Sam I Am Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 First off, I apologize firsthand if I'm posting in the wrong place but I really don't know where to go. I'm in need of advice. The story goes something like this: I quit my job after 1 year due to unprofessional/disparaging treatments by my SP. My SP had numerous PAs come and go. I knew I was in for a rough ride a month into it, but I toughed it out for 1 year. During the time I worked with her, I never had any write-ups/complaints and she called me her "Top Earner." Basically, she was quite pleased with my performance. I, however, was not pleased with the functionality of her practice nor her degradation of me. I would have spoken to her about it but I was pretty sure if I said something along the line of "You're a beast to work with", she most likely wouldn't have handled it well. For example, the last PA she had, gave his 30 days notice and cited her "lack of support" for his resignation. In response, she said "You don't have to wait a month, you can leave now" because she was upset he said that to her. So, when I finally quit, she turned into an extremely vindictive person. When I was offered and accepted 2 job positions, I immediately informed my SP about when I got to work. She, however, refused to talk to me and cut me off as I was giving my speech "This is very hard for me, you've been great, etc." She, in the middle of it, said "I can't deal with this," walked away and got into her car, drove off and I never saw her again. I gave her some time to cool off and after the 10th day when I haven't heard from her (I was still working for her as my intention was to give her 3 weeks), I finally sent a formal resignation letter - giving her 3 weeks and asked about vacation/sick pay etc. She responded with attacks on my character - telling me I was "unkind, unprofessional, untrustworthy, self-serving and that her first bad mistake was hiring me." But, she said she was going to pay me vacation/sick hours. But get this, after she insults my character, she informed me that my last day will be dictated by her and she wants me to work one more day than I planned on doing. Long story short, when I refused to let her bully me into working one extra day for her, she ultimately said "Ok, well, I'm not going to pay you your vacation/sick hours." She did this to me on my last night working of her. So, I basically lost out of a lot of money because I was't able to take a vacation the year I worked for her because the practice is so small and overwhelmed. I gave her 3 weeks notice, didn't engage in back and forth emails while I was being bullied (saved all the emails), and tried to end on a good note but in the end, she wins. The state I'm living in, an employer does not have to pay vacation/sick hours. My question is this: any recourse out there for recouping my money or making others aware of her behavior? Also, she is being investigated for fraudulent practices....my concern, which has been substantiated, is that people are so fearful that they won't speak up. I was told by many that this MD plays dirty and that I shouldn't say anything. Based on her vindictiveness upon my resignation, I'm now really concern for my well being in the medical field. I'm afraid she will employ tactics to bring me down. In my naivety, I feel that if I haven't stolen, cheated, or hurt anyone, then I should be untouchable. But given her behavior, is there anyway she can bring harm to me professionally? By the way, one of the nurses told me that my SP said that she will hunt down the doctor that "stole me from her." See why I'm scared??? Did I mention this is also a Medical Director? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted April 29, 2015 Administrator Share Posted April 29, 2015 The three rules of contract law would have served you well: Get it in writing Get it in writing Get it in writing Live and learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Number 1: you are out of there now. Congratulations! There are mean, miserable bosses in this world and you ended up with a bad one. Walk away and chalk it up to a lesson learned. You will be way more sensitive to signs and signals the next time you look for a job. You are not a slave; you can leave a job whenever you want for whatever reason you want to. Your old boss will look like a fool if she tried to poison the well moving forward. Don't lose sleep over it. And try not to look like you're paranoid about your past job to your new boss. You've done your time in hell; move on and smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocialMedicine Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 If what you say is accurate just imagine how awful this persons life is. I am not attempting to degrade her in order to improve your downtrodden feelings. Really think about it. She clearly suffers from some level of mood or personality issue. Her life is probably a mess and I would gladly give up any job to avoid her experience. If her practice is truly going through clinical staff so fast and she is being investigated I suspect her business is not that successful. Legal, retraining, lost productivity, and hiring fees add up fast and furious. My advice to you ? You practice medicine and are a graduate degree holding professional. Do not accept poor treatment. A top earner in a practice gets major respect and perks ... if not they leave. Let your future employers know that. People in all professions look for scared victims to increase their wealth and self esteem. Do not