I Told My Boss

Last week I told my boss about my plans to become an SMC. I didn't really want to, but I didn't feel as though I had much of a choice. Here's the situation... I work as a child life specialist in a pediatric emergency department (ED). So, I work a very nontraditional schedule - most weeks I work 3, 12-hour days from 11:30am to midnight, and occasionally I work 2, 12-hour days and 2, 6-hour days in a week, always between the hours of 11:30am and 12:00am/midnight. Therefore, I have time off during the week on a regular basis, and therefore, I'm expected to schedule things like doctor's appointments on my days off, and not have to leave or come in late on days I'm working. I work with 3 other people; between the 4 of us, we cover the ED 11:30am to midnight 7 days/week including holidays. We self-schedule by the month, turning in each month's schedule by the 15th of the prior month (i.e. we'll turn in December's schedule on November 15th). After that, changes can be made, but only if they work out for all involved, and last-minute changes can be difficult or impossible, as of course all of the other 3 people have husbands and children.

And, as we all know, when it comes to planning IUIs... well, you can't really plan for them! Timing is of the essence, and I can't really know exactly which day each month I need to be scheduled off to do the IUI. So, I may need to call out "sick" or come in late if I need to have an IUI on a day I'm scheduled to work and the clinic can't fit me in early in the morning. I felt like my boss should be aware of this possibility and understand the reason. Now, since I work in the ED, my supervisor there is the ED nurse manager, but I'm also supervised by the director of the child life department. I'm completely comfortable talking with the child life director, but I REALLY didn't want to have to tell the ED nurse manager if I didn't have to (not that I don't like her, but it's just a very different relationship). So, I met with the child life director, and told her my plans. I was SO hoping she'd be supportive and understand the position I was in... and she was! I'm so happy to be able to say that she not only understood, but thinks what I'm doing is GREAT and she's completely supportive! She told me she goes to church every Sunday and will add me to her prayer list, in terms of praying that I get pregnant quickly and easily!

She said she completely understands if I need to call out or come in late (although I still have to call the ED if I need to be out or come in late, and while it's easy to call out "sick", I'm not sure what to say if I just need to be late... I can only use the "car trouble" excuse once, I figure!). She did say that if it ends up taking many months, and if I need to be out more than 2-3 times, I may have to end up talking to the ED nurse manager and/or HR to work out some type of FMLA leave or something, where I can take random days off when needed for medical reasons. I'm hoping it won't come to that! Since I usually have 4 days off/week, or when I work 4 days, I usually work 2 of them from 5:30pm to midnight, I should be able to fit most IUIs in around work, at least most of the time. Of course, if my cycle does this month what it has the past two, I'm going to end up needing to do my very first IUI on a day I'm scheduled to work, UGH. And I don't know if I can do anything about it! I could TRY to make a switch, but I figure if I do that, I'll end up needing to do the IUI on the day I switched TO, not the day I switched FROM... Murphy's law, and all that!

But, overall, I'm glad I told my supervisor, and I'm glad she was completely supportive!