Moving forward after a terrible first job

[anotherhappysoul]

I just left my first job as a PA after 9 months. During that time, I was supposed to be trained but ended up covering for 2-3 other PAs that resigned during that time. I ended up being the only provider in the office full time and my supervising physician would randomly not show up to see his scheduled patients, leaving me to cover for him as well. I was constantly on call up to 6 weeks at a time, sometimes covering for 4-5 physicians at 2-3 hospitals. I ended up working 60-80 hours per week for the last 3 months I was there. When the stress finally got to me, I started having panic attacks and decided it was time to put in my resignation. When I gave my 3 months notice, as designated by my contract, my supervising doc pulled me int his office and began yelling, throwing things on his desk, insulting me, threatened to find a reason to fire me with cause during my final three months. After that discussion I decided to resign immediately...naturally the fall out of contract has been miserable.

But what I came here to ask is...how do I move forward after this disaster? How do I ensure that my next job isn't just as terrible? How do I recover from this apparent burnout? Finally, what do I tell future employers as I begin to interview as to why I suddenly left? 

[sas5814]

What a terrible way to start out in the profession. I'm sorry this happened but rest assured the good employer and physicians are out there.

How do you Move forward? I have found that when I am feeling whipped down just making a plan of some kind and moving forward on it helps a lot. Feeling helpless is awful.

How do you make sure your next job isn't just as terrible? You are now wiser than you were a year ago. The life lessons I remember the most are the ones where I did or didn't do something and it had a bad outcome of some kind. It happened to you. It happens to all of us. Use this as best you can. Review your hiring process and thought processes during the time you interviewed and see where you can do better next time. Did you ask hard but pertinent questions? Patient load and mix. Expectations on call and coverage. Things of that nature. Did you get to talk to some of the PAs who were already there? When I interviewed for my current position the medical director took me to a room full of current APPs and said "ask them anything you'd like to. I'll be in my office when you are done."

Recovering from burnout varies from person to person. Don't be afraid to seek professional help and counseling. Ask older, more experienced PAs for advice.

What do you tell future employers as you look for work? This is a hard one because it is a balancing act. You need to explain what happened without sounding like a victim or like you are just blaming your former employer. You are...but they don't want to hear it except in broad terms. Keep it general unless they ask for specifics and then keep it as close to neutral as you can. Practice what you might say ahead of time and polish the message so you aren't unprepared when the question is asked.

Lastly, and I have made this recommendation before, spend the money to consult a labor lawyer. Protect yourself and your future employment. It sounds like you are dealing with some bad people and they may do you harm if they think they can. A few hundred bucks spent on an attorney and a letter from said attorney cautioning them about what they might or might not say about you will be money well spent.

 

Good luck.

[rev ronin]

Here are some good phrases to use to mitigate unreasonable demands:

"No"
"That's not going to happen"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not comfortable doing that"
"That's not within my training"
"That's not within my scope of practice"
"That's not part of the contract I signed"
"I will be unavailable then"
"Can I get that in writing?"
"So, let's discuss additional compensation for these duties you'd like me to do."

[Cideous]

10 hours ago, sas5814 said:

Lastly, and I have made this recommendation before, spend the money to consult a labor lawyer. Protect yourself and your future employment.

Good luck.

Unless you are in Texas.  If so, save the money on the lawyer.  Your screwed.  Right to work state = fired without cause and not a damn thing you can do about it.

[rev ronin]

3 minutes ago, Cideous said:

  Right to work state = fired without cause and not a damn thing you can do about it.

Unless you're in a union, right to work doesn't matter.  I think you mean "employment at will" state, but that cuts both ways: Three months' notice is a courtesy, not a requirement, for me.  Washington is NOT right-to-work, but IS employment at will.

[jmj11]

Sorry for your experience. When through some like that years ago and it is frustrating to say the least.

[UGoLong]

There are advantages to what you’ve been through:

 

- You’ve seen a bad practice. Like anything you’ve seen, you now know some of the signs.

 

- You probably have a better idea as to what kind of job you’re looking for next time.

 

- You must have had to learn a ton under fire. Not always the best way to learn, but it probably taught you more than most people learn in a short period of time. You’re probably better qualified for your time in the profession as a result.

