet and Picasso.

6.       Scioto Mile/Battelle Riverfront Park/Genoa Park

Downtown Columbus has multiple parks surrounding the river. There are trails for running, biking, and byrding (scooter). There are rest areas as well, and space for events.

7.       Apple Orchard

You can find an apple orchard less than 30 min from Columbus. The best time to visit is during fall. They are beautiful and the apples are delicious!

8.       Getaway to Cincinnati and Cleveland

Cincinnati is about an hour drive from Columbus, whereas Cleveland is about 2 hours away. I like that Columbus is central in Ohio, as it is a quick drive to two major metropolitan cities. 

I also attended the Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio and the Renaissance festival 2 hours south of Columbus. The weather was perfect during late summer and fall, so it made these outdoor festivities even more pleasant.

Working in Ohio

I am working with the geriatric clinics I often work for. The Columbus, Ohio clinic I am at is only 1.5 years old. I usually avoid the newer clinics because they are often disorganized – as I learned working in Lakeland, Florida in the past.

My first day, I was a bit overwhelmed because I saw they had filled up my schedule for the following day with all 20-minute follow ups, so I already had a full jam packed schedule. Since I don’t know any of the patients, I am supposed to have 30-40 minutes with them for their first visit with me. I was also told that I didn’t have a medical assistant.

Fortunately, the center manager quickly fixed my schedule. This ended up being a blessing because even though I didn’t have my own medical assistant, by having longer visits, the other medical assistants had time to help me out in between caring for their PCPs patients.

Since then, I have had a great experience! The clinic vibe is more laid back than from where I just came from (Virginia Beach). There is no micromanagement – I think because they are newer they have that luxury.

Instead of seeing 20 complex geriatric patients per day like I was in Virginia Beach, I am only seeing about 10-12 patients per day. On my first day I asked the center manager to put a couple of blocks on my schedule for admin time, and he did so without contesting – (as they had in Virginia Beach).

The patients are very friendly, appreciative, and straightforward. I am one month in and haven’t met even one rude patient. This is in comparison to Virginia Beach where my patient panel mostly consisted of psych patients, in which some called every single day with a “new” problem. In fact, the patients here have been so complimentary. They’ve told me they appreciate my patience; how I break things down to a level they can understand; and even compliment my accent (Miami accent) haha.

We are provided with lunch 2-3 x a week which is an added bonus. Staff are very social and get together almost every week after work to hang out. The other PCPs are really nice and friendly.

I feel so appreciative to work in a non-stressful setting. It’s a complete 360 from working in Virginia Beach. I have time to enjoy my lunch and read a good book; finish work on time and go for a nice bike ride.

A new nurse practitioner started at the same time as me. It ended up working out because I have the time to help train her since the other PCPs here are pretty new themselves. She has told me multiple times that she would have probably quit had I not been there for support. Even though sometimes I wonder if the clinic really needs me, I think at least I am facilitating the success of their permanent PCP.

They do need me because the clinic acquired a retiring physician’s practice. So they need help getting all of those new patients seen and established. Plus I am covering some of the PCP vacations.

It’s funny because one of the medical assistants asked me how come I am always calm and asked me if anything ever stresses me out. I said “I’ve seen it all”. And told her that this clinic is actually a gem and sometimes I think they (the Ohio staff) make things a bigger problem than they really are.

That’s the wonderful part of doing locums. If you dislike your job, you have the benefit of knowing it will end soon. And you can quickly start a job that you enjoy. I am soaking every minute of being in Ohio!

Physician on FIRE

I have been a fan of the blog www.PhysicianonFire.com for many years now. This blog is owned by an anesthesiologist that reached financial independence after a decade of working. He talks about how he achieved this and how he decided to finally pull the plug and retire early.

I was recently interviewed for one of his new series called “Fire Starter” – since I am a newbie and only discovered the financial independence movement less than 2 years ago.

Feel free to check out the article here:

https://www.physicianonfire.com/fire-starter-001/

Ohio Housing

For my Columbus, Ohio assignment, I knew I wanted to live downtown. There is a nearby park around the Columbus River that has a lot of biking and walking trails. Luckily, I was able to find an apartment on Airbnb that was affordable and 5 min walking to the above park.

I let my travel representative from the agency know, and she worked out a deal with the owner to rent out the apartment outside of Airbnb.

The apartment turned out to be really nice and spacious. Unfortunately, it was a bit dirty – the shower and fridge etc. I ended up cleaning it myself. I could have told my agency and had someone come clean it but I definitely needed the shower that day so figured I might as well clean it myself.

The biggest challenge of this housing has been the garage parking. I have to park my car in a cage that moves in the garage electronically due to limited spacing. So before parking, I have to put in a fob to bring my parking spot, get out of my car, open the gate, park, and then close the gate.

 My spot is in a corner so it is very difficult to back out of. I have to plan extra time when leaving my place just to account for having to make several 3 point turns when getting out of the garage.

I initially had a Toyota Camry as my rental but it ended up being too long for my parking spot. I learned the hard way by hitting a pole in the garage twice. I changed my car to a Nissan Sentra. It’s not the funnest to drive but it is much smaller and so far I haven’t hit any poles.

Anyways, the weather has been nice so I like being able to walk to restaurants from my apartment, and being able to get to the park easily for bike rides.

Here are some pictures of my place:

Bedroom
View from my balcony