Leave Well

When I graduated from PT school, I moved back to Arizona and started searching for pediatric and neuro rehab jobs. I did not have enough experience as a new grad for the neuro rehab positions I wanted so I submitted a resume to a pediatric clinic I shadowed at when I was at ASU. I interviewed, got the job but there were conditions that I wish I would have been less naive to. 

I valued mentorship and knew, as a new grad, I needed an experienced mentor if I was going to go into pediatrics and do it right. I agreed to reduce my pay as a broke new professional while I was being mentored. The person who was going to mentor me, got a “bonus” for taking on a first year PT. Long story short, I did not get mentored much, got some not so great direction on aspects of the job, but I had many great learning experiences from all my co-workers from all disciplines. I loved my co-workers and the families I worked with. 

Along the way I woke up to the fact that I was being taken advantage of and asked to be graduated from mentorship after 6 months. It was reluctantly agreed to. I think deep down I knew I was not valued there as a person or employee. I was a dollar sign. Maybe it was wrong of me or maybe it was not, but I applied for my dream job 8 months after working my first job. I got my dream job that I’m working at now and I have been there since spring of 2018. 

When I was going to give my month notice to the boss of my first job, everyone told me, “Do it over email.” It did not sit right with me. I was raised better than that and that is not the way you treat a person. I asked to have a face to face meeting with one of the owners. He politely waved me into his office that morning. I passed him my month notice letter and verbally told him that I accepted another job, I will not take any clients with me, I will remain neutral. I appreciated them taking on a new graduate, I had no ill feelings. I needed insurance benefits and career opportunities that he could not offer. The first thing out of the owners mouth (I kid you not) in a very harsh tone was, “Did I give you a sign-on bonus?” I replied, “No, you didn’t give me that option. I took the mentorship and the reduced pay”. He immediately changed his tone to up beat and more gentle saying, “Well it is a free country! You’re young, the place you got a job at can offer you more than we can here. I understand that.” The conversation ended. I made sure all my families got on a schedule or had a plan when I left for my other job and never felt guilty about it again. I knew what my worth was there. My boss would never, and was never satisfied with how I left.

Throughout 2020, I heard the phrase “leave well” in different areas of my life; I am not leaving my job, the phrase has just been thrown around throughout the past year. I do not want to say hate, but that phrase annoys me to my core. What it says to me is: you are not valued. It over looks the work you have done and the dedication. It completely ignores the possibility that you could be doing your best, therefore your personal best is not good enough. It states harshly, “Do your job to the satisfaction of those over you”. The outward appearance of the situation is cared about more than you as a person. 

The problem with doing anything to someone else’s perception and feeling of satisfaction is that it is a prison that will drive you mad. I do not know if you have noticed but a small percentage of people are ever really satisfied with how someone else does a task, job, or handles a situation. Everyone has individual expectations, feelings that change on a whim, differing opinions, and unique experiences that impact being satisfied with another’s actions. 

This is most likely my much-too-positive outlook on life and people, I believe everyone has goodness in them and is doing their personal best*. The astrick is to mark that there are some people who do evil things yet most people, in my humble not backed by data opinion, are trying to be the best person they can be and do right by others. When people are making moves from one place to another, one job to the next, or any other life altering choice, might we check ourselves, our attitude, and our own feelings about what change is going on in their lives. Might we think about what adventure and movement is coming their way; how difficult it must be to leave predictable and safe part of life and be stepping out into the unknown of a completely new opportunity. Another aspect to remember, most situations on the inside are not always what they seem on the outside looking in. 

Can we remember a time when we were held to some unattainable standard such as “leave well” and thus, fell short of a subjective opinion? Might we find grace, compassion, and understanding in the midst of change and opportunity so that we do not keep perpetuating the wheel of guilt, isolation, and bad reputations that were not deserved. A person may not earn your trust or respect, but they should be treated with kindness. In the end, the relationship and the way they were treated will be what makes an impact for a lifetime.

Shalom,

Rachelle