Well, apparently I made a social networking faux pas last week that cost me my job. Let me explain further....
I've been working at a local emergency and specialty veterinary hospital since we moved here in June. I have had a very hard time at this place for numerous reasons. I haven't agreed with the way the hospital is ran. They have no administration or "management" on site which made it difficult to have anything resolved. Everything was communicated through e-mails which is not effective. Hardly any staff meeting to collaborate as a functional team (wait, what functional team?). There are many staff members that are hostile. Some of the doctors didn't treat support staff with respect. The place is over ran with unexperienced technicians that do not have proper or adequate training or supervision. And regardless of the hospital creed, patients and clients were not always treated with respect. All in all, it was a toxic and stressful place to work. I had tried in the past to go to administration and management with my concerns, but after the first couple of times with no real fix, I gave up. And due to this I myself became toxic and turned into a person I didn't like.
However, I did meet some great people whom I hope to continue to have relationships with. And that is the only thing that kept me going for as long as I did.
Last week I was disrespected by one of the receptionist. I had problems with her over the last few weeks I had worked with her and had about had it with the hospital, staff, everything. I updated my Facebook status out of frustration and management took it as a physical threat towards another staff member. I never said which staff member the status update was about and anyone who knows me, actually knows me, knows that I would never hurt or seriously threaten anyone unless I was in danger. I guess you could say I was in danger of losing myself and my mind.
Ultimately I think they just needed an excuse to terminate my employment. They didn't talk to me about the incident first or question me about the situation, they just took it upon themselves to assume something negative about me and use it to their advantage. That I feel was disrespectful. I was the best ER/Triage technician assistant they had and instead of managing their staff and hospital appropriately, I lost my job.
Now, some of you may be asking: Krysten, did you learn something from this? Absolutely. I learned to limit your work related comments on Facebook (I won't do that anymore, trust me). I also learned to trust people less unless they prove to you they are trustworthy. I took away valuable lessons from the work place as well.
I still have mixed feelings about it.... frustration, betrayal, happiness and a sense of freedom from that place. It never feels good to be fired, regardless of the circumstance, so I'm upset about that. I'm also upset that this could come back to haunt me. And I know my reputation will be tarnished, but I have to let that go. But the only thing I know is that I'm a good and honest person and I did my job well.
In this technological driven age, it is now becoming apparent that words are speaking louder than actions. Online bullying, employers using social networking, etc. etc. So my only advice is to be a little more cautious of what comes flying off your keyboard, whether you mean it or not. Whether you're justified or not. Whether you feel your voice isn't being heard and the only way you can be heard is by shouting though your computer screen.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Saturday, November 5, 2011
6 Month Blog Hiatus
Hello to all our previous blog followers!
My deepest apologies for not keeping this updated as I initially intended, or said I was going to. What a whirlwind 6 months it has been since I last wrote. I still can't believe that we've been in Seattle for 5 months. It has gone by quickly, but slowly at the same time. Does that make sense?
Well, for those of you who have been kind of keeping up with us on what had been going on since the move (via Facebook, phone calls, e-mails, word of mouth, short visits, etc.) this will be a little more in-depth but not too much cause I don't want to completely bore you.
So, the actual move Memorial Day weekend was pretty uneventful. Drew's mom Karen came with us and helped us with the drive and the unloading in our new apartment. No break downs on the highway or issues with the moving truck (except taking the truck to budget while a soccer game was getting out downtown. That was an adventure). Our only issue (major at the time but minor in hindsight) was with the apartment. As you saw in a previous blog about our trip here in April, we secured an apartment but didn't have much time getting to know our manager (though she was extremely helpful) or the property management. So long story short the apartment hadn't been cleaned (annoying but minor). The real problem we had was we heard from another tenant that there was a problem with the property management not paying the utilities that were included in the price of rent and that the city was going to evict all tenants because we can't live somewhere that doesn't have running water. Eventually after about a week of calling the property management, e-mailing our now previous manager (she moved to another complex and had no info of who to contact), etc. etc. I finally called the city to figure out what was going on. They told me that the apartment account was up to date and there were no problems. So why the property management couldn't just tell me that I still have no idea. So no other problems thus far and we currently have a great manger that has been very proactive and has done a lot with the grounds of the complex and is easy to get ahold of.
