Well, guys, my time in the land of rampant nepotism is fast drawing to a close.
In the past week, I have gotten not one, but THREE job offers. And all of them are offering 10-plus dollars more an hour than I'm making now. There's a rub, though. Y'all feel free to tell me if I'm crazy for considering this.
Remember that crazy doc that I worked for/trained under before I graduated? The one that had her OM do all the dirty work? Well, she called. Personally. Eating crow, raw and without salt. She's managed to cheese off 14, count em, 14, nurse pracs since she fired me. Burned countless bridges in 3 counties.
She offered me a set price per hour, I countered with a ballpark of what the other offers were. She agreed. Came up $5 per hour from the initial offer. Made the comment, "I'll do whatever you want." I'm calling my lawyer tomorrow and having a contract drafted, in detail. I'm taking no chances. Yes, I know, she's crazy, but better the witch you know, and all that.
After I spoke with this doc, I told my OM that I needed to talk to her, but that tomorrow would be fine. Now, this woman has not taken a call from me or returned a text in 6 months. Over lunch she was blowing up my phone. It was driving her crazy. She finally called me this evening after I had left the clinic. I told her the situation and gave her the opportunity to match the offers, as I had planned to do from the beginning.
She started out by asserting that they were already paying me that salary. Then she realized, hey, this girl can actually ADD, and the salary that they ARE paying me is less than most RNs make. So, she said that there was no way they could match that salary, right now. (Remember when I said that they told me that the salary I started at was a starting point? Yeah, that was 10 months ago, no raise, no hint of one, and even an outright refusal to go halves on my med mal insurance.) However, they can afford to hire a helper for the brother who can't handle a reception job, and they can afford to recruit a 2nd doc, to the tune of $300,000 plus a year.
So be it, then. I did tell her that, if I accepted the offer (can we say no-brainer?) I would work a notice, of course. She responded with, "Will they hold the position that long?" I was puzzled, because most employers would anticipate a 2-week notice before one can start, until I realized that this woman thought she could con me into staying for my 'notice' until she found and trained my replacement! I mean, how unreal can you be?
So, we've determined that I AM leaving. I do have another offer on the table besides the one from the crazy doc, but it's less money and in a neighboring state, and a farther drive.
I know I'm not the same person she fired 3 years ago. I'm smarter now. I will go in with a contract for exactly what I want, and if she agrees, well and good. If not, next state here I come.
My first thought after reading your post was "wow, why wasn't she looking for you a year ago." That tells me you are her last resort, not her first choice. Maybe she's groveling now, but I doubt her personality has changed. Personally, I wouldn't go back there. It's your choice, but proceed with extreme caution. Good luck.
Also, there is a big difference between being a "contractor" VS "employe".. Especially when it comes to things such as Liability Insurance and beni's. You might want to clarify which one the doc was talking about. Depending on the state, many contracts are worth less then the paper they are written on.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
My memory may be fuzzy on this -- but was crazy doc the doc with the staff who were a bunch of manipulative and immature brats?
You remember correctly, and if even one of them are still there, the other job in the neighboring state will be the one I take. I can handle one, but not all. From what I have heard, though, the previous staff has jumped ship, a long time ago.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
Angelfire,
My first thought after reading your post was "wow, why wasn't she looking for you a year ago." That tells me you are her last resort, not her first choice. Maybe she's groveling now, but I doubt her personality has changed. Personally, I wouldn't go back there. It's your choice, but proceed with extreme caution. Good luck.
I thought the same thing, about the last resort. DH and I discussed that very thing at length. Hence the contract and the stipulations. I know her personality has not changed, there was never a question about that.
I've not made a definitive decision, and I won't until I talk with her tomorrow, but I'm going with my gut. I've learned through bitter experience that it's rarely wrong.
