My Employer Is Clocking Me Out While I’m Still Working And He Didn’t Tell Me He Was Doing So, What Should I Do?

Advice Needed – I'm at My Breaking Point

I need some advice because I’m really frustrated right now. I'm not the best at writing or grammar, so bear with me.

I’m 27F, and I started a surgical assisting job about a month and a half ago. The job seemed too good to be true, and unfortunately, it was. This will be a bit long, but I’ll break it down as follows:

1) The Job and What’s Happened So Far 2) The Issues and Advice Needed

Feel free to skip ahead if you’d like…

1) The Job and What’s Happened

The doctor seemed nice during my interview, and the staff appeared happy. However, on my first day, I noticed a little bit of yelling from the doctor towards the other assistant, mainly about missing items in the rooms and minor mistakes. I thought to myself, "Once I get acclimated, I’ll make sure everything is perfect." But by day 2, I went home crying. The doctor flipped a switch, yelling about needing to move patients quickly and calling out how we needed to "move this f*cking patient in and out." He also expressed frustration that I didn’t know how to do things the way he wanted (mind you, it was only my second day, and I hadn't received any formal training yet).

On that day, I made the decision to give it 200% of my effort and take it upon myself to ensure he was happy. But I’m starting to realize that no matter what I do, it won’t be enough. He started questioning my skills, saying things like, “You’ve done this before, or so you say, so act like it.” (I’ve been in this industry for 6 years, working with over 10 doctors who have praised my skills every time.)

He began breaking me down, telling me he was doing 90% of my job and asking, "What the f*ck are you doing?" He said, “I don’t pay you to breathe air.” He also pointed out every “mistake” (even though I hadn’t received any formal training in his office and had been figuring things out by watching and opening cabinets to find what I needed).

He’s incredibly focused on time, acting as though we’re robots. If we take too long to do something (even if it’s just his perception), he’ll start counting down and say, "How f*cking hard is it to do [this task]?" He even calls himself "God" sometimes. If we try to address anything, he demands a "yes sir" response.

The other assistant, who has been there for 5 months and is the most senior staff member, has shared that he’s been physically abusive with her. She said he’s grabbed her by the collar and dragged her around the office, and even poked her with instruments during surgery. There have been times when representatives stood up for her because the treatment was so bad, but he told them to leave the office and refuses to do business with them anymore. Things are only getting worse with the yelling, cursing, and constant criticism.

2) The Issues and Advice Needed

This office does multiple surgeries daily, and there’s a lot to do at the end of the day, like cleaning instruments, restocking, ensuring consents are done, making pre-op and post-op calls, and setting up for the next day. There are about 20 more things to manage as well. Depending on the day’s surgeries, we’re required to clock in 30 minutes before patients arrive to finish setting up (making sure instruments are sterile, etc.). This means we start at 6:30 or 6:45 am, and sometimes, we’re there until almost 8 pm. We don’t get breaks, though we can eat on the go and drink water. Since we’re so busy (only two people working), we barely have time for basic needs like using the restroom.

My last paycheck showed 102 hours in a 2-week period. To some, that may not seem like a lot, but to me, it’s excessive. The most I’ve worked in this industry before was 85 hours in two weeks. After that paycheck, the doctor seemed upset about the 20 hours of overtime. The other assistant suggested I take screenshots of my hours, since the doctor sometimes changes them. I’m glad I did, because when I checked today, I realized that he changed my hours for the past few days.

For example, last Thursday, I worked a 13-hour day, but he changed it to 9 hours. On Friday, I was there until 7:30 pm, but he clocked me out at 4 pm. After the office meeting that lasted until 7:30 pm, he didn’t adjust my hours to reflect the extra time. On Monday, I was there from 6:45 am to 6:30 pm, but he changed it to 7 am to 5:30 pm. Yesterday, I worked from 7:50 am to 12:15 pm, but he changed it to 8 am to 11:45 am.

I didn’t notice these discrepancies until today when I clocked out. I went to the office manager to address it, and she said it needed to be brought up with the doctor because she doesn’t manage the hours.

One thing is getting yelled at while I’m getting paid, but it’s a whole different issue when I’m getting yelled at for free. So, I need advice. How should I approach this tomorrow at 6:45 am?

P.S. I had the other employees check their hours, and theirs were also changed. They said this happens regularly, but they don’t want to confront him or argue because they’re afraid of the repercussions.

From FL, USA