Job Interview!

[Crankin]

I have an interview Friday morning at the community mental health clinic 5 miles from my house. The psychiatrist I work with now, also works there one day a week. He gave me lots of good information about the clinic director, so I know how to proceed. This is the first time I actually made a cold call to anyone about a job. She called me right away and told me that the doc had already told her about me.
I am hoping this goes smoothly. I smell commuting in my future... (yes, a prime reason for a change). No more driving to clients' homes and being able to work with individual adults, not just in family therapy is also a big plus.

[Veronica]

Good luck!

Veronica

[thekarens]

That's awesome, good luck!

[roo4]

Go get 'em!

[Owlie]

Good luck!

[ny biker]

Good luck!

[marni]

fingers toes and hairs crossed for you!

[OakLeaf]

Good luck Crankin!

[Catrin]

Good luck Crankin!

[azfiddle]

Great- hope it works out.

[Crankin]

Thanks, everyone. I hope I don't have too much of a cavalier attitude toward this interview. The director is somewhat unusual, according to the psychiatrist. Basically, the clinic is her life, and she has somewhat of a negative attitude toward some of the clinicians who live in my town... based on stereotypes, perhaps. Thankfully, I am not a "Concord lady," as we call them around here, and since my kids weren't raised in this town, I have no affiliation with any of those people! She's a pretty religious Jewish person and her dad was (is?) an important person in the settlement house movement in NYC. That could go either way for me; I won't tell her which town I grew up in, as it has certain connotations around here (like I'm an entitled JAP who really doesn't need a job). Anyway, I am thankful for this information, and I will present myself as the queen of community mental health, which is really not a lie, as I am committed to working with this population, always have been. I have no interest in opening my own practice at this stage of my life. There are 2 graduates of my program that worked for this women for a few years and they left to open their own practice in town. I went to interview them for a course I took, and I was astounded at the level of opulence in their office. They take no insurance, and get almost all of their referrals through their website. They are making a fortune and are very good therapists, but the doc told me she was furious at them for leaving to do this!

[Wahine]

Good luck!! Working closer to home almost always is the best choice.
C.

[Crankin]

Yup, I will put up with a lot to get this job! Anyway, I don't get involve in office politics. Did too much of that when I was teaching. I also no longer socialize with people I work with. Of course, at my present job, I am old enough to be almost everyone's mother, so it's a moot point.
The only negative I see to this is that I will be running into many of the docs I have seen over the years, as the clinic is in the local hospital building. Thankfully, my PCP moved across the street.

[Pax]

Hope you get the position, community MH needs people who care about the population... instead of all the fresh grads who will do anything to have a job so they can get their hours in.

[Crankin]

Well, I was one of those fresh grads 3 years ago. You don't have any choice...
I had a follow up conversation with the doc today and I am feeling fine about it all. Still thinking about what to wear; can't be too dressy, but I am going to dress for an interview. Either a simple dress or a skirt and sweater.

[OakLeaf]

You don't have any choice...

And way too many of them make sure their clients know that, which I think is what Pax was talking about. Maybe it's different on the coast than it is in the "heartland..." Anyway I too am glad you're genuinely interested in this population. Good luck.

[Crankin]

That's terrible, if that was your experience. Certainly, I don't know anyone who would do that. My clients have had enough experience with these agencies that they just know people don't stay. I would never talk about that, or any professional stuff. Of course, when I was an intern, I had to disclose that, and they had a choice to not take me, but no one refused. It was wrenching for me to leave a couple of them. I did tell a few current clients I got my license, as they knew I took a test, etc. I've been dropping hints to a few of them that they are in a short term therapy program (4 of them that started since May) and we need to be thinking about transition. Those are the ones I will have to transfer. They all go to school in a suburb near my office, and I have been up front with the counselor at the school. She gets it. I closed a couple of cases and dropped 2 down to outpatient from In Home Therapy. One will need to be transferred, but the other is on a waiting list somewhere else. I have 3 I am going to offer to come with me, as one has been with the doc for years (he was in state care) so he could stay with him, and they all are cases I have had for 2+ years, they have long term issues, and they live close enough. One, I have no idea what to do. There is good improvement, just in the last month or so, and if I was staying, I would close with them in June. They live really far (their house is on the state line of NH), about 26 miles from the office, but a bit closer to my house. It's right down the street from my "Fruit Farm" ride and I actually had ridden down their street several times. It's a hard, but not typical case for me, and I love this family, and am dreading telling them. I've dropped my caseload to 50% time from 80%, so I can do this humanely. But, we've had so many people quit or get fired, that there's no one left to transfer cases to.
They (my employer) know I am probably not staying, but they don't know anything other than that. I've been purposely vague.

