Casual Worker

Hello fellow healthcare workers!

I finished an intense 4-month Certificate program to become a Medical Device Reprocessing Technician. I got a job about 2 months upon completion. During the practicum of the Program, I finally felt I had a purpose in life, that my career was meaningful and I felt passionate about it. That was in 2018. I worked in the field for about 2 years, from a Casual status to a Relief Full-time. Then, a colleague who went to a different department, recommended to her Manager that I will be a good addition to the team (as a Casual, who relieves vacation and sick calls). With the recognition of my work ethics being an asset to the team, I agreed. I'm now into my 3rd year in this new department (Operating Room Aide), and I'm starting to feel that this is not something that I can do as a career. In my mid-30s now, to still work as a Casual (unstable income and shifts), this is not normal and my future is at stake.

So, the questions is, what can I do now? Returning to what I had studied for, it might mean that I'll need apply to a different hospital (because I'm on bad terms with a couple of previous colleagues in that department), or look into something else in the medical field that I can qualify for with the experiences I've gathered so far. I recently looked at job postings, and searching through all locations within my Health Authority, there were no positions that fit my qualifications.

I spoke with my Manager last month, asked if it's possible to change my position from Casual to Part-time? She only said that her current budget is already at its maximum, but will still take a look at it. So, not knowing how long it will take her to calculate, I think I'll need to look for an optional alternative. I still like the work I'm doing, as it still has a similar purpose to me, but to be working shifts only to cover vacation of 5 other colleagues in the team, means that I don't have a stable work week. Even if they spread out their vacation days, it does not fall on all 52 weeks annually. Just like this year, no one is on vacation until a week in March and 2 weeks in April!

The only upside to having no income is that I'm still living at home with my parents and brother, so I don't have that many extra expenses I need to pay, compared to if I had moved out on my own. Still, it would be more ideal to have a full-time position, for the sake of my future.

Thanks for listening~