Support, Anyone?

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

As you all know, I have been offered several options in the way of new employment. I have carefully considered these, and come to the decision that I feel is best.

I did some math, after the offers came in, and I gave my OM the heads-up that I was likely going to be leaving. She asked what the offers were, and when I told her that the range average was $50/hour, she insisted that they were paying me that. I got my pay stub, added up my yearly gross (not net),and even gave her the benefit of the doubt and subtracted the weeks that we are paid, but off. The result? $31/hr. For a Nurse Prac.

The week after I initially told her about my plans, I am in a room with a patient, and we hear the awfulest commotion: crashing, screaming and yelling coming from the front desk. I shut the patient in the room and went out front to find the OM's brother (our receptionist) literally with his nose through the hole in our reception window, hurling abuse at a family member. There was a lobbyful of patients witnessing this, some with very small children.

The offense? The family member had mispronounced the Doc's name. Oh, horrors. I would never have dared to touch the DB of OM, but I was trying to get him to back off, talking to him and motioning him back, when OM runs up and starts yelling "DB! Walk away! Walk away!" He did, but he came back 3 times more to yell and curse further. This was not his first outburst, but it was by far the worst we'd ever seen.

We were told the next day that he would not be returning, and then the day after that, I was privy to a convo between the OM, her DM, the referral gal and the med asst. The DB would be returning, after all, to work nights doing scheduling and such. They even went so far as to defend him! "It's just so crazy in here, he doesn't need to have to deal with all these people." But it's OK for the rest of us.

Add into that, the OM told me that DB had insisted she call me that night, when she was discussing the incident with him. DB, the same man who went whining to his dear old Dad and got my butt called on the carpet for "butting in" on his "highly trained staff" when I tried to save him a rear-chewing for doing what the old girl got canned for. That imbecile had the gall to think that, if OM called me, I'd back him up!

So, yesterday, I gave my official notice. Told OM that I hated having to leave, but that it was a financial decision, to the tune of $16 more per hour (she asked the rate). Gave a month's notice, as it will be about that long to get my licensure set up in the next state. The conversation went along the vein of,

"Well, I hope I can find someone that fast. You know you're nowhere near topped out here. We're going to grow really fast, as soon as we can find a doctor."

That was it. No offer of a raise, nothing. Just the same drivel I've heard for 6 months. She can afford a new house, they could afford to re-hire the old receptionist they fired so they could hire the DB to help him because he couldn't handle the job, and they can afford to shell out $300K for a specialist doc. But they can't pay me anywhere near what the base rate is for an NP.

I added it up. When I hired in, we saw 30 per day. Now we see 45-50. Doc may see 5-6 of these, the rest is on me. I had been told that they would slack off when I became expectant, but they've added. The referral gal and the med asst are always out to smoke, leaving me to call patients back, put them in rooms, see them, set up the tests, and sort the charts for medicine call-in. Even had one patient ask, after he saw me calling people back for an entire afternoon, "Why are YOU having to do this?"

So, 20 more patients a day, give or take. We've added over 50 new patients to the practice since I hired in, I KNOW they're making money. And conceited as it may sound, they wouldn't have been able to do it if I had not been there.

She's going to have a really hard time, I'm afraid, finding another NP that'll work for peanuts and put up with the drama in that Peyton Place. It's to the point after last week that I don't even think the offer of a raise, even a hefty one, would entice me to stay.

Sorry for the novel, but has ANY other NP ever dealt with anything like this? I'm not even sure which way is up right now. Maybe it's the hormones, lol. Thank you for reading, and I do appreciate any advice.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

All I can say is "wow.". Never heard of ANY of the situations you get caught up in. Heck I'm on my states's APN committee and have never heard of such a thing from any APN in my whole state.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Thank you, Trauma. I really hope I'm not coming across as an attention-seeker anymore, as I know that was the consensus that was held earlier. After what you and Siri said, I took a long, hard look, and asked some friends/colleagues if there were things I could do to improve.

They said that, while I am bouncy and outgoing, and while that would not ordinarily be the best form for an APN, it worked for me. I asked them if it was something I was doing that could have caused or contributed to the drama I seem to fall smack in the middle of at every blessed turn. My best friend (who doesn't care a bit to hurt my feelings if what she's saying is true) said that it seemed to her I was having a 'good run of bad luck'. Apparently she's never heard of anything like I seem to gravitate toward, either.

So, here's hoping a fresh start with no one I know and no family together will be the answer. God, I sure hope so.

Thank you again, Trauma. When you can govern a whole state's worth of APNs, and never hear of anything like this, I know it's bad. I'm glad to know it, though. Makes me feel like I'm not overreacting as much as I thought I was.

[coast2coast]

I have had uniformly terrible experiences in family-run (non-medical) businesses. There is always favortism, sketchy financial practices, and tons of unprofessional behavior. A similar situation is when you learn that 90% of the office staff are so-and-so's best friend, cousin's uncle, or down-on-their-luck church member.

The lesson being: work in places that hire staff based on experience and merit, NOT personal connections.

I know from your previous posts that you have had some super dramatic work experiences. I hope your new situation has better boundaries and is more professional (not to mention more lucrative !!)

[mammac5]

I just hope you get out of there without getting any on you!