The Cheap Doctor
I applied to the doctor’s office when I saw it on my university’s job listing website. The description said it had part-time hours during school and full-time hours during the summer. It was perfect. I applied and was offered the job.
I was eager to start full-time because I needed the money for my bills. I started “full-time” only to find out that meant under 30 hours a week. I was struggling financially and had to take on another job, at an old job 2 hours away at my hometown, in which I worked 24 hours over the weekend. Apparently the doctor didn’t understand my need for extra hours because even though I told him multiple times I was going home to work he would always ask, “Are you going home this weekend to see your family?”
It would have been more beneficial for me to just live with my family, but I had signed a lease on an apartment with a roommate thinking I would be able to live in my college town. Plus, I felt bad for quitting somewhere so quickly.
As I worked over the summer I got more and more responsibility from the supervisor who I was taking over for. Soon I was in charge of processing insurance claims, running payments and all other general office work.
When school started I went back to my six hours a week. I soon took on a second babysitting job in the evenings and weekends to keep up, no longer did I have time to drive home every weekend. Strangely enough, every time I started going in for the 2 hours at the end of the day I had the exact same amount of work I had every day during the summer. I had no idea what my supervisor was doing all day, but it wasn’t her job.
I should mention that this office was extremely strict. No gum, no cell phones and not even any food was allowed. Of course, my supervisor got to do all these things because she was the doctor’s wife. Minus the paycheck there was no incentive to working there such as a free lunch or cookies for a birthday or something special.
But then my co-worker told me there was a Christmas bonus. I was so excited when Christmas came around and I really needed the money. I opened up my check to find $25. Not what I was expecting, but I decided it was better than nothing and tried to be happy about it. A couple hours later a women called that occasionally referred patients to our business, “Oh I just wanted to call and tell the doctor thank you for the gift card. That was so kind. I really wasn’t expecting it. Please tell him thank you for me!” Surely no one would be that excited for a gift card under $25.
A week later I couldn’t take it any longer and asked my co-worker, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want, but I’m just curious what you got for your bonus.”
“$267, you?”
I could barely get the words out to tell her how much I got. She tried to make me feel better by saying it was probably a percentage thing. Sure she was “full-time” all the time, but I had worked full-time all summer, came in whenever I could, and worked full-time every break I got at school.
Around that time I got offered a really great internship. I worked the two hours Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays at the doctor’s office and the internship was going to be all day Monday and Wednesday. I was so happy to have an excuse to quit and told them that I was no longer going to be able to work because of the days I was having to do the internship.
My supervisor’s response, “You don’t work there Thursdays? Well you can just come in then.”
Somehow my attempt to quit did not work.
I didn’t have as much work as I did before my internship, but I still had 2+ days of work every time I would come in. Finally since I am graduating I was able to tell them I wouldn’t be working once I finished school because I was going to find a full-time job in my field. I told them about three months in advance.
Two weeks ago I had a giant group presentation that we had been working on all semester that went into my work time. I told my supervisor I would be late, but I would come in as soon as it was over. She texted me the day before saying it had been slow all week and that I wouldn’t need to come in.
The next week she told me the same thing. I again was grateful since it was finals week. When she sent that text I couldn’t help but thinking my last day was coming up, but couldn’t remember the exact week. Apparently it was that week. When I told her thanks for letting my have the day off she responded, “That was ur last day right? Thank u for all ur hard work.” Guess I’m not even getting a going away card.
You worked there for 6 hours a week? I didn’t know they had jobs like that.
Even in college, the part-time job I worked was never less than 12 hours a week. During the summer, I worked 25 hours there, then another two jobs to make up the difference and be full time. And no, I didn’t get a fanfare when I left or any kind of bonus…welcome to the real world. Sorry to be harsh, but I am always so irritated by kids coming in straight out of college who have this sense of entitlement.
“I walked up hill in the snow both ways with no shoes…”
The no gum policy would suck, though. And not being able to eat when you’re hungry. I feel ya there.
When I left my job as a podiatric assistant they went out and bought me a goodbye cake. People that actually bother to care about their employees do things like that.
