Part III

Preface: Today I just need to add that I got my box of things today. And I am so very, very happy, because I can now send back a number of things which were sent to me that contain patient information, violating HIPPAA law. Somehow this makes me feel I'm the better person or something. I don't care what my motivation is. I just need to be ok.

When we left off the OT who has worked with me had just left from telling the managers about my needs and how to enhance my work experience. I treated a patient and then was pulled aside for a phone conference. The way this occurred is totally complicated so I'm not going to try to explain, but due to an error with the sign-in feature of the computer program (it didn't lock you in and out and I accidentally altered it) I'd been caught "lying" on my timecard for Monday. I finally offered to just set the in-time to later than I had arrived so that there was no asking them to pay for time I didn't work. I was told after the call it was "a learning experience". So, two days later, I was rather shocked to be pulled aside by EM and her boss and given a 2nd final warning.

(Aside: Earlier that week I found out totally accidentally that someone had been hired to do my job on Thursdays. That was fine, but it was odd that she was hired without anyone talking to me. Even her interview was done when I was away from the building. I began to quietly suspect I had been replaced.)

This final warning was partially for the time clock error and mainly because of coming late. Apparently when I was told July 23 that I needed to call if I'd be later than noon "because we worry" I was supposed to intuit that this was disciplinary and in fact it was a verbal warning. I do not know how I was to know this, and per company policy a verbal warning has to be explicitly stated (most places make you sign that you understand), but they said I had received one. Without my knowledge.

At this point I started to get mad. I told them that if they were looking to fire me they might as well get it over with, as it was doing nobody any good to put me through this. I was told that wasn't the point, but not very believably. I also argued extensively with their new restrictions on when I was to be in the building. Suddenly what time I left was a huge issue, despite it not having been one at ALL for 9 months. I refused to agree to the restrictions without consulting voc. rehab. They were to check with their people and get back to me.

So, 2 final warnings in 2 weeks. I knew this was obviously bad. I made the decision though to stick it out. I decided that it would be fired or nothing; I was not quitting because I had done nothing wrong and I did not want to leave. If emotionally I reached a point I couldn't take it I would quit, but otherwise I'd make sure they had a reason to be paying unemployment.

I kept thinking if I could make it to vacation, starting 10/8, I would be ok. I could recover, re-gain perspective, and return prepared to be as perfect as possible.

Things didn't work out quite that way.....