 

- You must have met lots of other providers at hospitals who came to depend on you. Probably at least a few good references, both to who you are and the degree to which you were in charge.

 

My guess is that something crappy was going on in your practice for so many providers to be leaving. That may be one reason why your doc was dropping the ball: trying simultaneously to stem the tide and preserve his own mental health (unsuccessfully it would seem.) When he blew up at you for leaving, crazy though he may be, he may have felt like a drowning man whose last lifeboat was floating away.

 

I’m guessing that suing you is pretty far down on his list of priorities. If I were you, I’d focus on the next job and don’t worry too much about the past.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Avalon]

Wow.  How crappy for you.  I also am sorry for your unhappy welcome to the profession.

This was not unlike my first job in family medicine.  I lasted one year, moved on to another family medicine practice for three years, and now have been in women's health for five years.  The most important question I asked of a prospective collaborating physician moving forward was this: "Do you like to teach?"  Of course they all said yes.  I then requested at least two shadowing days to be sure this was true, and to be sure their teaching style was a good match for me.

I'm glad you reached out to your colleagues on the forum.  You've been given sage advice above and I encourage you to keep the faith.  We wish you the best.

[sas5814]

"Right to work state = fired without cause and not a damn thing you can do about it."

 

True. However you can do something to keep them from trash talking you to potential future employers. For the longest time, and I don't know if it is still true, the single biggest civil settlement in Texas was against an employer who gave false, bad references. So you need to protect your future employment possibilities by trying to put them in a defensive posture and make them understand they need to follow the rules. No information except hire dates and dates of departure.  Otherwise one psycho employer can keep you from finding a decent job for a long time particularly when it is the only one on your resume.

[Cideous]

11 hours ago, rev ronin said:

Unless you're in a union, right to work doesn't matter.  I think you mean "employment at will" state, but that cuts both ways: Three months' notice is a courtesy, not a requirement, for me.  Washington is NOT right-to-work, but IS employment at will.

Yes, employment at will is what I was referring to.  Thanks for the correction. 

[Cideous]

1 hour ago, sas5814 said:

"Right to work state = fired without cause and not a damn thing you can do about it."

 

True. However you can do something to keep them from trash talking you to potential future employers. For the longest time, and I don't know if it is still true, the single biggest civil settlement in Texas was against an employer who gave false, bad references. So you need to protect your future employment possibilities by trying to put them in a defensive posture and make them understand they need to follow the rules. No information except hire dates and dates of departure.  Otherwise one psycho employer can keep you from finding a decent job for a long time particularly when it is the only one on your resume.

In a perfect world I agree with you however the medical community is about as far from perfect as you get.  There is really no way to find out that someone trashed you short of suing them, subpoenaing them and then them actually telling the truth under oath.  How much money do you have to pay a lawyer comes to mind.  Not to mention the case will take literally years to see the light of day...

Really, just get out.  Your hosed.  Get as far away from this guy as you can and start over.

[sas5814]

I'm not talking about a case. Taking on a big company or employer is a fool's errand. Just a visit to a lawyer and a letter sent. It costs a few hundred dollars and is about all you can do in your own defense. Most companies, especially if they have lawyers advising them, will counsel against negative references.

I am trying to help a colleague right now who was perp walked out of the building and terminated over some nonsense. The company has the right to do that if they choose but they now understand, they may be the 800 pound gorilla in this deal, but they are on notice. Getting fired as a practitioner, particularly if it alleged to be based on patient treatment skills, can haunt you for years and years and years. It can change the trajectory of an entire career. 

Get out and start over is good advice. Do some basic things to protect yourself is too.

[BruceBanner]

The good news is, like others have mentioned, is that this is probably the worst job you will ever have. 

I had a terrible first job too. And to boot, I was canned.

Start over, you know what red flags to look for now. Be honest in interviews without coming off as a victim; just say you were put under a very unreasonable and unsafe workload and it finally reached a critical mass, with aggression and threatening necessitating an immediate resignation.

Ask very pointed but professional questions about expectations, management, and workload. They only need labor, you need a sane job with fair compensation. If you get vague or dubious answers, beware.