QUESTION
what is my recourse as I feel I can no longer work on this environment.
Asked on Mar 14th, 2016 on General Practice - Tennessee
More details to this question:
After a brief meeting with my boss I suggested some resolution that would resolve the problem. My boss aggressively came out from behind his desk and began pointing his finger in my face while berating me. I tried to leave and was told not to. 1 week later I was spoken to nastily about the way I was gathering information about my patient. Privately I asked the doctor to not talk to me that way in front of a patient. We were in an enclosed area. He answered me sarcastically. Telling me to shut up, when I tried to leave he grabbed my arm and then my wrist and blocked the only door out wth his foot. Eventually after I demanded to be let out he did move. He followed me to my car and stood between myself and the door so I could not shut the door. He said he expected me to come back to work which I have not. I'm not sure what kind of action I need to take from here.
1 ANSWER
From a technical point of view, when the doctor refused to allow you to leave the room and/or refused to allow you to enter your car, this constituted false imprisonment which is defined as a "person commits the offense of false imprisonment who knowingly removes or confines another unlawfully so as to interfere substantially with the other's liberty." Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-302 You can seek a criminal warrant if you choose to do so. As to your job, the courts do not manage businesses or stop doctors from being jerks as bosses. My opinion is that there is nothing that you can do except to move on to another job.
Answered on Mar 14th, 2016 at 3:40 PM