[SheFly]

Good luck Crankin! And FWIW - the religious aspect can't be used as a topic of conversation in an interview anyway :). They will be lucky to get someone so conscientious about her work and patients.

SheFly

[shootingstar]

Best wishes, Crankin. At least, enjoy the interview.

[Crankin]

Oh, I know that, SheFly. Just saying... her Jewdar will be up, for sure. It just happens. So, it will be unsaid.
Leaving in about 10 minutes.

[OakLeaf]

My clients, not so much myself ... and AFAIK nothing is ever explicitly said, it's just clear to everyone that the clinicians just barely go through the motions with them until they can find a "real job." Anyway, again good luck!

[Triskeliongirl]

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!!

[Crankin]

OK, I am back. It started out a bit weird, as at 10:00 (the time of our appt.), she called and said she was stuck in a meeting. She said she would be there by 10:30, so we decided to keep the appt. I left and ran over to West Concord and got coffee. I arrived back at 10:34, she wasn't there, yet, but we started at 10:40. I was there until 12:00
The upshot is, I have the job. I have to fill out a corporate application on line and then once they get the CORI report back (she put it in today), fill out another part. That should all be done in a week or so. I asked a ton of questions and so did she. I will be able to have a diverse caseload of adults and kids. They are making a push to go into schools, and they just started seeing kids at my old school! She said they really need a licensed person there, to see people with private insurance, as the person there is not licensed. They also see kids where my kids went to school, and Concord, Bedford, Maynard. She actually was at a community meeting about healthy behavior/risky behavior for a task force done by the United Way of Acton Boxborough. I laughed, as the rabid Stepford wives in my old neighborhood were always up in arms when the results of a yearly survey this group does came out. I didn't say that, though.
I'll probably be working Mon., Tues., and either Thurs. AM in a school setting, or Thursday late afternoon/evening, or Friday mornings. I'm leaning toward the Friday AM, since I just found out there's another cycling group from another club that is like the group I ride with now. See where my priorities are? She said it was fine to take emy clients with me, as long as it's fine with my current employer. It will be, as there's no one to transfer them to, and they ar pushing me to terminate with these long term cases, anyway.
OK, I am going to fill out the application.

[thekarens]

Congrats! Sounds great so far and I think your priorities are exactly where they should be :)

[ny biker]

Congrats!!!

[Triskeliongirl]

Big congrats!

[OakLeaf]

Yay! Congrats!

[Pax]

Good job!

[roo4]

Nice!

[SheFly]

Awesome!

[azfiddle]

Yay- hope it is great!

[emily_in_nc]

Great news, congrats Crankin!

Sorry I am just getting to this thread now as we've been traveling, and I haven't been on TE in days. :eek:

[Wahine]

Yay for you!!

[Jolt]

Congratulations!

[shootingstar]

Congrats., Crankin. Hope you and clients (and their parents) work out well.

And cycling in personal schedule is always a healthy thing. :)

[Crankin]

Didn't bring up the cycling to work issue at my interview... I think it can wait until I start, because it will probably be 4-6 weeks after that, that I would consider riding to work. The office is short on space, but given the building is attached to a hospital, there must be a rack, although I have not seen one. Plus, I really don't want to leave my custom Guru at a rack. I have seen bikes chained to railings in the parking garage. Believe me, I will ask. The hospital has a fairly big wellness program, but my cycling friend, who works in development there is always talking about how unfit the medical staff is, and how poorly the nurses eat in the cafeteria!
This might be an excuse to get a dedicated commuter, as this is going to be my last job (I hope).

[spokewench]

Great Job on the interview!

[Catrin]

Congratulations!

[Crankin]

Just told the first client family about this. One who lives 5 miles from me, so the dad was quite happy to bring the kid to the new place. Too bad I won't be able hike or ride with him anymore!

