When I first received a phone call from Dr. Palmer about my response to him about his postings on Craigslist for a receptionist position, he told me that he had not been looking very fiercely but that it would be an awesome job for me. I then signed a hand-written very sloppy contract stating that I would owe him $250 if I quit without 2 weeks notice (the most legitimate piece of paperwork I would encounter during my almost 2 months of working there), and started work full-time as a "recall girl" the following Monday.
I soon realized that not only had he been looking for a receptionist/recall person/dental assistant/dental hygienist, but that he has a new girl in the office (if not multiple) every day. These girls that email and call Dr. Palmer about his Craigslist listings usually only work one day, maybe a week tops; then Dr. Palmer writes them a check and sends them on their way, most times with little warning that they are getting the boot. These girls are always mostly in the dark about the situation but are under the impression that Dr. Palmer wants them, thinks they are an awesome asset, and is going to higher them right away at full-time.
My title was the "recall girl" because most of the time he couldn't remember my name but my title included all the duties of a receptionist, cleaning bathrooms, watering and maintaining the gardens, cleaning and polishing the floors, running errands, HELPING WITH PATIENTS (as in literally assisting him in surgeries), etc...
During the times that I did assist him, he was very hard on the patient's mouth and almost every time, the patient would be in a severe amount of pain at one point during their appointment and I would ask if there was anything I could do when Dr. Palmer would leave the room. He was consistent about taking very extended periods of time to do minor work on patients. He also would suggest additional and unnecessary work be done after many of the operations; thus getting as much money out of the patient as possible.
I was always trying to help Dr. Palmer with whatever he needed (until I realized of course that he rarely appreciates the help people try to give him), I was constantly organizing (as his office was a nightmarish disaster) but realized that all the things I tried to do were wrong unless he was telling me EXACTLY what to do and EXACTLY how to do it. Of course as he was leaning over my shoulder micromanaging me, he was telling me he didn't want to be a micromanager. He physically hurt me by jamming my finger into a piece of paperwork because he was frustrated that I didn't understand the task at hand one day. (which by the way was because he explained everything in the shortest most complicated way humanly possible), thus keeping his office in utter dismay at all times.
Dr. Palmer would laugh and shake his head at me and the other girls on a regular basis (not in a humorous friendly manor) but out of shear anger and hate I assume, when we misunderstood him.
Dr. Palmer told me that "I determined my hours" but as time went on and I began voicing my confusion and letting him know that I was kept in the dark about everything, and also that I didn't like the way he was treating me and the other girls/patients, he started cutting back my hours more and more to the point that I worked around 10/15 hours a week. (I started working there at 45 hours per week).
I remember getting 2 phone calls and having another girl there tell me about answering and the person on the other end asking why Dr. Palmer was still in business due to Insurance Fraud. I learned not to ask him about any of these things as he would just get mad at me and send me home early.
I dealt with angry patients on a daily basis and as 'recall girl' I was constantly on the phone calling people who had been called multiple times before asking for them to come in and get a teeth cleaning. The response almost always when they answered was "Do not call again" and/or "I have changed dentists".
I started wondering if he was paying me what I was supposed to (as we were not allowed to contact the book keeper) and Dr. Palmer would not let me see my hours because he didn't think I should be wondering about that sort of thing. Soon after that incident, he made it to where we couldn't go into the system to see our hours. To this day I still have never gotten a hold of that paperwork.
Working for Dr. Palmer was extremely stressful and belittling. I felt like I was working for a crooked doctor. Something is very wrong with this dentist office.
I could go on about the happenings while I worked there but it is too stressful to think about. I worked there for almost 2 months and was considered a veteran.
Do not work for, or put your mouth in the hands of this Dentist.
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