May be getting fired. Should I resign?

[saudades]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

So, I made a stupid mistake and accidentally did not show up for work during an outpatient rotation yesterday. Basically, there were no patients on my schedule so thought I had the day off. But on another schedule we have (that I didn't realize would be different) it apparently said I was supposed to shadow a non-physician preceptor that day (So no patients were not seen). I woke up on my missed day to my phone buzzing, with the PD's assistant asking where I was. I rushed to work immediately and apologized profusely and said how embarrassed I was; however I may be fired by the PD, who was very upset (I was already on somewhat thin ice, as I had also just come back from a leave of absence) but he is out of town so I have not met with him yet. I realize this was completely my fault. Would resigning look better than being fired, both for applying to other programs or other jobs if I can't get in anywhere? Thanks.

 

[GoWiththeFlo]

Well, if you are fired you will have to explain it to the next place you want to work.
If you resign, you will have to explain why to the next place you want to work.
I don't see either as a good alternative.

I think that you slept-in by mistake and missed a rotation by itself is very forgivable, but there are more factors here as you described in your post.

Are you on probation? Perhaps you could tell us what the problem is that is causing you to be on thin ice, then the experts can chime in and help you. I think we need more information.

 

[saudades]

Thank you for your reply. I was not on probation, but took a medical leave to be treated at a facility for depression and chemical dependency. The program was very supportive and welcomed me back with open arms. I am also involved in my local professional resource network, which protects physicians with such issues before the board.

Edit: NO substances were involved in this mistake.

 

[genswim24]

My advise is to get a lawyer. I have seen residents be held back and fired for minor things because they agreed to resign or just let themselves be fired. I have also seen the worst resident I have ever seen, who was already on probation, get caught commiting medical fraud and get himself back into the program because he lawyered up and fought tooth and nail.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Thank you for your reply. I was not on probation, but took a medical leave to be treated at a facility for depression and chemical dependency. The program was very supportive and welcomed me back with open arms. I am also involved in my local professional resource network, which protects physicians with such issues before the board.

Edit: NO substances were involved in this mistake.

You are unlikely to be fired in this situation, but they could decide to put you on probation. Take this as a kick in the rear to up your game. Don't resign unless you are given the option in lieu of being fired... Finding another training program to take you would be hard.

Edit: Just looking at your prior postings... this is a position you SOAPed into last year. You need to do your best to get through your training, doing everything possible to make it through this incident and minimize anything in the future. You will be under a microscope. Be a model resident.

 

[Law2Doc]

To build on the above post, going forward should really be to assume you need to be at work every weekday unless you are post-call or unless someone higher up explicitly tells you not to come in. You can't have the attitude that if you have no patients you simply get the day off -- this isn't med school -- you are getting paid for that day and need to show up unless an attending or a chief tells you not to. Shoot someone an email if you aren't sure if you are supposed to be at work -- that way it's documented that you tried to do the right thing. More so if you are already on "thin ice".

 

[IlDestriero]

Open arms or not, you're already under the microscope. Up your game effective immediately or you will find yourself resigning. For someone who had trouble matching to begin with, I'm not sure why you don't know that already. They took a chance on you, and you're giving them all the ammunition they need to "correct" that mistake. And they won't lose a second of sleep writing you off either. This is your life, your career, but it's just a job to the front office and you're a little cog in the wheel, and all they are seeing is potential liability.
It's not too late, but you better look like you're gunning for chief by tomorrow AM.


--
Il Destriero

 

[NotAProgDirector]

As already mentioned on this thread, you haven't provided many details which makes giving you advice difficult. That said, your situation sounds complicated and posting all of those details might not be a great idea either.

From this thread and your prior postings, it appears that you are a US MD, failed your surgery clerkship and Step 2 requiring a retake, had a medical LOA in medical school, applied but didn't match to psych, and appear to have SOAP'ed (or scrambled) into an FM spot. Then you developed a substance problem (or recurrence of a substance problem, if that's what your medical LOA in school was for) and was out on leave. Now you're just back, and missed a day of work.

As a PD, here's how I would look at this situation:

1. First of all, you don't get a "day off" if you have no clinic patients scheduled. You are paid to come to work, you come to work every day -- unless it's 100% clear that you have the day off (often because you are working the weekend).

2. If I have a resident who has a history of substance abuse, and they miss a workday, my first assumption is that they are using substances again. I would put you out on administrative leave effective immediately, and you would be tested, today, for substance use. Refuse the test and you're fired on the spot. Fail the test and it depends upon what's happened before. You would be out on leave until your test comes back clean.

3. Assuming you test clean, It would depend upon what else has happened before. If you have missed work days in the past, even if due to your substance problem, you might be terminated over this. If your attendance had been stellar to this point and you were able to convince me that this was a true mistake, you would be put on a remediation plan (or any current remediation plan updated) to include this, and make it clear that any further major professionalism violations will lead to termination.

I agree with the above comment. Your goal should be to be the best resident in the program. "Just getting by" is likely to result in a bad outcome.

 

[saudades]

Thank you all. They did ask me to do some of the things mentioned above and I complied immediately. For what it's worth I have never missed a day of work, been late, or had any professionalism issues, so I am hoping they will take that into consideration. I appreciate your input.

Edit: and I do realize how very lucky I am to have gotten this position, which is especially why I'm so mad at myself that I made such a dumb move.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Sounds like they drug tested you.
Good luck the rest of the way.

 

[chicagochildpsych]

Half of residency is literally "showing up". I hire physicians out of residency now, if I read about your story I would throw your CV in the trash.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[saudades]

I know I made a stupid mistake. That's why I asked if I should resign in lieu of being fired. Anyway, I was lucky enough to get away with a few months of probation as long as it never happens again.

 

[saudades]

And I truly appreciate the responses and advice.

 

[atomi]

Oversleeping happens and is not a fireable offense unless it happens all the time. We're human. Especially when you are working 80 hour weeks, if you sleep through your alarm, it is totally unreasonable to get fired for showing up late unless it happens more than a couple times a year.

Now if you saw you had no patients on your schedule and thought "nobody's going to be looking for me tomorrow, so I'm going to go out and get lit and crash at 5AM," then wake up at noon to your pager blowing up and show up totally haggard, then we're talking about something else entirely. That's a one time with a hard warning and never again kind of offense.

Firing residents is bad for the program, makes them look bad on ACGME eval, and they have to justify it. It's a hoop they don't want to jump through and they don't do it whimsically. You don't get fired for showing up late once, if that's all it is, period.