Young being eaten..by medical secretaries?!

[fifi2323]

I apologize in advance for the novel I'm about to write,but I need to vent!

Anyway,I recently decided to get a job in a doctors office,to get a feel for a medical environment before I go to school. From the beginning,it hasn't exactly been easy.I have never really gotten the feeling from anyone in that office,from secretaries to doctors that I am appreciated or liked.

My two biggest problems are older women;one who is a complete know-it-all who patronizes and criticizes me on a regular basis,and the other who has a wicked temper and flips without cause. Believe me, I know its a stressful job,but there is so much gossip and backstabbing among EVERYONE,and it makes me wonder if its worth it. Especially since the money and travel time are both less than desirable.

I am grateful that they hired me without previous experience,but I wonder if I'm stuck there now. I'm determined to be a medical secretary (for the time being anyway) But,it seems like other employers will only higher a secretary with at least one year of experience.

I dont want to be whiny or a tattle-tale,but I really am not happy with the situation. But given that I have no seniority its like who am I to say anything?

To top it off, I wonder if management is really cares anyway.A few weeks ago,I mentioned to the office manager that I was upset by this jungle mentality and he told me he would hold a meeting to discuss working more as a team. Next thing I know he's reaming us out,threatening our jobs telling us the practice is having severe financial problems.Then,a week later he hires five new people and a doctor. I was promised insurance from day one and when I went to another doctor last week, I had to pay for my visit since the plan wasnt set up yet.

I know I can be sensitive sometimes,and maybe I'm overreacting,but I'm wondering what I've gotten myself into.

[nursesarah]

yikes! sounds stressful. if i were in your shoes, i would begin to hunt around for another job (on your own time, not company time). in the meantime, focus on the positive. i know you might be asking "what positive?" but there is positive to every situation.

for instance, you are learning how to deal with and work with difficult coworkers (who, sadly, will be anywhere you go), you are learning how to work and cope under a management style that isnt the greatest, you are gaining that much needed "one year" experience. these are all things that will help you in future jobs.

i dont want to say "suck it up", because that's harsh. but stick it out until something better comes along. remind yourself that this job isnt where you're going to be for the rest of your life.

[PANurseRN1]

I stopped reading as soon as I got to "my two biggest problems are older women..."

Ageism is ugly. People of all ages are capable of being inappropriate. Labeling one group as problematic is wrong, period.

I don't understand what your position is. Are you a new nurse?

[Sistermoon]

What do you plan to study? It would be a shame if this one experience persuaded you to change your mind. Any chance of actively seeking a new job? Perhaps in patient care if you intend to study nursing? Doesn't sound like you have much to lose and everything to gain by vacating that office clutch.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

can't say as i like the expression "eating their young". to me, it's just a cutesy, idiomatic way of saying people are being nasty to others with the dual purpose of deliberately hurting their feelings as well, plain and simple. one either has to learn to use assertiveness techniques and stand up to people who insist on playing these kinds of games and behaving this way or leave. if there is anything i've learned in my many years of working, it's that i can pretty much put up with what i have to do in a job (a least in most jobs) as long as i'm working with friendly, supportive, and helpful co-workers. if you don't have other employees around you to make the environment pleasant to work in, then it's a toxic environment and it's time to leave. staying would be very similar to a spouse or a significant other staying in a relationship where the other partner is abusive to them on a regular basis. the longer the abuse goes on, the easier it is for the abusers to engage in that behavior. who needs that?

to answer your question fifi2323. . .no, management doesn't care that this situation is occurring. if they did, they would have stopped it long ago. my guess is that they don't know how to deal with it which is why it is flourishing. and, it is possible that the offenders are very manipulative and keep their behavior in check around the bosses enough to fool them. the bosses have got to be wearing rose-colored glasses or too distracted with other matters to be totally blind to the discord going on.