Hi
I had an awful situation at work last week and tomorrow is my first day back after it.
I don’t want to be identified obviously, but I work in healthcare and have to prescribe for patients. It’s rarely medication and even then it’s not stuff that’s life or death, usually we prescribe other non medication things but it’s still something that can’t be legally prescribed without my signature or without my degree. That’s probably the best way I can describe it without being too identifiable!
99.999999% of the time we can’t prescribe without a consultation first. Very occasionally (in special circumstances) we can prescribe remotely without the patient being there but it’s very much practitioner discretion and not ideal if it can be avoided. I’m not a doctor, and it’s difficult to explain why without giving my job away but some things we prescribe have a financial profit to the company. Eg we make sure it’s the right thing and then the patient can buy it.
last week my manager wanted me to prescribe for a patient remotely without seeing them. I didn’t feel comfortable with it and the patient needed to have an appointment first. We could have seen them the following morning onwards so not a long wait. But my manager kicked off and basically tried to bully me into doing it remotely there and then (so the patient could then buy the thing I’m prescribing)
I told my manager i wasn’t comfortable with it at all and my clinical advice was the patient needed to be seen first because that’s the law and it wasn’t something I could prescribe remotely for. He kept telling me to do it and was really forceful. I refused and he said he would just tell the patient to come in at 5.15 and I could squeeze them in. I had plans immediately after work so I said I couldn’t squeeze an extra consultation in. I barely finish my last patient on time as it is without an extra consultation on top.
my manager then kicked off at me saying how I need to communicate better with them if I want to knock off early and don’t want to do my job properly. I told him once again I’m not trying to leave early but on time. He then started saying how if there was an emergency what would I have done. I was like yeah obviously I’d have stayed and cancelled my plans for an emergency but this isn’t an emergency. I’ve stayed late SO many times for patients if it is a genuine emergency (I stayed back an hour a few weeks ago because I had an emergency hospital referral and it took a long time to get through). I don’t get time back or extra pay when that happens. I’ve never complained about it, it’s just one of those things and part of the job
it really shook me up how forceful he was. I stood my ground and said stop trying to bully me into doing it, I’m not doing it, it’s me who will be hauled in front of a fitness to practice and I’m not comfortable with this etc. But he kept telling he was telling me as my manager to do it and the way he spoke to me was awful.
my manager is a lot older (I’d say he’s around 40s and I’m early 20s and newly qualified) and he’s repeatedly made jokes where it’s clear he has a chip on his shoulder. Stuff about how (my profession) are all full of themselves and how we think we are better and are antisocial and stuck up. He’s not clinical himself, he’s like general clinic/sales manager
the whole thing just made me feel so uncomfortable. I’m not that long qualified and it’s the first time I’ve ever come across this situation and I’m absolutely dreading going back to work tomorrow now. I don’t even know what my AIBU is, I’m just so stressed and worried about going back. Has anyone else ever experienced this in their job and have any advice? X