Bullying / Hostile Work Environment

[jaznia15]

I've worked at my current job as a FNP for the past 4.5 years. I work in the correctional setting but through a federally funded program. My supervisors are located outside of the prison at the teaching hospital which actually employs me. There is a new administrator at the medical prison who definitely tries to micro manage everything. Unfortunately it's a bad case of nepotism. Someone she was friends with moved up and over to the correctional setting and then promptly moved her up as well despite the fact she had no correctional health experience and she was over a practice not a whole prison hospital.

My clinic is funded federally for inmate care, but I am not an employee of the prison system. I work for the infectious disease department at the local teaching hospital but the clinic is located in the prison. I work 10 hour shifts monday through Thursday which is the usual shift for the department of corrections providers in the state. Inmates are not transported on fridays and I see inmates from all over the state. It's never been a problem but of course the prison administrator wanted to change that once she found out. She stated I could help the prison out by "auditing" charts of the inmates who have been hospitalized since I had hospital access. I explained to her that this was very illegal as I had no part of the inmates care plus I'm not even a prison provider so I wouldn't know what policies/protocols they'd have in place. She now has requested I clock in/out despite being an exempt employee. I went to HR but they're saying someone else who is salaried does it so it's not discrimination or harrassment. The administrator over me at the hospital is a good friend of hers as well and is not having my back at all. My supervising physician and the department chief physician do have my back and have even threatened not to send anymore staff out to the prison should I leave. They begged me not to leave so I rescinded my 30 day notice which I placed after an unprofessional altercation by the prison administrator.

I started clocking in/out because my administration told me to do it and things would settle down. They haven't!!! The lady actually is sending me the tallies of my clockings. I work in a correctional institution and we have to pass through security points prior to getting to the time clock. I have to be buzzed in through at least 4 gates/doors which takes 15 to 20 mins to get through due to the influx of employees at that time. She sent me an email stating I had "9 hours 37 mins" one day and I just feel shes using this to have a reason to continue legally harassing me. I am salaried and she does not even sign my time or approve my days off. I know her whole reason for requesting I clock is because she wanted to have that small form of control. 50+ employees have left the prison since she started including 3 out of the 4 NPs/PAs they had. I feel she wants me to assist with where the prison is lacking but that's not my problem. My company rents space in the prison but we are not under the prison in any way. I dont get it. I dont feel like I'm going to be fired, I just feel shes using hostile tactics to get me to quit. What do I do?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Ugh - this is untenable. Who is your supervisor? Do you actually report to a prison employee? If so, that is not doable in my book. Since YOUR company rents space from the prison they should not be supervising you.

I work for a physician practice that provides services in multiple clinics so I have a similar situation. Though I work in THEIR clinics, we rent space. They do not supervise me in any way - I do have to clock in but only once throughout the day just to prove to our electronic time-keeper I worked that day. I do not clock out.

You need to draw the line in the sand.

[jaznia15]

1 hour ago, traumaRUs said:

Ugh - this is untenable. Who is your supervisor? Do you actually report to a prison employee? If so, that is not doable in my book. Since YOUR company rents space from the prison they should not be supervising you.

I work for a physician practice that provides services in multiple clinics so I have a similar situation. Though I work in THEIR clinics, we rent space. They do not supervise me in any way - I do have to clock in but only once throughout the day just to prove to our electronic time-keeper I worked that day. I do not clock out.

You need to draw the line in the sand.

Thanks so much for your reply!! To answer your first question, no there is no one at the prison who is truly my supervisor. The biggest issue is that the administrator at the hospital actually knows the prison administrator, they have a friendship that was established before she became the prison administrator. My administrator has no backbone but is supposed to have my back. I've put my complaints in writing via an email to my administrator but plan on going past him should this continue. At this point, I think they are grasping for straws even with the clocking system. My patient care has been excellent and I've never been written up. I'm going to draw the line and if I decide to leave, it will be on my own terms.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Good for you - this isn't right.

[caliotter3]

Simple, you quit, when you want to, but sooner rather than later. This is grade school level harassment and you, as a professional, do not need it.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

OP: Your supervisor agreed with the prison administrator having this type of control or it would not be happening.

On 7/13/2019 at 11:28 AM, jaznia15 said:

My administrator has no backbone but is supposed to have my back. I've put my complaints in writing via an email to my administrator but plan on going past him should this continue.

This part is telling and I agree, your current supervisor is weak! Your supervisor wants to know when you get to work and when you leave. Rather than address his/her concerns with you as a real leader is to do, he/she is weaponizing the prison's administrator to check-up on your time.

