NJM 10 2018 in MoMoMo

You have your dream career, with all the perks, and a signed contract. Six weeks later, you find out the one person you absolutely despise is your company CEO. What is the backstory? How do you handle the situation?

I am not sure how this would work because in about 90% of my jobs, I have dictated my own hours and environment.

I suppose the closest I have ever gotten to that is when I was a traveling CNA.

There was this nursing home that I was sent to frequently. After passing the probationary period, I was usually booked six weeks out. It was a small town, and most people don’t want to work weekends or overnights. I banked in this assignment.

When I first started, I was warned about a day shift nurse. She’d been there for 25-30 years. I had heard from other CNA’s that didn’t make the cut that she was apparently evil enough to make the Devil look like a toddler. Meh. I didn’t care.

So, I finally meet her. She is pretty rough, rapid-firing her questions while I stared off into the distance. She asked me if she was too fast for me and I just busted out laughing. She was NOT amused. I told her that her list was already done, along with other things I did because day shift DOES have the most to do with residents. I usually did those little extras to help them out. I handed her my slip to sign off on and left.

Well, she would constantly push and I just didn’t even care, honestly. There was a day when she crossed the line, though.

She questioned my professionalism, all because I was laughing with her Director of Nursing. Before the DON could say anything, I just put her in her place.

“Look, I know you’re used to being the big bad bitch around here. But you need to remember, I DON’T WORK FOR YOU. I work here to HELP you, because you’re such a shit boss, you can’t keep any help. THEN you act like a fucking 20 year-old entitled brat, blaming EVERYONE else because YOU fuck up. I don’t HAVE to be here. I don’t HAVE to do the little extra to HELP YOU. Now, I’m off the clock, so shut up, go do your little rounds, and get out of my way. I’m going home.”

The nurse was BRIGHT RED. I KNOW she wasn’t used to being talked to like that, but fuck no was I going to be treated like the other employees. I was SEEING red as I went to leave. The DON stopped me and asked if I was still willing to work overnights, that she could arrange for me to leave an hour before the day shift nurse showed up.

“Look, I will work with her. She just needs to learn her place. She can yell at you guys, you work here. But she also needs to remember that I’m NOT her employee, and I am now wondering if she treats the residents like this as well-“

She cut me off, and was surprisingly calm. I was fully expecting her to scream at me (as most people usually do when I piss them off) and was truly shocked at her turn of attitude.

She told me that I was welcome to shadow her so she could show me how she treated residents. Of course, being in my late-20’s, I just didn’t give a shit and sighed. I told her that what she did wasn’t important to ME. I told her and the DON that it was important that our residents get the best care possible, and I didn’t care who I pissed of, THAT was my one and only concern.

I had my two days off and my office called to tell me that the home wanted to extend a long-term contract to me, along with a glowing report. My pay would increase, and I would be guaranteed a position for six months, until I renewed.

I accepted.

That nursing home was the ONLY home I worked day shift willingly. The day shift nurse and I got better at working together. We still occasionally butted heads, but I learned a lot from her.

It was one of the best places I ever worked.