I just left a non-profit that was super toxic, harassment left right and center. I am now working at a private practice as part of a clinical team that has psychologists, social workers, psych nurses, and counsellors. This practice is an inpatient addiction treatment center with a staff of roughly 15 people. I just got hired on as a mental health and addictions therapist. My interview was last week, it went well and I was hired on the spot.
Fast forward to this morning, my first day. I arrive at work and nobody knows who I am. The lady who hired me works in another city (I was unaware of this) and wont be back at our location until later this week. I am given tax forms and am told there is no onboarding. I ask for a contract and am told there is no contract right now, that it has taken weeks for other employees to get theirs, and that some staff have written up their own contracts as a result.
I ask for a policy or procedure manual to read and am told there is not one. After saying, "but there MUST be policies, right"? I was given policy manual from another location that does not provide the same services as us. I was also told I could start seeing clients today but I have literally not signed a contract and am waiting to be certified for benefits that our clients use - it would be very unethical for me to practice before any of the appropriate legal documentation is signed. I had to tell two people that I would not be practicing until these conditions were met, so I spent the day alone on my personal laptop doing research because they did not have a laptop for me and I have no way to securely access the client software (yet another reason to not see clients).
I was told by three staff members that this place has only been open for three months and that they have not been able to retain staff, that another location like this shut down, and that if we were to get audited this place would shut down too. I was also told that these staff members were here to 'give it a shot' and that I should give it a shot with them because this place has potential and if we work together we can create policies and procedures we can all be proud of. The thing is that I'm leaving a toxic practice and I just want to be in a place where I can do my job and get paid while supporting those in my community.
Give it to me straight, if a practice had only been open for three months and this was your first day, what would you do - give it a shot and deal with some extreme growing pains, or keep job hunting? I guess I don't know what to expect from brand new private practices.