For the first 3 1/2 weeks I was here by myself. Drew still had a couple more weeks of school including finals so he was in Klamath and then went to Chico for a little over a week to take some things we couldn't bring with was (his truck, his tools and a few other larger items) to store at his dad's. And also to hang out. Yup, while I was here dealing with the apartment and unpacking and starting a new job he got to mess around. Fair right? I don't think so either. Lucky for him he got here a day before my birthday. ;o)
One of the great things about us moving here was that I have family friends in the area who took some time to help me paint, unpack, and show me around which I was extremely thankful for. I was in a new city all alone and having familiar faces around was wonderful. I still can't thank Jo, Kandi and the Hannah family enough. And my mom recently moved to the area so that's been nice having her close, though we don't get to spend a lot of time together due to work schedules and life.
Work for me has been somewhat of a challenge. I started working at AMCS right as they were in the beginning of a transition period (and it still is) which has been stressful. The atmosphere and structure is a lot different than what I'm used to and what I was expecting (I knew it wasn't going to be the same but I wasn't expecting to have this much issue getting adjusted). Things have slowly been getting better and having Adam there every so often (as well as other SOVSC faces here and there) has been a comfort.
Drew is doing great at U Dub Med Center. Which is good since this is the whole reason why we are up here. He and his extern director Kari get along great (as he does with the other techs he works with) and he's doing well with all the exams he does. He's still learning but the quality of his work I'm told is excellent. We're still crossing our fingers that he'll be hired after graduation which would be amazing. The prospect of having to move again next year is daunting but we'll go wherever he gets a job.
Which brings me to Seattle itself. We love it here! We love the city (except traffic. I HATE the traffic. And Seattle/Washington drivers are terrible, worst ever!) and all the surrounding areas. There is so much to do and explore and taste. Neither of us has ever lived in a big city before but one of the great things about Seattle is that it doesn't have a big city feel. For those of you who haven't spent much time in the area, Seattle is separated into neighborhoods and each of these neighborhoods has their own community center, atmosphere, and unique qualities. We currently live on the edge of Queen Anne (for those Grey's anatomy fans the area that Meredith lives. We live less than 2 miles from the house they use for screen shots. I have yet to go there but it is on my list of things to do) and Ballard. A lot of people call this area Interbay though you won't necessarily see it called that on a map. We live fairly close to Pike's Market and the rest of the downtown area and we can see the marina of the famous Fisherman's Terminal (for those Deadliest Catch fans where the Northwestern and Wizard dock) from our balcony. There was an adjustment period coming from Klamath to here but we're adjusting quite well. I guess the biggest thing I miss most about Oregon is the snow this time of year and of course all my great friends I left behind.
So, that's 6 months in a nutshell.
Drew and I have a few things planned over the next month so hopefully this will help me keep up with the blog. Now that we're more settled and that my schedule is becoming slightly more structured I'll have more time to write.
Thank you again to all our family and friends that have kept us in your thoughts and prayers during this little adventure of ours. We appreciate it more than you know.
My deepest apologies for not keeping this updated as I initially intended, or said I was going to. What a whirlwind 6 months it has been since I last wrote. I still can't believe that we've been in Seattle for 5 months. It has gone by quickly, but slowly at the same time. Does that make sense?
Well, for those of you who have been kind of keeping up with us on what had been going on since the move (via Facebook, phone calls, e-mails, word of mouth, short visits, etc.) this will be a little more in-depth but not too much cause I don't want to completely bore you.
So, the actual move Memorial Day weekend was pretty uneventful. Drew's mom Karen came with us and helped us with the drive and the unloading in our new apartment. No break downs on the highway or issues with the moving truck (except taking the truck to budget while a soccer game was getting out downtown. That was an adventure). Our only issue (major at the time but minor in hindsight) was with the apartment. As you saw in a previous blog about our trip here in April, we secured an apartment but didn't have much time getting to know our manager (though she was extremely helpful) or the property management. So long story short the apartment hadn't been cleaned (annoying but minor). The real problem we had was we heard from another tenant that there was a problem with the property management not paying the utilities that were included in the price of rent and that the city was going to evict all tenants because we can't live somewhere that doesn't have running water. Eventually after about a week of calling the property management, e-mailing our now previous manager (she moved to another complex and had no info of who to contact), etc. etc. I finally called the city to figure out what was going on. They told me that the apartment account was up to date and there were no problems. So why the property management couldn't just tell me that I still have no idea. So no other problems thus far and we currently have a great manger that has been very proactive and has done a lot with the grounds of the complex and is easy to get ahold of.