be one of those victims. it sounds like this womans lens of how to deal with people and sityustions is significantly altered by personal problems. As a result I would just ignore her and move forward. But realise in the future if someone attempts to damage your professional name there is legal recourse under slander. You can remind them of this in writing if an issue emerges. Additionaly, if you are a respected member of the medical community you can just as easily let everyone know how much of a pleasure she is to work with and make it clear that you will not refer patients to her or work with her in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 For your sake, I say let it go and move on as there are plenty of good jobs out there. There are a lot of bad people (including with personality disorders) out there and sometimes going to war with them, doesn't change them, but takes away some of the joy of your own life. Years ago I went through two horrible jobs in a row. I did end up suing the last one and I think it was the right thing to do because I was their fourth PA in as many years and they had to be stopped (creating fake Rural Health Clinics). But otherwise the emotional toll the whole process took was not worth it. You deserve a better job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Wait, there are states where the employer doesn't have to pay your vacation hours when you leave?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Wait, there are states where the employer doesn't have to pay your vacation hours when you leave??Absolutely. Granted a *good* employer will recognize that you earned that PTO as part of your benefits but there are some that take advantage and you lose it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHU-CH Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 A lot of people going into medicine do so under the assumption that they will be surrounded by kind people who care about the welfare of others. Many of them become very disillusioned to discover that heathcare is infested with the same variety of jerks and psychos you will find in any other field. If people know she "plays dirty" I would not worry about your reputation. In the settings I have worked, it has never been a secret who the malignant personalities were. Is the fraud she is being investigated for real? If it involves any federal cash, I think if you are a whistleblower you can keep a percentage of the penalty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 A lot of people going into medicine do so under the assumption that they will be surrounded by kind people who care about the welfare of others. Many of them become very disillusioned to discover that heathcare is infested with the same variety of jerks and psychos you will find in any other field. If people know she "plays dirty" I would not worry about your reputation. In the settings I have worked, it has never been a secret who the malignant personalities were. Is the fraud she is being investigated for real? If it involves any federal cash, I think if you are a whistleblower and keep a percentage of the penalty. As far as being a whistle blower, there is a term called Qui tam. These lawsuits are a type of civil lawsuit which whistle blowers bring under the False Claims Act, a law that rewards whistle blowers if their qui tam cases recover funds for the government. Here is a link broken down according to your state whistle blowers laws In 1863, the False Claims Act was written to provide a civil penalty "of double the amount of damages suffered by the government, plus a $2,000 forfeiture for each false claim submitted." The law was "enacted to prosecute Civil War manufacturers who substituted sawdust for gunpowder in Union army supplies." Whistle Blower Law Overview There is way too much to say, but I will say good luck and keep us posted. It might be a good time to hire an attorney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 As far as being a whistle blower, there is a term called Qui tam. These lawsuits are a type of civil lawsuit which whistle blowers bring under the False Claims Act, a law that rewards whistle blowers if their qui tam cases recover funds for the government. Here is a link broken down according to your state whistle blowers laws In 1863, the False Claims Act was written to provide a civil penalty "of double the amount of damages suffered by the government, plus a $2,000 forfeiture for each false claim submitted." The law was "enacted to prosecute Civil War manufacturers who substituted sawdust for gunpowder in Union army supplies." Whistle Blower Law Overview There is way too much to say, but I will say good luck and keep us posted. It might be a good time to hire an attorney. I started my suit as a Qui tam.However, the first lawyer held onto my case so long (two years) that by the time it got to my last lawyer, it was too late. We sued on breach of contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBanner Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Legally, she HAS to pay you out your earned vacation hours, even if you just walked out one day. That's considered wages and compensation. You can threaten litigation for that. F*ck SP's like her. I'm surprised you made it so long. Don't ever let someone treat you like that, resume be damned. You either allow that or you don't. If direct confrontation and/or diplomacy doesn't work, quit!! You can spin a bad job in an interview tactfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam I