I've turned into such a job hopper since I moved to New England in 2020. Part of that was personal stuff, health issues, relocating for grad school internship, etc. But some of it is crazy stuff like this...
Until the very end of August, I was employed on a detox unit. The unit literally had 150% turnover since I started in May. Ever since the beginning of August, when the most experienced employee (who had been there for two years) was fired for trumped up reasons (management said he was "unethical" but didn't really elaborate), the person who had been on my unit the longest was the manager, who had started in April. I was actively looking and applying to other jobs. In the meantime, the pay was good, shifts were 8 hours, and it was a five-minute walk from my house. Manager also said they could potentially accommodate 4 10-hour shifts per week for me once the unit became fully-staffed.
However, there was a ton of drama. For example, we had a new coworker identify her favorite spot to sit and try to implement assigned seating for everybody else to ensure she kept that spot. She even went to not just the manager, but the manager's manager, in order to accomplish this. And it worked.
I don't really care about the seating arrangements, but the change involved multiple in-person meetings, phone calls, and emails. This is for a role that doesn't generally involve a whole lot of sitting down (at least not if you're doing it right). Prior to the start of these multiple meetings, I unknowingly sat in the spot this person had earmarked for herself and got reported to management for this. I didn't even know that this was going to be/already was a rule until I got in trouble with my boss's boss for sitting there. And I didn't leave a mess or anything. I just sat there to do some charting on the computer. This person started after me, so it's not like the desk issue could have been covered during orientation, even if orientation wasn't sorely lacking. I'm not sure what special meaning the spot held for this coworker, but I did hear that this coworker and my boss's boss worked together years ago and were friends from there.
Anyway, I had Fri., Aug 25 off, and I received a call from HR. HR said that I was under investigation but they could not say why. They said I was not to report to work, was not to contact any coworkers or supervisors, and was not to come onto the premises and that HR would be in touch regarding the investigation. I kicked my job search up into high gear. On Thursday, Aug 30, I received a call from HR saying that I was being terminated for misconduct. They said they found a note with threats written on them where I normally sit, had conducted a handwriting analysis, and determined that I wrote the note. They said this handwriting analysis was done by comparing the note to samples of my work, but we only have computer charting. While I hadn't worked the Friday that I initially heard from HR (Aug 25), I did work the day before, and this was apparently found that Thursday evening. But I didn't write any threats. They said this note contained threats to kill people with office supplies like keyboards and staplers. Just in case this needs to be said, I did not threaten to kill anyone with a keyboard or stapler (I'm not even sure that's possible). At no point during this investigation was I told what it was about or asked any questions.
I applied for unemployment, despite "misconduct" generally being a disqualifier for unemployment. I put that I was fired for performance. The unemployment rep called me and stated she tried multiple times to contact my former employer's HR department. She had reached out to me to ask if I had the direct extension for HR. I told her honestly that I didn't, that I just had the main number. Rep stated that she tried that number 5 times and kept getting transferred to different people. My claim ended up being approved, and I got back pay for the weeks I was waiting to hear back.
Mid-September, I was offered a clinic job that I had interviewed for while still employed at the old job. I'm super excited about the clinic job, but I'm also really worried. Start date is Oct 16. This new job already checked references prior to the final interview, so I'm not worried about that piece. My listed references included coworkers from my now-former job whom I was friends with, and the job offer is not contingent on a reference from the old job's manager. I don't have a criminal background or any mark on my license. I guess the background check is still in progress. So far, nobody's reached out to rescind the offer. I got the pre-employment physical, drug screen, and flu shot done.
I'm cautiously optimistic, but I'm worried that this accusation from my old job will come back to bite me. I just have so many unanswered questions. Should I get a lawyer to contest what my old job said about me? Is it possible for the new job to find out about this issue when unemployment was unable to? Can you actually kill someone with a keyboard?
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
sideshowstarlet said:
Thank you! You make me feel like a Main Attraction Starlet!
I may be splitting hairs here, but a truism is that we cannot make another feel a certain way. Normal emotional responses are taken into account, but it is we who choose to react to another's statements and/or actions.
With that disclaimer being noted, an illuminating revelation about you- us- needs to be noted. You and I are both artists, which could be one of the reasons we find ourselves in interesting situations.
While going through therapy after the stabbing incident, the therapist said, "They will never understand you, so don't make them try".
John McNichols said, "An artist has an important role in any society and that is to show us alternative perspectives to conventional notions. For the reason, we afford the artist some slightly deviant behavior".
...You and I are both artists, which could be one of the reasons we find ourselves in interesting situations.
While going through therapy after the stabbing incident, the therapist said, "They will never understand you, so don't make them try".