For the first 3 1/2 weeks I was here by myself. Drew still had a couple more weeks of school including finals so he was in Klamath and then went to Chico for a little over a week to take some things we couldn't bring with was (his truck, his tools and a few other larger items) to store at his dad's. And also to hang out. Yup, while I was here dealing with the apartment and unpacking and starting a new job he got to mess around. Fair right? I don't think so either. Lucky for him he got here a day before my birthday. ;o)
One of the great things about us moving here was that I have family friends in the area who took some time to help me paint, unpack, and show me around which I was extremely thankful for. I was in a new city all alone and having familiar faces around was wonderful. I still can't thank Jo, Kandi and the Hannah family enough. And my mom recently moved to the area so that's been nice having her close, though we don't get to spend a lot of time together due to work schedules and life.
Work for me has been somewhat of a challenge. I started working at AMCS right as they were in the beginning of a transition period (and it still is) which has been stressful. The atmosphere and structure is a lot different than what I'm used to and what I was expecting (I knew it wasn't going to be the same but I wasn't expecting to have this much issue getting adjusted). Things have slowly been getting better and having Adam there every so often (as well as other SOVSC faces here and there) has been a comfort.
Drew is doing great at U Dub Med Center. Which is good since this is the whole reason why we are up here. He and his extern director Kari get along great (as he does with the other techs he works with) and he's doing well with all the exams he does. He's still learning but the quality of his work I'm told is excellent. We're still crossing our fingers that he'll be hired after graduation which would be amazing. The prospect of having to move again next year is daunting but we'll go wherever he gets a job.
Which brings me to Seattle itself. We love it here! We love the city (except traffic. I HATE the traffic. And Seattle/Washington drivers are terrible, worst ever!) and all the surrounding areas. There is so much to do and explore and taste. Neither of us has ever lived in a big city before but one of the great things about Seattle is that it doesn't have a big city feel. For those of you who haven't spent much time in the area, Seattle is separated into neighborhoods and each of these neighborhoods has their own community center, atmosphere, and unique qualities. We currently live on the edge of Queen Anne (for those Grey's anatomy fans the area that Meredith lives. We live less than 2 miles from the house they use for screen shots. I have yet to go there but it is on my list of things to do) and Ballard. A lot of people call this area Interbay though you won't necessarily see it called that on a map. We live fairly close to Pike's Market and the rest of the downtown area and we can see the marina of the famous Fisherman's Terminal (for those Deadliest Catch fans where the Northwestern and Wizard dock) from our balcony. There was an adjustment period coming from Klamath to here but we're adjusting quite well. I guess the biggest thing I miss most about Oregon is the snow this time of year and of course all my great friends I left behind.
So, that's 6 months in a nutshell.
Drew and I have a few things planned over the next month so hopefully this will help me keep up with the blog. Now that we're more settled and that my schedule is becoming slightly more structured I'll have more time to write.
Thank you again to all our family and friends that have kept us in your thoughts and prayers during this little adventure of ours. We appreciate it more than you know.
Monday, May 2, 2011
The Seattle Excursion
Well, I would like to first apologize for my hiatus in the blog. Not a lot has happened in respect to our move to Seattle until this past weekend, however, we've had our fair share of changes in other matters. For instance, I've been working graveyard the last few weeks helping out one of our other techs who has been injured. That's been interesting regarding my schedule. And of course right when I was really starting to get used to it, I'm back on my day shifts... well at least for the next 3 weeks.