[Crankin]

Thought I'd bump this up. My last day at my present job is January 30th and it has been a weird 8 weeks.
I had no contact from my new boss until I called her on 12/24, to check in. I got a verbal reassurance of her offer and we discussed start dates. She said the next step was to wait for something from corporate. Well, I waited and waited, and started getting scared. Last week, I spoke to the doc who I work with now and will also be working with in the new job; he said don't worry, you're set. I left a voice mail on Tuesday and Wednesday I got so pissed, I called the corporate office and left a VM for HR. I emailed my new boss and told her so.
Well, that got her attention. She was pissed, as I knew she would be, as according to the doc, she single handedly does everything at the clinic. She sent me an email, apologizing for not communicating, saying she's been swamped, with clinicians out sick, blah, blah. Who doesn't answer phone calls or emails?
I responded, very nicely and ignored her comment that she hoped this wasn't how I operated (going over her head). Had another long talk with the doc yesterday. He said she asked if I was " a worker" and asked him if I "had" to work. The doc told her he had no idea if I had to work (which of course is not true, he does), but that I was a very hard worker and I was an advocate for my clients. She told him she got the sense that what he said was true... she is overly concerned that I am just another rich, entitled Concord woman, with a husband who has a good job. I know she's been burned by a few of the clinicians there and left in the lurch, so I get it, but her own issues are really playing into this, i.e. she's single, the clinic is her life, and the doc said she has issues with people who don't take their job seriously. Well, that's not me, the one who went from the delivery room, back to work, pretty much. I have never not worked.
She'll get to know me, so I am not worried. I go to orientation on February 6th. Three of my clients are coming with me and I am so looking forward to the end of my driving 300 miles a week days.

[emily_in_nc]

How strange, crankin. I sure hope you and your new boss will be able to get over this little bump in the road and have a good working relationship. It's so unprofessional not to return emails or phone calls! And she definitely sounds judgmental. Wishing you the best in the new position and hoping this little snag isn't a sign of things to come!

[Crankin]

You know, I think people in this field (apart from those with their own practices) do not have a clue how the business world works. I always see workshops for therapists, supposedly I am sure my age, who are "afraid" of new ways. I think this is more her personality, but the doc said this is how all these places are, and I should not listen to my DH on this. And he's an older guy, who works at a few places. Well, I guess I just got the first job I've had, with no written letter of the offer. Come to think of it, I don't think I had one for my present job. In many ways, public schools are even light years above this. Yet, everything she told me about the way they operate, the feel of the place, and the way the place is set up made me feel that I will be a good fit. You are right, she is judgmental. I am just so thankful I had prior knowledge of this from the doc. The thing is, I probably have some of the same feelings about the women who have been issues for her, but I have learned not to be judgmental about it. That group was judgmental toward me when I was a working mom of young kids, and I just lived my life, knowing I was doing what was right for me. And, there's the cultural/religious issue, too. Sometimes there's this "one-upmanship" between Jewish women, so I am just going to have to be so nice, it will kill her! It reminds me of the time I took my son to some event at our temple. After the service, a woman came up to me when she noticed me talking to one of her friends, who was not a member. I happened to have worked with the person I was talking to. The woman (mom of one of my son's classmates) said, "Oh, I didn't think you worked. You always look so nice." Like, all I did was lie around, get my nails done, and eat bon bons!

[Catrin]

Crankin, good luck with the new job! I hope you are able to develop a good working relationship with the new boss and this job provides the opportunities you are looking for!

[shootingstar]

Hope all goes well, Crankin. Having a written job offer and indication that you accepted is always helpful.

[Dogmama]

Hard to know what that woman was thinking. Maybe she has some personal stuff going on & (although it's unprofessional) you took some of her heat. Or maybe you remind her of somebody and she's wary. I suspect that once she gets to know you, this stuff will be a thing of the past.

[Crankin]

Bumping up again.
So, there definitely was a miscommunication, misinformation on her part, and her not doing something correctly on the computer. I can tell she is too busy and she made some mistakes with dates and procedures, but when she had to communicate with me, to get me signed up for the orientation, she did. We spoke about what happened, in a general way, and said we both did not want to start off on the wrong foot. I have her cell # now, so I can contact her in a way that she will answer.
My last day was yesterday. It was a little sad, but definitely not as sad as my last day of teaching, which was kind of numbing. In fact, that's what started me on a year of health issues. I guess I am one of those people who has to work! Just not too much :). It was really hard to say goodbye to the clients who are not coming with me. They all made me feel validated and that I am doing a good job. While I am looking forward to people seeing me at my office and the end of 300+ miles a week in my car, when you go to people's homes, you get to know them in a way that would not be possible in an office setting.
I am going to orientation at the corporate office on Monday, then over to the clinic late in the day, to get my 3 clients following me into the system. I will probably see them the following Mon./Tues, before I go to Vermont. Other than that, I plan on doing a bunch of fun things for myself next week.

[Dogmama]

Glad that you were able to work things out. Have fun in Vermont & stay warm!

[OakLeaf]

Glad your relationship with your boss is looking better. Enjoy your time off!