Fired because they "can't afford me"...now what?

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Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.

I think I'm cursed, I really do.

I left a perfectly good cardiology job to work for my primary care doc, whom I'd known for 26 years, after he called and nearly begged me to come work for him. Historically, the man hated NPs, so I was flattered, to say the least.

Never having done primary care to speak of (with the exception of the infamous "All is not Well" incident), I had a lot to learn, and we both knew it.

In the course of three months, I was seeing upwards of 20 patients on some days (not all), had passed my 2nd set of boards (meaning I was double certified), and had been farmed out to a satellite clinic that doc had gone in with, where they needed an NP to cover some days. This did not sit well with either me or doc's wife, as we found out about it on the same day, but I went and made the best of it.

Today, fresh off a weekend that doc was away, where we saw upwards of 50 patients, worked down 2 nurses, and treated doc's wife for food poisoning, I figured I'd at least get an "Atta girl".

Wrong.

I went in after clinic to ask if I had made any major oopsies that we needed to discuss, and he had 4 charts on his desk out of the 50+ that I had seen (not too bad for 3 months in, if I do say so), but he said we had bigger problems.

He shuts the door, and proceeds to tell me that the business is not picking up like he had hoped it would, and that I am not seeing enough people to cover mine and my assistant's salary. It went on, with him saying that I WAS improving, majorly so in the past two weeks, so that he felt that he didn't have to follow me so closely, but that the practice was taking a hit.

So I asked him, "Are you firing me?"

He said "We can't afford to keep you".

So, in a nutshell, I'm improving, but I cost too much. Kinda like telling someone that they have cancer and have 3 months to live, but GREAT NEWS!, their cholesterol levels are fabulous!

I don't know what to do. He made mention of possibly having me back as hourly PRN, but I don't even know if I can stand the thought of seeing him again as my doc, let alone working there anymore. His wife (also the OM) was just sobbing when I left, she apparently had no idea, we've been talking on Facebook all evening, with her thinking that I'm mad, and once I get past the numb, I probably will be, but not at her.

This wasn't what I signed up for. Any advice would be great. Thank you.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I honestly have no clue what advice to give you, but I am truly sorry this happened...

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Go to the unemployment office in the morning.

You may cry for 2 days only, then it's time to move on. Any chance your old job might still be available?

Best wishes!

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Specializes in Health Information Management.

Oh ouch. What a twerp!

I assume you know this, but just in case you don't - file for unemployment immediately. Your state's department of labor site should have instructions if you aren't sure what to do. I agree with merlee; it's worth at least checking with your former employer, especially if you left on good terms. You never know, they might be desperate for you to come back! Otherwise, it's time to network like crazy. If you aren't already established on the major employment sites like Linkedin.com and indeed.com, make sure you set up profiles and start looking.

Now, did your jerk primary care doc provide you with any sort of severance pay? How about your benefits? Do they last till the end of the month or is he going to pick them up for a longer period? If you didn't think to ask, get the information clarified, but do it IN WRITING, so there is no chance for him or anyone else to weasel out of it later. Unfortunately the reduced COBRA cost plan is no longer in effect, so if you have to use COBRA to continue your benefits until you find a new employer and get established on a new plan, you'll be paying the full cost of your premiums.

If I were you, I'd be switching my business away from that practice. Every time I saw that doctor, I'd want to punch him, not ask him for medical treatment! But different people react differently, so perhaps you'll be willing to maintain at least those ties. Best of luck to you; I'm sorry you got stuck in such a crummy situation.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Sorry about what happened, {{Angelfire}}. Especially since your last post about him was so positive and encouraging! Nothing is worse than being blindsided like that.

There is no possible way this guy is genius-smart. Firing you was pretty dumb.:)

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Specializes in Tele, Med/Surg, Case Mgmt, Ins. Rev.

Sorry to hear that. Having been blind sided myself in the past I can understand how you are feeling. I agree with the filing of unemployment and clarifying your severence pay and benefits. I also recommend networking, post your resume on Monster, Career Builder, and put out feelers on LinkedIn. I would also look at Insurance Company's individual career links, your city/county/state career links, and the local colleges/university's. As a NP, you have a multitude of directions you can go. Try to look at this as an opportunity, or just a speed bump in your career instead of a dead end or a road block.

Best of luck, and keep us posted on your success!

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Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
Go to the unemployment office in the morning.

You may cry for 2 days only, then it's time to move on. Any chance your old job might still be available?

Best wishes!

I called my old OM this morning, and am going to call the hospital and see. Heres hoping!

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Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.

Thank you all.

To answer:

The OM paid me until the 15th. I had no benefits, as my health insurance is through my DH.

I am as yet undecided on whether or not to continue going there for healthcare, that I will have to mull over for a while.

Again, thank you all. I will let you know what happens.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

You have gotten some good advice so far. I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear this and I have been blindsided myself and I know the shock that you are feeling right now. Just know that you will get through this and probably be better off because you moved on from this job. Better things are coming your way I am sure.

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Specializes in LTC.

I've been following all of your posts and I'm truly sorry this has happened to you. Sometimes in life we get knocked a few steps back but this will only allow us to move forward. God has a plan and while you may not know what it is He does. I'm sure you will find something else very soon.

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(((angel))), dang woman, you've had a run of it...and i'm so sorry.

after the shock and hurt subsides a bit, is there any chance that what he said, makes sense?

that maybe he was losing money/unable to cover your salary?

please don't get upset...i had to ask.

because IF it's possible that he was losing money (and so, his firing you was valid), then i think it helps accepting the situation for what it is:

it sucks, but understandable.

fwiw, i never worry about you.

you're young, and you will go far in life.

give time, and yourself, a chance.:redbeathe

leslie

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(((Angelfire))) Sorry about that. As to seeing doc for your healthcare....tough call. I don't know if I would be forgiving enough to do that myself.

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