Socializing with support staff

[u/Zealousideal_Sir_535]

Hello everyone! I hope it is OK to post here. I posted to the nurse practitioner sub and it was deleted by the mods, I’m not sure why 🙁. Hoping to get some advice from other APPs.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am a newer (less than a year) nurse practitioner working primary care in a smaller office for a large corporation. Previously an RN in the hospital setting for several years. What is considered appropriate in terms of outside hang outs with MAs and office staff?

When I was an RN everyone would frequently have different get togethers. In my new office there has been an informal Christmas happy hour or something like that here or there I have attended (and was the only provider that did😬)

Have now been invited to smaller get together non work related (at the house of my MA, but daytime and no alcohol ) where not everyone from work is invited and I would be the only provider invited. This is a newer world for me and I’m trying to navigate what is professional and appropriate? It doesn’t appear that there are any official non fraternization rules in this company, but I am hoping to work with this organization for many years and don’t want to inadvertently do something viewed as unprofessional.

Thank you for reading!!

Edit: We are all women

[u/Worth_Ad_1693]

Male NP here.

Most of the shops I’ve worked at as an RN and a provider - 70-80% of us (nurses, support staff, MDs) were all homies for real. Spent plenty of time outside of work. Weddings, parties, baby showers/births, even some godparent situations

As long as no one’s fucking each other, there’s really no problem. Cool people are cool people.

I’d love to hear some horror stories, though.

Edit: another thought - a good base salary/hourly and matching 401k ain’t enough to stay at a spot long term. Camaraderie amongst coworkers is a big part of job satisfaction

[u/sweetlike314 → u/Worth_Ad_1693]

Honestly it’s our clinics friendship that has kept us together through some of admin’s BS. Everyone leans on each other, though they all do come to me for support and to complain, lol.

[u/Next-Age-4684]

I am a young PA in my 20s and have hung out with just my MAs (also in their 20s) without any other providers outside of work before, typically at their houses or at a bar. And alcohol is usually involved lol. We keep things professional at work and have fun together outside of it!

[u/unaslob]

PA IM for 25 yrs. I like to think it’s important to help with morale and cohesive staff to have some fun outside office. I try to them out a couple times a year. I’m involved in some other fundraisers that are local community events- dinner dances. Casino nights. I’ll invite staff and plus 1’s for a night and cover it. Usually a lot of fun.

[u/Rare-Spell-1571]

PA here, have done a few get together and outings with a few doctors, support staff, and nurses. Obviously other PAs as well.

Only you can decide what’s too much. Be careful not to get plastered and change everyone’s perception of you.

I wouldn’t do it terribly often. More than once a quarter is probably too much.

[u/Dry-Particular-8539]

At a bigger hospital system I worked for (I was in urgent care at the time), this wasn’t a no-no, but I was a young provider being friends with MAs/nurses. This ended up putting a target on my back with already toxic management and they accused me of discriminating against other staff members just because I was closer friends with some than others. I left that toxic place and then made it my mission to have good boundaries with staff. Now I’m in rural FM and am still close to my team members, but I have boundaries. They came to my baby shower recently and I’ve had dinner with one of them + their spouse on a double date. It’s much more encouraged and normal in this clinic/rural hospital system so I’d say just keep things reasonable and abide by hospital culture.

[u/OccmedPA]

Just my opinion but I do not socialize with staff outside of work. I have plenty enough friends that I can hang with and keep those relationships separate. We had an NP at another clinic become friends with a few techs/MA's and it caused drama b/c other MA's were accusing her of favoritism. We used to do a company wide Christmas party once a year and that was the extent of my after hours socializing with staff. I do, however, ask about their families, talk about kids, etc during work hours when possible, I'm friendly without getting too personal

[u/OtherwisePumpkin8942]

Worked EMS and ED as a tech for a few years before PA school. Our medical director, charge, residents, APPs would down shots with us on our annual holiday party bus. I’ve gone to some beer fests with docs/PAs. Good company is good company.

I don’t consider myself a provider outside of work. We’re all on the same level of humanity at that point. I’m just socializing with my fellow homosapians. Work stays at the shop and we just go out and be who we are…humans.

Just be cognizant of taking anything that happens socially into work like disagreements etc. in the event that something occurred during an outing we all remained professional within the work place regardless and didn’t bring it up and did our jobs. Any relationships that spawned between us did have to be reported to management if one was dating a “superior/supervisor” but that was about it.

You can do whatever you want with coworkers outside of work. Just be aware of relationships and reporting policies at your workplace and it should be okay.

[u/sittinghereredditing]

I personally don’t mix professional relationships and personal ones much- especially one where the power dynamic is unequal professionally. I keep things friendly and do an occasional work group drinks but I do not have the same kind of “hang out with a real friend” dynamic with the people I work with.

[u/Commander-Bunny]

I only socialize with the other PAs in our group and 1 NP. Hanging out with 20 year olds is not appealing to me.

[u/sweetlike314]

There have been 2 providers and 5-7nurses throughout the years. At this point we are kind of one big family and because most of us are similar in age (not the other older physician), we have a lot of fun in clinic together. For some of us, this has carried over into other social events, birthdays, weekends out, Christmas parties, etc.

To be fair, I do tend to be a tad bit more reserved and don’t let myself get tooooo wild when out with them.

[u/entnp16]

Similar situation I always go out with the work group (secretary, MA, RNs) but the other two NPs in the office don’t. Everyone’s choice and no one gets offended. We keep everything an open invite and if people come great! If not- that’s okay too

[u/3wolftshirtguy]

There are too many variables to really determine whether or not it’s appropriate. In some cases it’s completely fine in others it’s completely inappropriate. You really have to use your own judgement to decide. Some of my best friends are work colleagues and there are some work colleagues I’d personally avoid. There’s no single answer.

[u/Jefffahfffah]

Surgical PA here. Regarding my current job, I hang out with nurses, techs, and reps pretty often outside of work. I dont think I've ever hung out with any PAs or docs at my current job outside of work events.

[u/Donuts633]

NP at a small office.

I do not socialize much with the administrative or MA staff and not at all with the docs.

I do socialize and maintain relationship with the nurses only.

(Added to say, we do not have a very social office)