So, trip to Seattle was very productive. We got a lot accomplished. Signed a lease for an apartment, Drew was able to meet with his extern director and get a tour of the vascular lab at University of Washington Medical Center, and I toured Animal Medical Center of Seattle and had another interview at Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services, and we still had a little leisure time as well. All in all, I think Drew and I are very excited and ready to move.
Drew's dad John joined us on our little trip and we left K. Falls on Thursday afternoon. Due to Oregon weather (we had rain, snow, hail, and bouts of sun all in one day in Klamath) we headed over to Medford and dropped the pups off at work instead of going another route (faster and more direct then heading west then north) through Eugene. We spent Thursday night in Portland instead of making the full trip to Seattle. This way we were able to break up the trip a little. And, I was able to spend a little time with my sister and nephew. Just dinner but time well spent.
Friday morning we left Portland and took the 2 1/2 hour drive to Seattle. Our hotel was pretty much the ideal spot for our trip (within 5 miles of both the university and our apartment), only problem was the hotel was located an a fairly busy street and there was a lot of construction right in front of the hotel. We had most of our bigger things planned for Friday. We headed over to U Dub Med Center (one thing I hate about Seattle is that you have to pay to park everywhere) and got lost in the hospital. But we eventually found the lab in a new wing of the hospital. We spent about an hour there, Drew got a tour and I spent some time talking to his extern director Kari. One thing I really appreciate about this trip is that we made some really great connections.
Before going to our appointment to look at the apartment we went looking for food and wound up in the U District (U Dub is huge) where there are lots of little restaurants and shops located in and around the university. We didn't have much time to explore but eventually found a great little sub shop (we ended up eating there twice) and we'll probably end up going back to explore a little more once we move. As far as what Drew told me he's probably going to be spending a lot of time there trying out all the different restaurants.
So then at 5pm we met with Genevieve (the previous manager of the complex. She just moved and unfortunately won't be our manager. She was really nice and extremely helpful) and looked around the complex a little and saw the apartment. The complex is older but in a really great area. The Queen Anne district which many people think is the best neighborhood in the city. The previous tenant wasn't completely moved out yet and so it hadn't been cleaned but we could at least get a feel for the place. We are pretty much doubling our square footage which is so very nice. We have tons of closet space and a good sized bathroom. The kitchen is small but the best part is that on the west wall we have floor to ceiling windows that leads out to a balcony. And we get to do pretty much whatever we want with the place. I already have plans to paint and eventually replace the flooring in the bathroom and kitchen and maybe a few other things to make it more of our own. And there is a lille pet area for the dogs.
Saturday was our one day while we were there that we got to relax a little. I was able to go get a tour of Animal Medical Center of Seattle (the other hospital that my boss in Medford is a partner of) and meet a couple of the people that I'll be working with. Its a really nice facility but they operate very differently so there are a lot of new things that I'm going to have to get used to. Later in the afternoon while Drew and his dad stayed at the hotel, I was also able to meet with a very good family friend Kandi and her granddaughter Kendra who I haven't seen since she was a baby for some coffee and a walk around Green Lake. The weather was beautiful all weekend in Seattle but Saturday afternoon was gorgeous. I was able to see the area and all it has to offer for its citizens. It made me really excited to move there.
Sunday I had an interview at 10am with Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services before we were to head back. Well, I knew they had two locations, one in Seattle and the other in Renton, but didn't realize the interview was in Renton about 30 minutes south of Seattle. I swear I'm never going to read an important e-mail again after I work a graveyard shift with only a few hours of sleep. So after sitting at the Seattle location for almost a 1/2 hour, the receptionist called just to check for me and sure enough I was at the wrong location. Oh, and don't forget this was after I had already made my little spelling error in my resume. But, it all ended up great and I got the job! Most likely I'll be working one day a week once I get them my schedule at AMCS plus I'll have plenty of opportunity to get some relief work which is exactly what I wanted. So, we finally got on the road about 1pm but we still made really good time getting home.
Overall, we had a good time and it was a very successful trip. So, if all goes well we will be moving Memorial Day weekend. A couple of thank you's need to be made: First, to Drew's dad for coming with us and second, to everyone at SOVSC who helped out with the schedule so I could get the weekend off.
Until next time....
