Need advice on potential employers

[PCPNURSE]

Hi, I'm new here on allnurses. I need some advice on a current situation. I worked at a fairly large health organization for 4 years. I was a PCP nurse & Nurse Clinical Lead for a family practice. Let me start out by saying I had never been verbally counseled or had any write ups, my attendance record was superb. I recently had my yearly evaluation and it was pristine including all my reviews from my peers.

My office manager and I were fairly close (we would discuss our grandchildren and anytime she was having a problem with her family she would ask for advice). She would share personal things with me in confidence as well as I would her.

Before I proceed to what was said let me explain the week before; on Wednesday, February 12^th, I walked in to find my schedule for the following week lying on my desk. I immediately sent my office manager an email regarding the schedule. I live in approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour from the clinic, I have a 8 year-old son who attends the after school program in order for me to work as a responsible parent. My schedule was changed pulling me to work phones, had my half day Thursday taken away and to work as another dr.'s nurse. I fully 100% understand the importance of teamwork and being able to move around when asked as I have done for over the past 4 years. My immediate reaction was no childcare arrangements for my 8 yr. old and he being left at his school. My second was I need my half day since I was getting married the Friday before, I needed to get all my legal documents changed to my new last name including a passport that is needed for March 9^th. My third concern was as a clinical lead, I never had enough time to complete my administrative duties. I was expected to basically do 2 positions but only provided time to do 1 in return my position as a PCP would often suffer due to the lack of time I had to perform my lead duties. I had asked my OM for the time my PCP was off if I could catch up my lead duties (this is how I would handle it in the past, anytime he was off, I would spend that time playing catch up). I understood we were working short staff but we also had a nurse not working her full days due to her doctor changing her schedule, we had 2 nurses that job share. I usually do the nursing schedule as the lead, but Thursday was my half-day and I was going to be off that Friday the 14^th for my wedding so my OM completed the schedules and never asked me first if I could rearrange my usual routine for that following week. All I could think about was my child being left at school - I had NO ONE to help during this time on short notice. I was planning my wedding that week, I had a car accident in which my car was very badly damaged by unsecure metal that flew out from a flat bed truck on the highway, I was dealing with the insurance companies - finding out the driver had no active insurance, etc. It was a very stressful week for me. I made my OM aware of all this. Unfortunately we went back and forth with emails that ended up being "heated" and I told her that I would just give my 2 weeks - I never formally agreed or signed or specified when my last day of work would be. In the emails, I never confirmed the 2 week notice with my OM and she even says for me to think it over, she knows I was dealing with a lot and like to just be left to my self. All of this is in the emails. As we all know we do say things that we certainly don't mean during times of hardship. My OM knows me well enough to just step back and stop sending the emails - just let me be and I would be perfectly OK. I never discuss important issues or make serious decisions when mad for the fact that things get said that are not meant. With all that being said - this happened on Wednesday, I worked a half day Thursday and was off Friday. On Thursday I never even opened my email because I was focused on getting my patients back and getting finished so I could get out of there and do my last minute wedding planning for my wedding that took place the very next day. My OM never said a word to me on Thursday and I assumed everything was back to normal and I had already calmed down. My co-workers and I was talking about my wedding and everyone couldn't wait to hear about it when I returned on Monday.

Evidently, my OM took this period of time that I was off and plotted against me. Because when I walked in on Monday and had a seat in her office, she didn't do the talking - she had another OM from a different site do all the talking. I was told since I gave my 2 weeks notice they wanted me to make it effective immediately and leave right then. I was somewhat stunned and shocked. I asked if I was being fired and they both replied "No", we just feel like it would be best if you leave now. My OM did say that with my behavior last week the nurses were very upset, which I feel like is a lie. There was no behavior as we were emailing one another and the 3 other nurses all were texting me and I was texting back with wedding snap shots, etc.... So, I know for a fact my close team members were not upset with me, not sure where my OM got her information at and since the nurses have all said they did not say no such thing. So someone is lying. I have never been subject to discipline; I consistently received above average performance evaluations including high praise peer evaluations. My last evaluation was just on 1/30/14, which was excellent. my OM never has warned me that she thought my performance was substandard. I have been 100% devoted to my position, often working through my lunch to do my lead duties because I didn't want my PCP nurse duties to suffer, I never took any "breaks", my attendance is outstanding. For me to walk in on that Monday morning and ask to vacant my job I felt very disrespected, I felt like I was ambushed and most importantly I felt like the like of communication and compassion that the organization stands for was left in the parking lot by my OM. I will be the first to own my responsibilities and say I was wrong in the emails - and I did fully apologize to my OM. If I'm wrong, I will admit it - if my OM felt like I disrupted the nurses or my behavior was unacceptable in the email then she could have came to me as my manager and requested to see me at the end of my day on Wednesday or even Thursday, she could have given me a verbal or written warning, she could have counseled me like a manager should but I never received anything but the ambush on Monday morning and asked to leave. I have since learned several employees were texting back and forth saying I was being fired that morning before I even arrived. I have also learned from a PATIENT that she was in for a office visit and was told by a nurse that I was fired! This is not acceptable. I have a respectable reputation as a nurse, I have worked very hard to get where I am in my professional career and I refuse to allow lies from that office ruin my dignity and respect as a professional nurse. I've read the policies, I did not given a formal intent to quit my position, I did not give my last day to work date, and nothing was ever in writing. My behavior in the emails was not a reason to ask me to leave my position immediately. I've never been disciplined, ever. I fully believe my OM plotted to get me out of there.

