Quit my job due to Emetophobia.....

[Jill in Apartment 413]

I worked at a national chain drugstore for three months. I won't say which one because I don't want to unnerve anyone, but I had to quit my job because of all of the vomit I encountered. Let me explain.

I worked third shift mostly, because it is a 24 hour store and pharmacy. One night, about a month into starting the job I was walking to my car to take my first break when a guy crept up behind me and started vomiting loudly. Literally two feet behind me. I panicked and ran to my car and got in.

I couldn't calm down enough to go back to work, and to make matters worse, I had to explain everything to my manager, who looked at me like he didn't believe a dang thing I was saying. I told him I could get a note from my psychiatrist that would confirm my story, and I went home to take a sedative and passed out.

A few weeks later, I was working second shift and two people vomited in the store within like two hours. IN THE STORE! Right in plain view of me too, right by the door. UGH! So of course I freaked out with the first one, but calmed myself down. Then it happened again and they wanted me to clean it up! I was like, are you EFFING kidding me? Did you see how I freaked out before? Did you READ the note from my doctor? WTF? So I argued with my manager who said that this was part of the job description and I shouldn't have agreed to work there if I didn't want to do that. I was like, WTF? No one said I would be cleaning up puke in a drug store!

Anyway, I need to know that I wasn't stupid for quitting over this, well maybe I was, but wouldn't any of you guys reacted the same way? Maybe I made a bad impression upon leaving with the things I said to my manager, but he was really pushing me and I got backed into a corner and scared. I wouldn't even got NEAR the vomit let alone clean it up. It was ridiculous! Now when I use them as a reference I am only going to get a crazy review from them because of the way I left. What hope do I have to find another job? I am so mad at myself, but I mean I am not going to clean up vomit for a living, you couldn't pay me enough! What do you guys think?

[Rebecca85]

I think your manager was wrong to push you, especially given that you had previously given documentation (unless of course, cleaning up bodily fluids was specifically mentioned in the job description).

When I worked in retail, a child vomited in the store, and the manager (we had no instore cleaner) cleaned it up no questions asked. However, I now work in a school, the first few times children vomited I did clear it up, because it is generally understood that if the caretaker is off site, that is what happens! If I refused, the other staff would have been extremely annoyed with me (and believe me, you don't want to upset school staff!) In a way it was good for me, because I saw that I could do it, even though I was panicking inside. Now I have a valid medical reason (not that a phobia isn't valid, but it is poorly understood and I have no documentation for it, I do have documentation for my new reason), of course I won't clear it up! And if my boss refused to accept the reason, I would be very tempted to quit (not just over the vomit, but the lack of respect it implies).

As for getting references and a new job, I personally would 'come clean' if you were offered a job, and explain things before they ask for references. Then you can say you have a phobia, a genuine phobia with documentation from your doctor, and that you are seeing a psychiatrist. Unless the job specifically requires you to deal with vomit, I think if they then withdrew the job offer they would be in breach of DDA or something similar.

[m0ndaymay]

I know exactly how you feel... I had to quit my job too for far less... nobody vomited... it was because I kept getting panic attacks at work, which my brain would interpret as a sign of impending vomit... and I'd freak out so much... used up all my sick days.... finally quit because I just couldn't do it.

So if you left because part of your job description is you have to clean up vomit, nobody can blame you. You're emetophobic. You have a medical reason why you can't do that. I would actually report your employer.... they're supposed to make reasonable accommodation for disabilities and as far as I'm concerne, debilitating emetophobia IS a disability... it's a mental illness (falls under that category anyway), and so it's REASONABLE to exempt you from having to clean up vomit should it happen. I would fight this to keep my job and to educate your employer.

[andee]

Yup...me too. First, I would have totally quit if I were you. No question...no job is worth risking your "mental status."
Also, I had to quit what I thought might be a great job totally because of this fear. I draw blood and could NOT do it in a hospital and go to the floors and in all the rooms, fearing the unknown. Now I am in a medical assisting job which is "nice" but not enough blood drawing for me. Still not sure where I belong. But anyway, don't worry and just get back out there. It wasn't worth it. Take care!!!

[fibigrey]

I think that if you needed to quit your job for your own sanity, then it needed to be done. However, there is always going to be that risk working in a public place, but a drug store is kindof riskier.. people go there when they are sick, you know? Maybe look for employment in a smaller setting that might have less sick people involved.. and after you get hired, talk to your manage about it upfront (maybe not during an interview, because it might look crazy--we know how most people view us) but let them know upfront how you are in situations like that, and if it WERE to occur, you in no way can handle the task of cleaning it up.

[Lynn1977]

Jill, I too worked in a national chain drugstore. You never did say what position you held. I would like to respond after finding out what position you held.

[Jill in Apartment 413]

Lynn1977 I was a cashier and a floor worker. The days that I expereinced the vomit I was working cashier and the floor.

To all the others, thanks for your responses. I've been busy the past few days and haven't had time to come here but I am here now. It was never mentioned once to me that I would be cleaning up puke and so I don't know why they expected me to. I worked another job at a resturant for quite some time, and someone puked in the bathroom there and they wanted me to clean it up. I calmly told them that wasn't in my job description as a hostess and I wouldn't do it. They let me slide that time and there was no retrobution. Went on working there for another three months until the company was gutted and they fired THE WHOLE STAFF and replaced all of them with new people. It was totally lame! LOL!

[hairyfairy]

Do you know why these people decided to come into the store & v?, whatever the reason, I think that they should have been made to clear up their own messes. I think people who v in public are no better than animals, & should be fined for doing it, after all, they fine you if you drop litter.

[Rebecca85]

I can see the point in fining people who are drunk, or take drugs, and v, but presumably the people who v'ed in the store had come to get medicine (since it was a drug store).and whereas littering is almost always a conscious choice, and there are usually plenty of bins around, unfortunately there are not that many public toilets around. And not everyone has the same level of control as we do. It's more like fining somebody for wetting their pants- they wouldn't have done it if they could help it!

[wargerbil]

In the US at least, it's illegal for a past employer to say anything to someone calling for a reference that would make it so you wouldn't get the job. Basically, they are only supposed to confirm that you worked at that location at the dates you provided. If it came up though, you could say that they were trying to get you to clean a biohazard and did not have proper safety measures in place, or something. Mostly true.

As far as why one might get sick at a pharmacy -- My husband's mom told me once that she had to stop at the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics for my husband's brother on the way back from the doctor. He had strep throat, and they lived far out in the country, so it wasn't an option to drive back home and drop him off and come back out, especially because she had no one to watch him at home! She said whenever he had strep, he'd v*, and he wasn't looking good after the car ride and the doctor's visit. The pharmacist said it would be a 45 minute wait to make up his antibiotics. She explained her son was sick, and they said the couldn't rush it cause they did them in order. Then she asked if they had a bathroom because her son might v*, and they said it was for employees only. So she asked if they had a bucket or trash can and they said no. She said she found a plastic bag and had him sit there with the bag until the Rx was made up. I don't know if he v* or not, but that'd be a situation wherein one might be ill in a pharmacy (though not for his Mom's lack of trying to secure appropriate facilities for him!!). She wrote a letter to the pharmacy though and got the policy changed so if you're there with a sick kid you get top priority!!

[roadtofreedom]

you made a good choice, it wasn't worth it to be stuck there, and yes we would all probably have done the same thing as you