So, trip to Seattle was very productive. We got a lot accomplished. Signed a lease for an apartment, Drew was able to meet with his extern director and get a tour of the vascular lab at University of Washington Medical Center, and I toured Animal Medical Center of Seattle and had another interview at Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services, and we still had a little leisure time as well. All in all, I think Drew and I are very excited and ready to move.
Drew's dad John joined us on our little trip and we left K. Falls on Thursday afternoon. Due to Oregon weather (we had rain, snow, hail, and bouts of sun all in one day in Klamath) we headed over to Medford and dropped the pups off at work instead of going another route (faster and more direct then heading west then north) through Eugene. We spent Thursday night in Portland instead of making the full trip to Seattle. This way we were able to break up the trip a little. And, I was able to spend a little time with my sister and nephew. Just dinner but time well spent.
Friday morning we left Portland and took the 2 1/2 hour drive to Seattle. Our hotel was pretty much the ideal spot for our trip (within 5 miles of both the university and our apartment), only problem was the hotel was located an a fairly busy street and there was a lot of construction right in front of the hotel. We had most of our bigger things planned for Friday. We headed over to U Dub Med Center (one thing I hate about Seattle is that you have to pay to park everywhere) and got lost in the hospital. But we eventually found the lab in a new wing of the hospital. We spent about an hour there, Drew got a tour and I spent some time talking to his extern director Kari. One thing I really appreciate about this trip is that we made some really great connections.
Before going to our appointment to look at the apartment we went looking for food and wound up in the U District (U Dub is huge) where there are lots of little restaurants and shops located in and around the university. We didn't have much time to explore but eventually found a great little sub shop (we ended up eating there twice) and we'll probably end up going back to explore a little more once we move. As far as what Drew told me he's probably going to be spending a lot of time there trying out all the different restaurants.
So then at 5pm we met with Genevieve (the previous manager of the complex. She just moved and unfortunately won't be our manager. She was really nice and extremely helpful) and looked around the complex a little and saw the apartment. The complex is older but in a really great area. The Queen Anne district which many people think is the best neighborhood in the city. The previous tenant wasn't completely moved out yet and so it hadn't been cleaned but we could at least get a feel for the place. We are pretty much doubling our square footage which is so very nice. We have tons of closet space and a good sized bathroom. The kitchen is small but the best part is that on the west wall we have floor to ceiling windows that leads out to a balcony. And we get to do pretty much whatever we want with the place. I already have plans to paint and eventually replace the flooring in the bathroom and kitchen and maybe a few other things to make it more of our own. And there is a lille pet area for the dogs.
Saturday was our one day while we were there that we got to relax a little. I was able to go get a tour of Animal Medical Center of Seattle (the other hospital that my boss in Medford is a partner of) and meet a couple of the people that I'll be working with. Its a really nice facility but they operate very differently so there are a lot of new things that I'm going to have to get used to. Later in the afternoon while Drew and his dad stayed at the hotel, I was also able to meet with a very good family friend Kandi and her granddaughter Kendra who I haven't seen since she was a baby for some coffee and a walk around Green Lake. The weather was beautiful all weekend in Seattle but Saturday afternoon was gorgeous. I was able to see the area and all it has to offer for its citizens. It made me really excited to move there.
Sunday I had an interview at 10am with Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services before we were to head back. Well, I knew they had two locations, one in Seattle and the other in Renton, but didn't realize the interview was in Renton about 30 minutes south of Seattle. I swear I'm never going to read an important e-mail again after I work a graveyard shift with only a few hours of sleep. So after sitting at the Seattle location for almost a 1/2 hour, the receptionist called just to check for me and sure enough I was at the wrong location. Oh, and don't forget this was after I had already made my little spelling error in my resume. But, it all ended up great and I got the job! Most likely I'll be working one day a week once I get them my schedule at AMCS plus I'll have plenty of opportunity to get some relief work which is exactly what I wanted. So, we finally got on the road about 1pm but we still made really good time getting home.
Overall, we had a good time and it was a very successful trip. So, if all goes well we will be moving Memorial Day weekend. A couple of thank you's need to be made: First, to Drew's dad for coming with us and second, to everyone at SOVSC who helped out with the schedule so I could get the weekend off.
Until next time....
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