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Ben Got A Job!

Okay, I don't have much time to Blog but I really feel I've neglected this.
I could make this the worlds longest post with everything that's been going on but I won't.

One thing at a time.

- Ben had and interview at Loma Linda University Medical Center and got the Job!

Just a semi-short story of how it happened:

So Ben had been out of school for 6 months. He graduated from the Nursing Program in December and was in the second group of his classmates to take the state exam. (He was originally in the first group but was begged by a classmate to switch with her because she had a family trip planned during her testing time. It seemed like a great idea to us because she offered to pay for his exam and class which was over $500.) So he took the state exam in March.

Ben had been studying like crazy for the exam. He even went and took a Kaplan course which is a class that helps people prepare for state exams. When the day came for his test he was very nervous. Even contemplating on moving the day back so that he'd have more time to study, but after a confirmation in the Temple, he stuck with his original date which was March 10th.

When he came home from the test he was so beat and told me he was sure he failed. The test is a "Smart Test" which basically means that if your not answering the questions correctly the test will automatically shut down and stop you from continuing. It also does the same if you are doing really well and answering all the questions correctly. If you are doing so-so it will continue asking questions and pass or fail you based on the % of right or wrong answers. The test stopped at 75 questions, which is the least amount that you could answer. Based on the questions, Ben was sure he failed.

On Friday the 13th, Ben got a phone call from one of his classmates saying, "Ben! You passed!!!!". Ben couldn't believe it! His friend knew by checking some website for Registered Nurses and sure enough Ben's license was posted there. My sweet husband just sobbed with joy when he was telling me. It was one of those special moments that I will never forget.

So for the next 6 months after that I saw my husbands confidence level fall every day that he put in applications to different hospitals. At first he just applied to ones in the area. Then he expanded from Big Bear to San Jose to San Diego. Then he expanded even further to different states. Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, even Hawaii and Alaska! He had applied for over 150 positions at over 50 different hospitals and never even one interview or phone call. (Actually I take that back, he did have one interview that was very promising till they found out he was a new-grad.) He'd receive tons of emails from the hospitals saying, "Thank you for applying but the position has been filled" I was so worried for him. I wasn't worried that he'd never get a job, but worried about his self esteem and self confidence. I saw him pray everyday that he'd be guided and everyday get more and more discouraged.

I guess the average time a person gets placed in a job is 6 months upon graduating, but we were always told as an RN it would be different. "Registered Nurses get hired before they even graduate!" "As a strong white male, who speaks fluent Spanish, hospitals will be fighting over him!" We soon found that these statements that had been filled in Ben's mind, although normally true, at this time in the current economic conditions was not. Hospitals were having hiring freezes, canceling new-grad programs and hiring only experienced nurses.

I could only imagine how Ben was feeling. We found out a month after he passed the state exam that we were expecting. My poor husband had even more pressure to get a job ASAP. Our goal was always to wait to have children till we were in a position that he'd work and I'd stay home. So I know this added stress was not helping.

In August he was at his lowest and told me that he was at home one morning filling out more applications online when he had a breakdown. He said he was so angry and frustrated that he just wanted to give up. He got down on his knees and just prayed again because he didn't know what else to do. He said that he prayed for wisdom of what to do.

After his prayer he got on the computer and looked up Loma Linda University Medical Center again for open positions. There was actually a new position available so he quickly sent in his 13th application with that particular hospital.

He got down on his knees again and prayed again because he was still upset. His prayer was interrupted by the phone ringing. It was a woman named Joy Riddle who was from the HR department at Loma Linda University. She asked how Ben knew the application was available because she just posted it 5 minutes before receiving his application. She also said upon reviewing his application she was very impressed by Ben's responses to the questions on religion (it's a Christian based University, and they asked questions such as, prayer in the work place) She told Ben that she really wanted him to get the job and that she was going to forward his information immediately to Michelle,the Nurse Director. She even gave him example of the types of questions they would ask him in the interview. Next thing Ben knew she was transferring him to the Nurse Director to set up an interview.

He was finally given his first chance! He was so excited and anxious. He was one of 9 applicants that was chosen for an interview for only 3 positions, which over 300 people had applied for. On his interview day he was the first one and was interviewed by 3 different people. He was told that he'd be notified by next Tuesday whether he got the position or not.

On Tuesday morning Ben received an email saying that, "The position at Loma Linda University Medical Center had been filled by someone more qualified. Thank you for applying." Ben was so distraught that he just wanted to get away from the house and computer and from anything having to do with getting a job. After calling me at work and letting me know the bad news, he called his brothers and they went for a hike up in the mountains to Deep Creek.

It helped get his mind off everything, until he pulled into the carport at our house. When he got in the house memories of the email flooded his mind and again, he was back in depression. He checked the messages on the answering machine and one of the messages was from the Nurse Director of LLU, asking him to call her. By that time it was late and she was already gone for the day. So he was going to try again in the morning.

We didn't sleep well that night. Both of us were wondering why she called. Was it just a courtesy to say, "Sorry, you didn't get the job." First thing the next morning, Ben called and left another message for Michelle. I went off to work and Ben stayed home and waited. He called her again a couple of hours later and left a message. Finally at about 10am she called him back and offered him the position! Ben was so confused but so excited and grateful! Again he got down on his knees but this prayer was different.

Ben called me at work to give me the good news. Everyone in my office was screaming and crying. So much frustration and confusion was let go that day!

I know this is long and most won't have the time to read it. I'm posting it so I have record of it for myself and to remind myself the power of prayer. Our testimony has grown so much this past 2 years as far as prayer and patience. Even though we think we are praying for the right thing and that we are doing the right thing and have righteous goals set up, we have to remember that Heavenly Father knows more than we do. He has a plan for us and knows what's best for us. We just need to continue to be faithful and doing what he asks, which is so simple and so unworthy of the blessings that he gives us. I hope we can always remember the lessons we've learned these past few months. Thanks to everyone who prayed with us and helped keep our spirits up in our time of need.

By the way, the email Ben got was for a different position that he had previously applied for with LLU. It just happened to come on the day that he was told he'd hear about the position he interviewed for.