For any of you following my situation, I have a boss who is seemingly trying to get me "fired" because I am a new employee who, as a TERRIBLE coincidence, nothing more, became ill. Well, don't know if "ill" describes it. Burning, red, swelling, major stiffness in both ankles...not responding to treatment. Sed rate is 54 and my C reactive protein is elevated too. Have an appt with a rheumatologist Monday, thank God. They had a cx and were able to get me in. My mom has systemic lupus, and my son as alopecia areata (auto-immune, too).
I'm scared. In fact, scared doesn't even describe it. I've called my employer, she doesn't call back. I did receive a cryptic email from her that said, "right now I'm just sitting tight." You need to continue to send your "time off from work slips" to me. I can't put you back on the schedule until you are released from your doc. (In my prior thread I explained that she also went so far as to call my former boss to ask "how I was for her", after already working for my current boss for 2 mos....it wasn't a reference check....it feels more like a witch hunt).
Anyway, I'm not getting better. It's burning and SOOOOO STIFF. If I had to explain the stiffness, I could in one word: tetany. Just plain locked up with NO range of motion.
I feel so hopeless right now. When I saw my primary doc Wed, he said, "I don't know what to tell you. You've stumped 4 docs now. Your labs are grossly abnormal. It's not a clear cut thing here. I can't create paid time off from work for you!" (This after breaking down crying and asking him what it is...that I can't be out of work much longer because at this point I could lose everything).
I can't really find words to describe how miserably depressed I am now, and afraid.
are you (or your spouse if you have one) a member of a church or a fraternal organization (ie moose lodge, vfw, freemasons?)
i agree that the eap is an excellent idea. if they are unable to provide resources beyond counseling, perhaps the social worker at your hospital can direct you to some resources...
once a diagnosis is made, many of the condition-specific orgainizations may be able to help....
hope this helps, and like everyone else, i pray for a quick, accurate diagnosis and speedy response to treatment.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
I was a manager for some years and I don't get where you're getting that you're "boss. . .is seemingly trying to get [you] fired". It sounds to me like your boss is only following the rules set down by the human resources department of the facility that you work for as I would do for any employee who has an illness. Just do as you have been instructed to do: continue to send your "time off from work slips" to your manager. She will put you back on the schedule when you are released to work by your doctor. That's how things work in the working world. Make sure you make this clear with your doctor when you have your doctor visits. You should have been given information about time off of work for illness during your orientation. You might want to talk to someone in the human resources department about another way to handle this, such as taking a medical leave of absence to preserve your employment status if you as so worried about losing your job. But, understand that taking a leave of absence doesn't always guarantee that when you come back that you will have the same position on the same nursing unit that you had before.
As for your boss contacting a former employer, so what? What can she do with that information without admitting that she violated your confidentiality without your consent? That was a very stupid thing for her to do. If you don't want that to happen again, contact your former employers, or send them letters, and instruct them not to discuss anything about your health with anyone and to release only your dates of employment and job title only. They must follow your instructions.
Daytonite, I read through the first part of your post and thought "Oh my God, it's my boss". Just me being sensitive. Anxious. Tearful. I'm not married; I have no one to rely on....what that means is I need the job, need the benefits now especially. Your "this is how it is in the working world" statement came across harsh to me. But then, maybe I'm just overly sensitive now. The statement "this should have been explained in orientation", I took to mean "You should know this already". Well, perhaps you're right. I should. The book is HUGE. Policies for everything. Except for bullying managers.
dria
246 Posts
unfortunately, fmla protection begins after 12 months of employment.
http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/esa/title_29/part_825/29cfr825.110.htm
is short term disability available?
are you (or your spouse if you have one) a member of a church or a fraternal organization (ie moose lodge, vfw, freemasons?)
i agree that the eap is an excellent idea. if they are unable to provide resources beyond counseling, perhaps the social worker at your hospital can direct you to some resources...
once a diagnosis is made, many of the condition-specific orgainizations may be able to help....
hope this helps, and like everyone else, i pray for a quick, accurate diagnosis and speedy response to treatment.