By the way, I am a manager. Do not trust that no one has complained about you. It is possible that some jealous co-workers working with you in the prison have complained about you in defense of themselves to the prison administrator regarding their own time. Throwing others under buses is what a lot of employees do to deflect blame. Unfortunately, some supervisors think that they need to address the complaint in order to look fair rather than state the facts and keep the focus on the person whom he/she is reprimanding. Good luck, but I do not see this getting better unless either of the two quits or someone way above both their heads intercedes.

[jaznia15]

On 7/14/2019 at 2:12 PM, SummerGarden said:

OP: Your supervisor agreed with the prison administrator having this type of control or it would not be happening.

This part is telling and I agree, your current supervisor is weak! Your supervisor wants to know when you get to work and when you leave. Rather than address his/her concerns with you as a real leader is to do, he/she is weaponizing the prison's administrator to check-up on your time.

By the way, I am a manager. Do not trust that no one has complained about you. It is possible that some jealous co-workers working with you in the prison have complained about you in defense of themselves to the prison administrator regarding their own time. Throwing others under buses is what a lot of employees do to deflect blame. Unfortunately, some supervisors think that they need to address the complaint in order to look fair rather than state the facts and keep the focus on the person whom he/she is reprimanding. Good luck, but I do not see this getting better unless either of the two quits or someone way above both their heads intercedes.

You're correct in more ways than one. I feel my supervisor has had it out for me since I stood my ground about wanting more pay when they added a whole new clinic outside my current specialty to my plate. Right now I'm making more than the advanced practice providers at the prison. It just feels like you get the short end of the stick when you win at negotiating. He made the comment that I was clocking in so the prison could see if they were "getting their money's worth" and that's where I drew the line and quit. Of course it was later rescinded but I made that decision based on the fact that I had 300+ hours of unused sick time and there is a procedure I wanted to have while I'm still under the insurance. I have a meeting this week with an outpatient clinic at the actual hospital, but I feel they would just decrease my pay if I moved laterally so I doubt I'll take it. In the end, I feel this is just a wake up call to get out of the southeast region. The doctors I work alongside are awesome but it's clear the same respect given to doctors is not shown to the APPs. When the prison supervisor came to my office to request I audit charts she stated the medical director was asking this of me. When I inquired why the medical director did not come to ask in person, she told me that she was "busy" as if I was not worthy of the doctor's time. I'd been forewarned previously to document all as the prison administrator was known for lying and this was by someone above her. I agree, this is grade school drama at its finest. My only regret is that I am not vested into their pension plan, which is the best in the state, but I cant wait 5 more years for that to happen!

[tachyallday, BSN]

F this situation - you can do so much better. I recommend saying, "peace out." Good luck, the world is your oyster (to a degree, a big one!) ❤️

[AnnieNP, MSN, NP]

Schedule your procedure and take that sick time ASAP. While out, look for another job.

[jaznia15]

Thanks so much for your replies! Today I went to the GI clinic and met with the medical chief there. He basically offered me a NP position. This would be a lateral move within the company and take me out of the prison completely. He wants to basically have me start in the clinic when I'm cleared to return to work after my medical procedure. I won't lose my base pay or benefits. I'm really considering it. There's also a primary care position in my hometown that I was approached about today as well. Thanks for the encouragement to move on, after reading your replies and consulting with close friends, I've realized that the environment at the prison is definitely toxic.

[Rnis, BSN, DNP, APRN, NP]

So if I am gathering right the prison contracts your services from the hospital and thus they want to make sure they are getting their "full 10 hours" . You are required to go through security so you should be able to clock in for this . Nurses in surgery clock in before they change into surgical scrubs....

It seems like an easy fix to have a an app from phone that you can clock in and out when you get through security each day. sure it's demeaning to have to clock in/out.... but that wouldn't be the hill i die on. I would make the viable argument that you are on the clock the minute you hit the security line

[jaznia15]

On 7/19/2019 at 11:47 PM, Rnis said:

So if I am gathering right the prison contracts your services from the hospital and thus they want to make sure they are getting their "full 10 hours" . You are required to go through security so you should be able to clock in for this . Nurses in surgery clock in before they change into surgical scrubs....

It seems like an easy fix to have a an app from phone that you can clock in and out when you get through security each day. sure it's demeaning to have to clock in/out.... but that wouldn't be the hill i die on. I would make the viable argument that you are on the clock the minute you hit the security line

It's the nature of this beast that is demanding me to clock in/out. She sent me an email with a breakdown of my "time". I was getting 9 hours 45 mins and 9 hours 37 mins. I asked her was she taking into the account that the time clock that they require me to use is inside the building in which I have to go through 4 gates to get into. She's petty and nitpicking. I highly doubt she would go for the phone idea. She wants to be in control. I dont understand it but sometimes people have little control at home so they overcompensate at work. At least that's been my experience.