-Few checks/balances on leadership
This is something anyone should keep in mind when applying to any group practice. Group practice can be great for a lot of reasons, but make sure you walk into that environment with eyes open. I would have gone to HR about my concerns during my time there if I wouldn't have just been scheduling a meeting with the CEO who was the one making the decisions in the first place. I felt great for a pretty big chunk of my time here, but when certain decisions led to me feeling uneasy, things turned sour quickly for me. The message was always that feedback is welcome, but I felt that the one time I offered real feedback, the CEO instead spent most of the time explaining why parts of my argument are wrong or why I used the wrong wording. Sometimes people say they want feedback, and then when they receive it they latch onto specific wording to decentralize the argument and undermine the presented concern. This is the response I felt I received. I felt afraid that if I was not absolutely flawless in my delivery of constructive feedback, (or if I said one word that could be misinterpreted) I would potentially open myself up to a conflict with someone who holds immense power over my livelihood, especially since NY is an at will employment state. I did not feel that this was something I could afford to risk, which led to me feeling unsafe a lot of the time, as though leadership could make ANY decision and my options would be to comply without complaint or leave. I began to feel paranoid, that if I expressed too much discontent, would every email be combed for potential mistakes? Are the anonymous feedback opportunities sent out by the CEO truly anonymous? I would have no way of knowing. This is why I made the decision to leave. Others may feel secure enough in their own livelihoods to make it work, just know what you're walking into.