If I'd listened to my gut, I'd still be doing cardiology. Leaving there is still my biggest regret.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
Also, there is a big difference between being a "contractor" VS "employe".. Especially when it comes to things such as liability insurance and beni's. You might want to clarify which one the doc was talking about. Depending on the state, many contracts are worth less then the paper they are written on.
I plan to ask for half my med mal paid yearly, and I don't require bennies. That's usually a selling point for me when it comes to a job hunt. It also serves a purpose. In a case like I find myself in currently, my present employer did not pay anything towards my licensure, certs, or med mal. I asked for half on the med mal, but never got it in writing, and thus was put off until the bill was due to be paid.
So, in a way, it works to my advantage. They can't claim to have paid anything but my excuse for a salary. Yes, they offered me a job when I needed one. Yes, it was a blessing at the time. But, in the light of the improvements (and downfalls) that have occurred since I started there, I feel that, at the least, a decent salary should be agreed upon.
My state is considered a "right to work" state. No unions for nurses or NPs. A contract is my best option to protect myself.
I thought is was pretty standard for 100% med mal occurrence policy. I wouldn't settle for 50%, especially if you aren't taking any other benefits. And I'd up my continuing ed allowance to 3K too. Leaving major med on the table it worth about 15K.
YES. I had a crazy boss and left her practice for more than four years while I went through a program and earned a license to practice. There isn't enough storage on this site to tell the story. Eventually I returned to the area and met with her. She promised the moon, apologized for the past, and I bought it. I lasted six months. As soon as the honeymoon period (aka probationary practice with the facility) she reminded me exactly why left. I have been gone four years and still feel the ramifications of that six month period. I should've listened to my gut and kept her in the past. Biggest mistake of my life to give it another chance.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
Update:
I have been inundated over the weekend with advice/ideas, and thought I had come to a decision. Wrong. The doc started calling Monday morning, asking if I had told my current job that I was leaving, and was I still planning to start on the 17th?
Um, no. I said that I would not submit a formal notice until the contract was agreed to and signed. Add to that, there may be some issue with legality on the part of that clinic. After explaining my misgivings, the OM, apparently deaf in that ear, reiterated, "But you'll be here on Monday to start, right?". Let me repeat, NO!
I have no contract, no collaborative practice in place, nothing, and I don't start working till I do. No collaborative, it's not legal.
I had contacted the other facility that offered part-time, to inquire about working my part-time on weekends, so I could keep my current job, at least until a full-time place was available, and was assured that that did not appear to be a problem. Well and good. I'd be exhausted, but I'd have some cash flow, anyway.
So, I did have a convo with OM, in which I was still refused a raise, cautioned by her mother that, "You're not going to feel like doing much as you get farther along.", and told that "As we grow the practice, there'll be opportunities for growth for everybody". Right. Meanwhile, they're still paying me peanuts, and they haven't even found a doc to 'grow' with yet.
Then, today, the head doc from the part-time place called. He was impressed that I was willing to work 2 jobs to get by until they had a full-time opening, and decided that they could use another full-time NP, namely me. He was very agreeable to my working out a notice, and we determined that I'll work that while we wait for my licensure/collaborative practice to be approved by that state. The pay scale is $16 more an hour than I make now, with less days, but similar hours, and the drive is comparable.
I plan to serve notice on Thursday, submit my papers for licensure Friday, and go from there. Should take about a month for all that to be settled, based on how long it takes where I live. And after today, when a 4-months-pregnant me AND the OM had to physically pull the receptionist (OM's DB) away from a patient (irate isn't the word for that drama), I honestly don't feel that bad about leaving. They can have it.
Thanks to everyone that offered opinions and support. Y'all are great. I have a good feeling about this.
BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP
1,678 Posts
Angelfire,
My first thought after reading your post was "wow, why wasn't she looking for you a year ago." That tells me you are her last resort, not her first choice. Maybe she's groveling now, but I doubt her personality has changed. Personally, I wouldn't go back there. It's your choice, but proceed with extreme caution. Good luck.