John McNichols said, "An artist has an important role in any society and that is to show us alternative perspectives to conventional notions. For the reason, we afford the artist some slightly deviant behavior".
Anything feel like home?
I definitely find myself in some weird situations! I'm glad that you, at least, allow me my slightly deviant behavior!
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
sideshowstarlet said:
I definitely find myself in some weird situations! I'm glad that you, at least, allow me my slightly deviant behavior!
Davey Do said:
It is written that all the people and events in our lives are there because we draw them to us, and what we decide to do with them is up to us.
"Sometimes, we create arenas in order to work out unresolved issues."
-Terry Crabtree, "The Wonder Boys"
The portion of my quote was a paraphrasing of a quote by Richard Bach who also wrote something along the lines of, "We seek problems because we need the solution of a gift".
"Slightly deviant behavior" is that which, although it causes no one any pain, doesn't follow the mainstream perspective on totally appropriate behavior. Slightly deviant behavior is part of my- and I'm relatively sure yours, sideshowstarlet- wiring. It is who we are and it is a belief to try to quell who we are leads to frustration, anxiety, and even mental illness.
If we embrace who we are, then other's opinions of us become less important.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
sideshowstarlet said:
I feel like the opinion of others has grown less and less important as I get older.
Once we make the decision to allow other's opinion of who we are, or how we should be, less important than our own sense of self, that is, in essence seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
When we encumber ourselves with trying to please others and meet their expectations, that is a vague and dark place to be, and all we can do is (another idiom) take shots in the dark.
This morning, I was sitting in my back garden area, drinking my coffee, next to the carport, thinking of sideshowstarlet's thread, when I noticed a sticker on the back of my Jeep.
I thought, "Not always true, but a positive statement, nonetheless" when my warped and weary mind began to explore, as quoted above, "alternative perspectives to conventional notions" and came up with this:
Having experienced an NDE (Near Death Experience) over 45 years ago, I can attest to the fact that this may be true. As nurses, we contend with death in both our professional and private lives when the question, "I wonder how other nurses see death?" came to mind.
Is death the light at the end of the tunnel, a releasing from the pain of this world, or is death a dark, unknown chasm to be feared?
As nurses, we contend with death in both our professional and private lives when the question, "I wonder how other nurses see death?" came to mind.
Is death the light at the end of the tunnel, a releasing from the pain of this world, or is death a dark, unknown chasm to be feared?
I can say that there are many older people whom modern medicine kept alive too long. I'm specifically thinking of a resident I took care of as a new nurse. From what I heard from colleagues, this resident was into the sex, drugs, & rock 'n' roll lifestyle when he was younger. At the point he was living in our facility, he was bedbound, NPO, dependent on Gtube feedings, severe contractures throughout the body to the point where he could not assist at all with movement. His ex wife was insistent on him being a full code, despite him receiving hospice services. He never had any visitors, certainly not the ex-wife. At that point, he wasn't living; he was avoiding death.
I can say that there are many older people whom modern medicine kept alive too long. I'm specifically thinking of a resident I took care of as a new nurse. From what I heard from colleagues, this resident was into the sex, drugs, & rock 'n' roll lifestyle when he was younger. At the point he was living in our facility, he was bedbound, NPO, dependent on Gtube feedings, severe contractures throughout the body to the point where he could not assist at all with movement. His ex wife was insistent on him being a full code, despite him receiving hospice services. He never had any visitors, certainly not the ex-wife. At that point, he wasn't living; he was avoiding death.
Sounds like he forgot to take the ex-life off of his next of kin list. She probably wanted him to suffer. ?
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
sideshowstarlet said:
I can say that there are many older people whom modern medicine kept alive too long.
You have just described a situation, sideshowstarlet, where it's relatively safe to assume that no one would desire to be in that state.
In some cases, the loved ones don't want to let the infirmed individual go, but in this case, it sounds like the individual did not make their wishes known. Without a living will or a DNR/DNI, we act on the supposition that all life is to be maintained at any cost.
Woody Allen said, "I'm not afraid of death. I just don't want to be there when it happens", which is ludicrously humorous, but it also carries a certain amount of truth to it. We all know that some day, we will cease spontaneous respirations and being in the land of the living, however, due to the unknown and subsequent fear of that unknown, we'd really rather not have to go through the experience.
Because of the fear of dying, a lot of people avoid making plans for the inevitable and end up like resident you described.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
lifelearningrn said:
Sounds like he forgot to take the ex-life off of his next of kin list. She probably wanted him to suffer. ?
THAT is a scary thought, lifelearningrn- for someone to have so much animosity toward another human being that they would want them to suffer. Scary, but it happens.
Davey Do
10,666 Posts
Thank you for joining Artis and I will definitely check out your poem!
Thank you for your interest, lifelearningrn, but I'd rather not say.