Am Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 Yes, she is being investigated by Medicare - they called me. Unfortunately for her, I unearthed New Admission notes on patients that she saw - while she was in another country. Also, when I asked my SP for my PTAN number for future credentialing, she refused to give it to me. Not only that, she said that it would take 3-4 months to get it. Tell me how my last SP found, and had, a new PA working within 1 week? Then, as I prepare to move forward and start my new job (s), my new employer can't find me AT ALL in the world of credentialing/billing. We're assuming I did all the work under my SP's name in order for her to get 100% from Medicare. I'm just torn - man up and face this SP in court or just move on with my life out of fear of retribution. I am floored by the level of deception and greed in nursing homes - several of the staff members have said that they would be vague and misleading to investigators in order to thwart efforts to uncover fraud. It really would be simpler to move on. However, I am a little naive - I always bought into the stuff that "Good wins over evil, love conquers all, blah blah blah." I want to fight for my patients who complained that they've never been seen by this MD, and to stop fraud in its tracks. I also want my damn money for the hours I gave up in order to work 6 days a week for her for the last year. I've called WAPA but I hit them when no one is available. I have also reached out to my PA school for help, and am waiting for a call back. I'm scared to be honest. If I wasn't, I'd head down to Small Claims court now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohsnapPA Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 @SamIAm I'm so sorry you got into this mess!! I can't believe she got away with all this fraud for so long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Have you consulted with a lawyer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam I Am Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 I have not contacted a lawyer. I'm pretty nervous to do that as people have cautioned me that she could make life very bad for me. In addition, who wants to be known as "that one PA who sues people?" I'm also nervous that there are confirmed people willing to cover up for her indirectly - they told me that flat out. I've also been cautioned that the State Investigators rub elbows with adminstrators and MDs of nursing homes - meaning my name could get around as the bad person. For some disillusioned reason, I still feel that good will prevail, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted May 16, 2015 Administrator Share Posted May 16, 2015 You've got to decide if you are a coward who goes along with fraud, a righteous crusader who picks this hill to die upon, or somewhere in the middle. My answer would not likely be the same as yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick87 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I have not contacted a lawyer. I'm pretty nervous to do that as people have cautioned me that she could make life very bad for me. In addition, who wants to be known as "that one PA who sues people?" I'm also nervous that there are confirmed people willing to cover up for her indirectly - they told me that flat out. I've also been cautioned that the State Investigators rub elbows with adminstrators and MDs of nursing homes - meaning my name could get around as the bad person. For some disillusioned reason, I still feel that good will prevail, no? I would try to stick it to her if I were you, just on principle alone. But then I can be a dick sometimes.... It does seem like you are a bit naive about life though. Generally, I've found that, yes, "good will prevail" if you have someone in the trenches fighting HARD for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I sure hope WAPA is Washington and not Wisconsin. If Wisconsin you need to let me know if you work in my region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I have not contacted a lawyer. I'm pretty nervous to do that as people have cautioned me that she could make life very bad for me. In addition, who wants to be known as "that one PA who sues people?" I'm also nervous that there are confirmed people willing to cover up for her indirectly - they told me that flat out. I've also been cautioned that the State Investigators rub elbows with adminstrators and MDs of nursing homes - meaning my name could get around as the bad person. For some disillusioned reason, I still feel that good will prevail, no? Let me ask you something Sam, if I was your girlfriend/wife what would you tell me if I was in the same exact shoes as you are in right now? Don't you want to stop her? You are not only doing this for yourself, but others after you. She sounds to me like an emotional B**** with a capital B (you can fill in the letters). Sounds like you’re constantly being criticized because you’re not able to meet her needs and experience a sense of learned helplessness. You feel powerless and defeated because she puts you in a no-win situations. Bullying. Also it sounds if she doesn’t get her way, there’s hell to pay. She wants to control you and resorts to emotional intimidation to do it. She uses verbal assaults and threats in order to get you to do what she wants. It makes her feel powerful to make you feel bad. People with a Narcissistic personality are often bullies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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