Home ยป Family Friday (vol. 53): Weekend Ramblings (…since it is most definitely not Friday)

Family Friday (vol. 53): Weekend Ramblings (…since it is most definitely not Friday)

So much for the whole “Friday” thing. Oh well. I have so many racing thoughts on this gorgeous, FUN weekend that I decided I should just sit down and pound it out (on my keyboard, that is).

For starters, is anyone else all but done with Facebook? I am l.o.v.i.n.g Instagram and the stories feature! I’ve become a little obsessed and my friend and coworker gave me a tutorial at lunch one day and fortunately, have had some fun and funny things to put on IG stories as of late. I’ll try not to make it all babies and dogs, but no promises. Hurry quick, though…I have our “party boat” stories on from last night and this 13 year-old kid named Aiden kept us rolling all night long. The thing with IG stories, however, is that they’re only there for 24 hours. So, keep up!

I’m also toying with the idea of pursuing my MBA online. I feel a little better just sharing that crazy thought because maybe it is just that. Crazy! I’m beginning to think I can’t do life without a never-ending season of change. It’s like, “Huh…there’s nothing complicating my life right now (other than a full-time job, a husband who travels for work, and 2 kids 2 and under), what should I sign up for to get totally stressed over for a period of time but be so proud that I accomplished?”

I tend to do this. Always have. College. Marathon. Then another. Master’s. Moving 3x in 5 years. Having 3 different positions at work in the past 5 years. Write a cookbook. Write another. Sit for multiple exams in the past 4 years – Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), Board Certification in Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM), and Certified Dietary Manager (CDM). Have a baby. Have another the minute I’m done breastfeeding the first. Remodel my kitchen. Go from part-time work to full-time work as baby #2 enters this world.

Maybe I’m just certifiably insane. But Piper is nearly a year and I’ve been in my new role nearly a year. Things are pretty steady-state at this point.

We’re pretty sure we’re going to stick with just our 2 kiddos, but we’ll never say never. Work is going great…but health care is rapidly changing.

I was thinking about what my next “challenge” or “change” could be while out running today. Biting off the challenge of an MBA is huge, especially as nothing would be exiting my plate in order to squeeze in an MBA program. Meaning, sleep would probably be one of the items to go. But I’m used to this and Piper WILL sleep through the night at some point, right? Lord have mercy!

I was thinking about this on my run because 1. that’s what I do when I run and 2. I realized that keeping the fun in exercise is important for me at this point. Training for a tri or a distance race just doesn’t sound fun to me at this stage in life. I hate to say “been there, done that”…but that’s kind of it. I’m never going to be an elite athlete (spoiler alert!), and so my pokey little runs, my social hour of tennis, and my rough-housing at hockey are right where I want to be. I should probably add resistance training and some yoga so that touching my toes may not hurt so bad, but…meh. I guess I am desiring a challenge in a more mental arena than physical.

Through my current role, I’m learning I’m an innovator. I’d like to *think* I’m a good manager, but honestly, I’m not a good details person. If you’ve ever seen my office, this comes as no surprise. I’m more visionary, outside the box, and collaborative. I absolutely love using my extrovert tendencies to gain a broader reach in healthcare. I respect the heck out of doctors and mid-levels and I’m slowly working on having them value my team’s work just the same. It’s a journey, but we’re on our way. Medicine is changing and we WILL shift to more prevention. I mean, we have to.

I guess the past 6 months or so have left me with a bit of a hunger for knowing how a dietitian could impact outcomes. Health care is changing FAST and it’s such an exciting time to be a dietitian in the traditional healthcare setting. But we have to change with change to be successful and I so badly want to be a part of that. I don’t know what THAT is exactly, but I don’t think anyone does. And because health care is a business and because nutrition/diabetes is a part of healthcare – I want to have the knowledge of business that will enable me to be a leader in healthcare now and in the future.

But of course I want to be a mom and wife and blogger and lazy bum all the while. Soooo, yeah. I know I don’t need to make any final decisions on this whole MBA thing today or ever, so the pressure is only self-imposed. I’m also in a unique reporting structure in that I report to both the Chief Learning Officer and the VP of Clinical Integration, who is also a physician. I anxiously await their thoughts, as well as those of my professional coach.

That said, I would LOVE feedback from anyone and everyone. If you think I’m bananas, it’s okay to say so. I most definitely wouldn’t disagree 🙂

In unrelated news, my girls were dedicated at church today and that was awesome. Both of our families were here and it was a blessed day. It was also a wonderful weekend – one-on-one beach time with the hubby, a party boat cruise with friends, dinner date on Friday night, some good workouts -it has been perfect. I couldn’t have asked for more out of a weekend.

Except, what the heck should I make this week? #clueless

Monday, be kind.

Be well,

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3 Comments

  1. JuliaGoolia
    July 31, 2017 / 6:41 am

    I have definitely been feeling some of the same things you mention.

    I have been practicing long enough, since 2003, that I don’t have my masters. So many of our interns and new hires are coming in their RD and masters its left me feeling a bit behind.

    I’ve just stepped into a new role with more leadership and responsibility, but still a union employee. Having my masters while giving me major self accomplishment, unfortunately won’t change my pay scale or job responsibilities. It’s hard to know if the sacrifice of my personal time to accomplish this goal will be worth it professionally if there is no change in my professional life!

    Looking forward to seeing what you decide!

  2. Amy
    July 31, 2017 / 7:50 am

    I’m a dietitian and my boss really wants me to pursue an MBA as well. I am hesitant because currently the only leadership position in dietetics is the equivalent of her position (Clinical Nutrition Manager). She has a vision of more dietitians sitting in leadership/admin positions, which I think is great, but the clinical positions currently all require an RN.

    My concern about the MBA program in our area is that it isn’t tailored towards healthcare at all. Would you be able to take healthcare related classes? Do you have someone that could mentor you without having to commit to an MBA?

    I completely understand the drive to continue learning/achieving, but dang, you have a lot on your plate right now. Maybe an MBA when your girlies are in school full-time?

  3. Allison, RD
    August 2, 2017 / 12:42 pm

    I graduated my internship in 2014, and I am about to start my MS later this month (no kids, just a hubby). My coworker dietitians (all practicing for a while) have said, you’re nuts! Why are you getting your MS when it’s not required? My thoughts are the same as Julia’s…I don’t want to be left feeling behind with all the new RD’s coming into practice with an advanced degree.

    I have also read articles that say more employers are looking for specialists, and to be considered a specialist, it’s almost required to have an advanced degree and then maybe a specialist certification. I’m just trying to think about my career path, and to me, it just makes sense (plus my employer offers tuition reimbursement). I am choosing an MS in Nutrition, just because MBA doesn’t sound like something I would be interested in, nor MPH. My only other thought was maybe counseling, but all of these programs are geared towards social workers or therapists.

    I am similar to you Nicole, in that I always find myself looking for something new to do/accomplish.

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