OK, but were you working there more than 6 hours a week? It sounds like the job was shitty because it just barely covered the bills, which sucks but isn’t the job’s fault.
I feel your pain regarding the no farewell thing. I worked at woolies (i know, mass chain supermarket don’t expect much) for 4 and a bit years through high school and the first couple of years at uni. During that time I contributed a fair bit of money towards farewell gifts and cards for any staff that left. When I finished I didn’t even get a card. Shows how much you are appreciated.
A year or two later (I had moved about 20minutes north at this point) I went into my local woolies to discover my old store manager was now managing my local store. He offered me a job while I was standing in line to buy milk and bread. I polity declined.
Job doesn’t sound too bad, although the no food rule stinks. OP lost the little sympathy I had when he/she said “Minus the paycheck there was no incentive to working there such as a free lunch or cookies for a birthday or something special.” I consider the paycheck or a fulfilling job as the main incentive. Sure, it would’ve been nice to get free lunches or some acknowledgement for your birthday or when you leave, but OP came off as sounding entitled to those things. I do wish the OP had described his/her relationship with the coworkers.
it seemed a bit odd there was a discrepenancy with the bonus. seems like someone didn’t like her(the wife?)
Sounds like the OP was expecting their job to be more like a family. I’ll admit that having coworkers you like hanging out with makes a job infinitely better, but it’s a rare thing to happen. Like winning the lotto. Think I’m getting a whiff of entitlement on this one.
“Minus the paycheck there was no incentive to working there such as a free lunch or cookies for a birthday or something special.”
A strong whiff.
The job sounds bad, but I don’t really understand what you mean about the incentives either.
Do jobs normally give free lunch? I worked at a summer camp that gave us sandwiches but ever since I’ve had a good number of jobs that didn’t (nobody did). Right now I have an awesome job doing statistics and we don’t even get paid for lunch break. I’m not annoyed about it.
And a birthday present? Come on. That one I’m just confused about.
LOL!
My God, are you 10 years old? You work at a place 6 hours a week and you whine that you don’t get to have cookies on your birthday and that your Christmas bonus is not big enough? And you’re in a DOCTORS OFFICE and you’re surprised at a no food or gum policy? No going away party for a job that you worked at for less than 12 months? How dare they! They were fair, flexible and even thanked you for your hardwork – there’s nothing bad about this job at all. Sheesh, people these days feel so entitled.
“I was so happy to have an excuse to quit and told them that I was no longer going to be able to work because of the days I was having to do the internship.
My supervisor’s response, “You don’t work there Thursdays? Well you can just come in then.”
This is where the OP lost me. Why did you need an “excuse” to quit?? You weren’t happy working there. Grown-ups don’t “hint” they that need more hours or better pay, they actually ask for it. If they don’t get them, they find something else.
Well, in defense of the OP I work in an on campus office that employs part time students (for anywhere from 10 to 30 hours per week, depending on the time of year and their course load), and we always give them birthday and xmas cards and have a farewell party with treats when they leave. Their xmas cards usually contain a fair bit of money that we’ve rounded up, as well.
Granted, not all offices are like that, but plenty are.
On the other hand, she totally should have quit, rather than just trying to wiggle out of the job like that.
Wow. This is the most ridiculous post I believe I’ve ever read on this site. These trivial things you have the audacity to complain about… I can’t even. People with higher education in my city are so hurt by the economic crisis, they’re forced to work in fast food, and you’re complaining about not receiving a Birthday cake? Most people DO NOT get Christmas bonuses. I’m not going to continue because I could go on and on. Grow up.
Are you serious? This job sounds fine, and you work in a doctor’s office. Of COURSE you are not allowed to eat or chew gum. It would seriously jeopardize the health of your patients. And you should be happy to receive any Christmas bonus at all since you were a student and only worked six hours a week at the time. Also, I’d be thrilled if someone thanked me for my hard work let alone brought me a cookie on my birthday.
Just wait until you get into the real world. Then you’ll WISH you could have this job.
Actually… about the bonus’, I seem to remember that OP wasn’t complaining that they didn’t get a bonus, they complained about the fact that they got $25 and their co-worker got $267… bit of a big different?