I have photographs of family members sitting behind computers with Epic pulled up - all patient info exposed. I have witnessed a nurse on MANY occasions get in my OM face and yell in patient care areas before my OM would take her to her office. The same nurse has a box cutter in her drawer and always threatens to use it! She has even said something to a patient of mine as he was standing at the nurses station, about her being from MI and she will cut you up, even showed him her box cutter. When I introduced her to my husband the first thing she said to him was "I have a box cutter, you better be kind to her or I will use it". Sure she was joking but why allow this to continue? I even took a picture of the box cutter in her drawer. I have talked to my OM on numerous occasions regarding this and nothing is ever done. I have witnessed an employee on numerous occasions get so mad she would vacant her position and leave the property for a while and be allowed back by my OM. The same employee recently transferred to another site but the week before she left, she was on the first floor in PEDS fighting with another employee that escalated to almost a fistfight - my OM done nothing. She talked with me the next day and even asked me if I thought she should write the employee up and I said I absolutely do - that behavior should be zero tolerance! She declined stating it would just stir stuff up with her and she just wanted her out. I'm not a manager - why ask me if you should write someone up, as an office manager you should be able to handle your employees including the discipline. The same employee, no called / no showed to work recently, she also "texted" in to work. As an office manager she does not have the ability or the skills to run a medical office. She has no medical degree, I can not tell you how many times she has come to me and asked about certain medical terms before she would get on a phone call or conference call because she did not want to look ignorant. I reported to her 2 weeks ago the vaccine in the freezer was compromised due to the temperature. I even moved it to another freezer hoping the temps would be better, I tried adding water masses still no change so the vaccine is compromised due to being too hot but I'm sure it's still sitting in the freezer and has not been reported to VFC. We've had incidents with Narcotics missing on 2 occasions but she only wanted to report the one. She didn't want to emphasize the fact that we thought the cleaning crew could be responsible. I know at least 85% of the staff has complained about my OM during evaluations, etc.... some are scared to come forward face to face due to their need for their job so the evaluation seems to be the easiest way for those employees to come out and say what they feel.

As you can see, I am very upset, as I have been an outstanding employee; my patients love and respect me. I have always worked very hard as an employee; starting out as a phone triage nurse of 2 doctors, then I moved to developing the scribe position for a PCP, once he left I moved to the new PCP nurse position and was later asked to be the Nurse Clinical Lead. I agreed to the lead position as long as it didn't interfere with my role as PCP nurse. My duties as PCP nurse and lead included: rooming patients, entering labs, looking up CHIRP, handling all VFC, daily POCT controls, end of month compliance items including counting & reconciling ALL medication samples for 4 physicians. I completed all competency evaluations of nurses, closed open encounters for the month after researching and finding what the problem was with the encounter (ex: last of 99999), ordering and maintain all VFC. With the new Opiate laws I was very diligent about making sure contracts were signed and the proper protocol was met at each visit. PCMH brought many new tasks to rooming patients as well. I'm sure I'm leaving several of my duties out but you can see I had many duties. I have been a very responsible employee, very strong organizational skills and I have the ability to work independently but my OM was constantly micromanaging and adding more and more but not wanting to give more time. I never walked off or away from my job; I never displayed poor conduct in front of patients. I do not believe that I have been given an adequate opportunity to maintain my position. I also believe that it is unfair the actions my OM opted since I have never received any indication that my performance / behavior was poor. It is very clear that my OM is not in the appropriate position as an office manager.

So with all that being said - (Sorry so long) I am currently looking for a new job. I had my first phone interview this morning and of course I was asked WHY I left my last position... I know it's never good to bad mouth a previous employer to a potential employer so I basically just said I had been there for 4 years and have worked in primary care for 11 years - I am wanting to try something different, be challenged more and I had no room for growth where I was - which is all true but I could tell the lady interviewing me was a little skeptical because she asked "So, you quit your job before having another one"... I don't want to lie, and I don't want a potential employer to think I'm difficult by telling them the situation. I feel like its a no win situation. How can I handle the question Why you left? I've never been in a situation like this and I'm finding it very difficult to come up with the "right" explanation or how to answer that question.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry this was so long but I wanted to give the entire story and background to help with any advice I could be offered.

Thanks in advance.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

This is a tough one. it sounds like they let you quit instead of firing you because you did not work that Thursday and basically told them you would quit?

Have you asked your former OM what they will say?

[PCPNURSE]

When I came back to work on that Monday after my wedding I was expecting everything to be OK and I was prepared to work whatever schedule they needed. I told my OM when they informed me that they wanted my resignation effectively immediately that I never confirmed that I wanted to quit & I did not want to quit, she actually told me in 2 of the emails that she wasn't accepting the resignation until I had a few days to think about it because of all the things I hd going on. I actually sent the Medical Director a copy of the emails and explained the situation to him after it happened and he stated any potential employer will be told I resigned. I'm just at a loss for what I should say in the reasoning without the response being negative.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I see what you mean. Let me think about it....

[systoly]

the whole thing started with your schedule being changed without notice

leaving you without a chance to arrange for child care

what's wrong with that?

[HippyDippyLPN]

This is bizzare! I don't get why OM would push you out like that when you had always gotten along, any idea? Maybe OM is doing something wrong and by firing you it's taking the heat off her? They will say you resigned but will they say you gave two weeks? Can you go above the OM's head and elevate this, what about the doctor's you work for? In my experience OM's very rarely have degrees or experience related to their duties which often makes a confusing or hostile work environment. A former MA was the OM at my last job, it was a mess!