Been working as an MRI Tech in a smaller sister hospital to a much larger one in a city. I was originally offered both jobs but I chose this one because it seemed more cushy compared to the other. After over five years, I called up the other director and start work for him at the main hospital at the end of the month.
Long version: What has been happening is that they added a night shift two years ago. Prior to this we didn’t take call on nights, just 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday. We barely ever got called in. Now, after staffing nights with two Techs, they went to just one, which we did backup call for by the week. The demand for two Techs wasn’t as high as they thought. We get called in every night at least once when the overnight Tech calls out sick or manages to get time off.
On nights where I get called in, and get zero sleep, I call out sick the next morning. Other Techs did this too because why wouldn’t we; we are tired. The director sends out an email basically threatening to write anyone up who calls out sick the next day about half a year into this system. I worked 21 hours straight once because I was stuck for 12.5 hours of call and expected to work my day shift of 8.5 hours. But OK whatever we will just work our asses off because of their shit system. They are also scheduling us 70hrs in 8 days (then 2 off 2 on) which I told them I would leave the job if they ever expect me to do that ever again. And they tried doing it again to me this year regardless.
Then, come vacation picks, only 1-of-6 Techs knows about the window to submit time even though other people had been asking. When I asked my supervisor says “oh you missed the window only one person put in for time off.” No verbal heads up, no email, we were just expected to know.
The only Tech who put in the request is their pet essentially. Guy is gone for 2 hours a day hanging out with administration and is dumb as rocks. I’m always fixing his mistakes and holding his hand. Very much a liability to myself and the patients we see. He also has 15 years more experience than me so it’s a very weird position to be in. Needless to say, the rest of us were upset about this. Vacation picks should be a pretty transparent process.
Regardless, I put in my time off request a day after the window closed. No week long stretches, just days I need off. At this point it’s a first-come-first-serve priority. I request 10 days off which is the limit for vacation picks. They say I have to remove 2 days because of a wedding I requested off this past summer. So I go to 8 days. But then the say I can’t also request any sick leave time from October 1st until the end of February the following year so I can’t go to my dentist appointment I requested off in January.
This is where I begin questioning things. I said according to what policy can I not request time off for a dentist appointment? I even offered them an appt note even though I don’t have to. They tell me it’s in the vacation policy. I said it is not, and if they truly think that then they can show me where on the policy it says that. Fun fact: it’s not on there at all.
At this point, the director is shouting in my face saying how it’s me preventing other people from taking those days off. I asked who am I preventing? They said they don’t know yet. I say well you should know by now since it’s first-come-first-serve. They’re even more mad and tell me to just change it to a vacation day rather than sick leave for my appt. I asked them how does that change whether or not someone else can’t have the day off? After all you will be short one Tech that day regardless. Now the director is furious and just straight losing his mind at me. I’m perfectly calm and just trying to figure out where the issue is. I even said I don’t know how I’m manipulating the system when I’m requesting less time off than I’m able to.
Director storms off to his office next door still screaming. I look at the supervisor and say “so that’s all he wants? Just for me not to request any sick leave for nearly half a year?” Supervisor is shook up emotionally and agrees. I cross out my sick time on the form, get up and leave. Supervisor asks if I want to ask for another day or two off for vacation—I just tell him “nope” and continue to remove myself from the administrative offices. This was on a Friday.
I reached out to the director at the main hospital immediately after this encounter. He said he would hire me without hesitation, I just had to do an interview for formalities. Did the interview Monday, my supervisor got a call Tuesday from my recruitment officer. Wednesday I signed my papers. Thursday I returned to work with an official decision made. All three days I had scheduled to be off so it worked out great.
Now they are all absolutely pissed off. They have been having major issues staffing this place and they’re losing their best Tech. I say this because I am the first Tech in my region to scan specific implants safely and I have a well-known reputation in this city. A whole population of patients can now get an MRI thanks to the work I put into this place.
Now they have to rework the entire schedule they just put out for the year and rely heavily on travelers which they can barely get. Techs will now be required to take call every other weekend, meaning 4 whole days off PER MONTH.
Inevitability, they fucked around and found out. Meanwhile my director’s boss’s boss is cracking down hard on those guys. My director is also dealing with a sexual discrimination complaint from another Tech here at the same time. Best part about my move is they cannot hire someone for a full year because I am allowed to return up to that point; they have to hold a position open for me. Down a Tech for a whole year. Two other Techs are about to leave because of their decision and the outcome of my situation affecting them.
Don’t want to pick vacations fairly? Don’t want me to get my teeth cleaned? Want to schedule me 70hrs in 8 days? I told them I was going to leave if these issues weren’t worked out and I did. Now they are paying heavily for it. It’s like a whole bomb just went off.
tl;dr Administrative pet was the only one who knew about vacation picks conveniently. Everyone else became very mad. I put in a request outside the window. I get told I’m manipulating the system by also asking for a day off for the dentist. They say I can’t request time off for appointments for nearly half a year. I told them I can and there’s no policy stopping me from making the request. I told them I would leave if they can’t manage a few days off for me and to stop scheduling me 8-days in a row. They didn’t care. They got a phone call a few days later that I’m leaving and they have to hold my position for a year. The Techs who are left will only have 4 days off a month going forward for the next year.
What would have been easier? Letting me go to the dentist? Making the schedule work so people dont have to work 8-days consecutively? Giving everyone a fair chance at vacation time? Not overworking us or at least allowing us to call in sick without the treat of a write-up? Nahhhh just scream in my face and have a staffing crisis greater than your existing one. Good job