Giving notice

[psychdesoleil]

as you can tell from my previous posts, my job sucks. I cannot go on seeing 22 Very sick patients a day with no support staff gor 15 minutes each. I am at a cmhc and another physician is also leaving and things are going to get even worse after that for everyone. I am planning to give notice asap but I'm wondering what obligation I have to the patients. There will only be one psychiatrist left if I leave for over 1000 patients. We have three now. I don't think this is fair to the patients but I don't think I should have to stay in an awful job because of that. I am constantly being asked to do things I am not comfortable with and I worry about losing my license eventually if i stay. I would like to be prepared when I give my notice and admin brings up the abandonment issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[Doctor Bagel]

as you can tell from my previous posts, my job sucks. I cannot go on seeing 22 Very sick patients a day with no support staff gor 15 minutes each. I am at a cmhc and another physician is also leaving and things are going to get even worse after that for everyone. I am planning to give notice asap but I'm wondering what obligation I have to the patients. There will only be one psychiatrist left if I leave for over 1000 patients. We have three now. I don't think this is fair to the patients but I don't think I should have to stay in an awful job because of that. I am constantly being asked to do things I am not comfortable with and I worry about losing my license eventually if i stay. I would like to be prepared when I give my notice and admin brings up the abandonment issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

It's the agency's job to deal with coverage issues, not you. Give 30 to 60 days notice (unless you have a contract that requires more) and move on. The deal with being an employed psychiatrist is that you're not abandoning your patients when you quit your job in the same way that you might potentially be in private practice. I would be amazed if admin brought up "abandonment" as an issue -- if they did, it's a sign that you're working at a truly screwed up, manipulative place.

 

[splik]

its not abandonment if you give adequate notice (which is whatever is stipulated in your contract, typically a month). I think it is normal to feel guilty for leaving your patients but abandoment typically applies to psychiatrists in private practice, or if you terminate a patient without providing a reasonable course of action (typically providing one months worth or refills and recommending follow up with another practitioner - and again, not your job to ensure someone else will take the patient even if in solo pp). as db says, it is the agency's job to provide coverage if you have given adequate notice. it is an unfortunate situation, but it doesn't sound like its your fault, but a toxic environment. it is their role of problem solve, and it is on them if they cannot find a replacement. the rats leaving the sinking ship should be an indication that something needs to change...

 

[sunlioness]

as you can tell from my previous posts, my job sucks. I cannot go on seeing 22 Very sick patients a day with no support staff gor 15 minutes each. I am at a cmhc and another physician is also leaving and things are going to get even worse after that for everyone. I am planning to give notice asap but I'm wondering what obligation I have to the patients. There will only be one psychiatrist left if I leave for over 1000 patients. We have three now. I don't think this is fair to the patients but I don't think I should have to stay in an awful job because of that. I am constantly being asked to do things I am not comfortable with and I worry about losing my license eventually if i stay. I would like to be prepared when I give my notice and admin brings up the abandonment issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

This should all be spelled out in your contract. It will say how much notice you are required to give. What happens to your patients after that is their problem.


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[keifernny2]

If another psychiatrist is leaving also, and you don't already have a gig lined up, this may also be an opportunity for you to renegotiate for either more support or more money. You can be darn sure that the one left is going to be renegotiating once they have 1000 patients on their panel.


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[lymphocyte]

as you can tell from my previous posts, my job sucks. I cannot go on seeing 22 Very sick patients a day with no support staff gor 15 minutes each. I am at a cmhc and another physician is also leaving and things are going to get even worse after that for everyone. I am planning to give notice asap but I'm wondering what obligation I have to the patients. There will only be one psychiatrist left if I leave for over 1000 patients. We have three now. I don't think this is fair to the patients but I don't think I should have to stay in an awful job because of that. I am constantly being asked to do things I am not comfortable with and I worry about losing my license eventually if i stay. I would like to be prepared when I give my notice and admin brings up the abandonment issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've worked on physician employment before. Take the following for what it's worth:

Just based on the bolded, run as fast as you're contractually allowed to.

Morally, it's not exactly abandoning your patients if you're feeling compelled to provide care bordering on negligence (as you suggest). Your departure might also be the impetus to get some heads rolling, which would be a net good.

Legally, separation should be clearly spelled out in your contract. A lawyer might even be able to dig into the details and get you out faster (especially if the CMHC has breeched some element of the contract by not providing contractually-obligated support, etc.)

Practically, why not just ask the psychiatrists who've already left what challenges they faced?

Good luck in this awful situation.

 

[F0nzie]

I gave my CMHC notice last week and have started the termination/transfer process with my patients. As much as I enjoy working with the population I am done with being thrown under the bus by the administration.


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[Ceke2002]

I gave my CMHC notice last week and have started the termination/transfer process with my patients. As much as I enjoy working with the population I am done with being thrown under the bus by the administration.


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Oh hey, I was just thinking about you the other day, hadn't seen you around for a while and was wondering how you were doing...in a frustrating situation from the sounds of it.

 

[F0nzie]

Oh hey, I was just thinking about you the other day, hadn't seen you around for a while and was wondering how you were doing...in a frustrating situation from the sounds of it.

I guess I haven't lately-- it kinda sucks. 2016 has been a challenging year for me for various reasons other than this job. I have been trying to stay as proactive as possible to avoid the inevitable consequences of slacking off but it seems like it's just one thing after the next. Why won't time just stop for once and be like "this one is on me buddy". Thanks for your concern!


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[Ceke2002]

I guess I haven't lately-- it kinda sucks. 2016 has been a challenging year for me for various reasons other than this job. I have been trying to stay as proactive as possible to avoid the inevitable consequences of slacking off but it seems like it's just one thing after the next. Why won't time just stop for once and be like "this one is on me buddy". Thanks for your concern!


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I hear ya, 2016 seems to be shaping up to be a sh**ty year for a lot of people. Hope things improve for you soon, in the meantime hang in there.