Unfortunately, I worked for a wealthy surgeon here where I live as an ophthalmic technician. I was hired in April of 2022. The work environment was extremely hostile from day 1. I ignored it and was placed next to someone (we shared a joint office of 6 people) who clearly did NOT like me. I knew she didn’t like me but I was ALWAYS kind to her no matter what she said to me. She yelled at me in front of 6 people super aggressively and in front of patients. She yelled at patients multiple times, and even got mouthy with the other female doctors in the practice. She was constantly picking fights, but I still ignored her when she made super mean and snarky comments to me. On 8/26, she said that the “technicians and I will rip your throat out” for picking and choosing which charts to take. Keep in mind I wasn’t fully trained 4 months into my job because my manager kept putting me on the back burner. I didn’t say anything her because I felt very threatened. Then on 9/1 (Labor Day weekend) at the end of the day, I was joking with a coworker next to me and saying it would be awkward if I had to take the next patient back because I knew her. This woman then turned to me and said “we will seriously come at you” if I didn’t take a chart because I knew the person (which I never said I wouldn’t). Also, before she said this, I had spilt water and I was walking to the bathroom and she grabbed my arm and told me to sit down and then told me to look her in the eyes when she said this. I texted my manager that evening and told him she threatened me, and he said he would talk to me the following morning. He didn’t. I had to seek him out twice the next day before he told me he had to take care of other things, while I was forced to sit next to her all day and feel incredibly unsafe because everyone has to tiptoe around her including myself to make sure that we don’t get her mad at us. At the end of the day he and his supervisor took me into an office and I explained what happened, that this was two incidents but she had been harassing me essentially for months and many people in the office witnessed it. They told me they would do a “thorough investigation” and place me on paid leave and that I could come back later on the following week following the “investigation.” They took 1 day, and when they called me they said that her side of the story was “more reliable” therefore I was terminated. Not to mention, my manager also had me take a patient back that had “male technician only” on the chart (meaning patient was a pervert) after consulting him about it. This woman only had been there for a year, and MANY people and patients complained about her to the doctors and supervisors. I do live in an at will state, but were they wrong or was I wrong for saying anything? I regret saying anything at all. I loved my job and taking care of patients. I really did feel unsafe around her and I expressed this to them in the meeting we had before I was terminated. I’m so upset and depressed. Before I went back to work, I was so stressed to have to face her again I broke out in hives. Ugh.