Workplace terrified....what is my job exactly, again?

athena21

athena21

Member
Aug 8, 2011
486
10
#1
I've only been on the new job a few days, but I feel completely useless and I'm questioning why they hired me/what exactly I'm supposed to do for 40 hours a week when I'm done with training.

I'm the practice manager in a clinic, but I don't have any real medical experience that can make me useful with patients. The manager who is training me at her clinic has a background as a tech, and from what I've seen it looks like she does more tech work than managing and growing the clinic.

I know I could definitely be useful at the front desk doing scheduling/customer service, even though I haven't been trained there at all yet. But again, I'm well aware they already have positions filled to cover secretary and tech positions. So I'm just wondering....what exactly does the manager DO for 40 hours a week? I have a lot of ideas on ways to bring in new patients and keep current ones, but at my previous retail manager spot, I did all the "growing the business" and managing staff on top of regular sales. With my only job being to supervise staff and inventory, and grow the business, I think there's going to be a lot of free time unless I try to micromanage, and that's not my style.

Has anyone been in a similar position with not really knowing how their position fits in? Or even better, has anyone worked at a health clinic with a practice manager, and what exactly did they do? I know they hired me for my background in sales and management (but a few of the people who interviewed me pointed out they liked my degree in microbiology, so I'm not *completely* ignorant of health science), and my boss has stressed many times this is NOT a tech position, I can work with the patients if I'm comfortable but it is not by any means my job.
 
#3
It takes time to get comfortable with a new work setting. You're in the training stages. The more you are there, it will click. They wouldn't have spent all this time and energy to get you. You haven't been there long enough. When you get a little more comfortable, then take a look at those other links for new ideas.

It's going to be fine! I know it! :smile:
 
#4
Is there a class(es) that you can take on the side to learn more about that specific medical field so you could be more knowledgeable/ useful in other areas as well? That's what I'd try to do. Wish I could be of more help!
 
#5
Thank you ladies! I'll admit it was a bit of a small freak-out that inspired this thread, and the very next day my trainer actually had time to sit down with me, away from the other employees and answer questions. I was a little scared to ask her how I'd fit in, and my hopes were right - I'll be doing mainly front office stuff in addition to management.

I love the current clinic I'm training at, and I hope when I go to my permanent location in a month or so the people are just as nice. I've only met the staff at my clinic once (where both parties were pretty stiff I'm sure, since I was technically interviewing) but the Dr kind of rubbed me the wrong way when I sent her an e-mail last week reintroducing myself (it'd been a few weeks since I'd seen her), saying how excited I was to get started at her clinic after training, and asking if there was a day next week (now this week) that might be slower where I could come in to complete some computer training at her location, and become better acquainted with her and the staff, as my boss wants me to do.

...She never replied to the e-mail. I know she's busy, doing the job of a dr and manager right now, but a little "hey welcome to the team, we're excited too and XX day would be great" would have been nice. She forwarded me a couple e-mails a few days later with my computer login info and a quick "thought you'd need these" messages, but never even acknowledged I sent her anything. I checked I got her e-mail right, and I've e-mailed others at the company from my personal e-mail and they went through fine so I don't think I was just sent to the spam folder or something. My hope is she read it, didn't have time to reply right away and forgot about it, but it's weird.
 
#6
I can't help you personally, but I know how it is. I'm currently working at the front desk of a skilled nursing facility, and because we were recently absorbed by a large company, they aren't really sure what's part of my job and what isn't. Right now, all I do is sort mail and man the switchboard, pretty much. Sometimes I file stuff. During the 8 hour shifts on the weekend, no one else is in the admin office except for me, and I have no idea what to do.

Since you do have a degree in microbiology, that should be pretty good, but unless you took a medical terminology class for your bsc (I assume that's what you have) maybe you'll want to go take one?
 
#7
I'm somewhat confused. Did the job posting you applied for not outline the role and was it not further outlined during the interview process?
 
#8
Sorry for this thread, it was a bit of a freak-out since everyone I had met up to that point had all had some kind of a medical background - so I was like okay, I know research, but I have never (nor did I ever claim to) know anything medical beyond viruses and bacteria....so what are they expecting.

Since then, I had a talk with the woman training me and she said my main place would be up front doing a lot of secretary work on top of the manager stuff which is totally fine with me - I think it'll give me more time to work on growing the business, not to mention working closer with the clients to make a better bond.

On top of that, I had my first day at my real hospital location last week. I was a little nervous with how the Dr hadn't responded to my e-mail, but when I got there she had a card, congrats balloon, and a welcome cake sitting on my desk for me, even though she was on vacation. I have NEVER been welcomed like that before...I've had many going away parties, but never had such a nice welcome coming in and I'm so anxious to be done with training and start working with my team.

Also I had a meeting with all of the other state managers (we're a corporate-run hospital) and while a lot of them did have tech backgrounds, I had asked my boss previously where he had been before - restaurant management! And a few of the other managers also came from retail sales/restaurants which I would never have guessed, so I think I'll be okay :smile:

Thanks for the support everyone!
 
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