Will I be Haunted by Nightmare Experience with one of my Research Supervisors

[EyelandPychePhD]

Hi All,

I am thinking that if programs are accepting only 10 or so students for PhD programs, it makes sense that they would check references for every research experience/employment/internship each of the top picks has before offering them a spot.... 

I have 2.5 years of research experience. In the first lab I was working part time as a research assistant. Unfortunately, the PI running this study turned out to be a nightmare. To be very clear- this was a mutual opinion of everyone who worked for this PI. She would frequently scream at us over the phone when things went wrong (which is ridiculous because problem solving is an inherent part of the process of research on human subjects- problems are inevitable)-- This PI would text me in ALL CAPS at 6am, freaking out about the goings on in the lab. I was an excellent employee- and the RA's I worked with all considered me to be the unofficial research coordinator because I was the most on-the-ball and took point on organizing all of the moving parts and delegating tasks. This PI has a horrible reputation at the school she works at, and has lost her temper in public numerous times. This PI was paying us for part time hours per week but I would consistently put in 30-40 and she still was verbally abusive and had expectations that were just absolutely unfeasible and unrealistic. Also, prior to starting at the school which she was currently at and running the study we were conducting, this PI had recently left her previous institution due to being pushed out after numerous interpersonal conflicts with other faculty members. Not surprising at all. Toward the end of the intervention we were running, the president of the student government school (one of the best in the country) we all attended jumped on board as an RA. This new RA/Pres of student Government verified that this PI was the most abrasive, inappropriate, and downright manipulative people she has ever worked with. The RA/Pres of the student govt. ended up quitting after a few months, and told all of us that if we ever needed a letter to verify that this PI was for lack of a better term HORRIBLE, that she would be happy to write a letter to any of our future employers/schools we're applying to, and recommend all of the RA's who worked with this PI, stating in this hypothetical letter than any negative comments from this PI should not be taken as truth. She then asked me to be run for secretary of the student Govt stating that after seeing me work alongside her as an RA, I had exceptional organizational skills and should be on the student council. I turned this offer down because I needed to focus on gaining research experience. I include this just to show that A.) I was VERY good at my job B.) I was not the only one who had a terrible experience with this PI and C.) Other, credible sources could corroborate my side of the story if needed.

Anyway, long story short, toward the end of this intervention things started to slow down and the PI couldn't pay us anymore. I started looking for other jobs and found one that was much more in alignment with my research interests. After 2 months of no pay and no work needed on the intervention, I let this awful PI know that I had found another job and would be terminating my employment. She went on a rant over text stating how unprofessional this was to leave her high and dry blah blah blah. 

I have a full 1.5 years of research experience at one other lab, the lab I currently work at. I have PHENOMENAL letters from the members of this lab, absolutely top notch letters and references. But I am afraid that I will be haunted by this PI, which was my first research experience. 

Does anyone have advice on how I can handle this situation? Is it highly likely that admissions officers will give this ex-PI a call or e-mail? I have absolutely no idea what she would or could say about me. But I fear that it would not be good. There was never any "blow up" on my part when I told her I got a new job and would be moving on. But she certainly did not take it well and I believe she may even have other negative things to say just based on how she treated me and everyone else. I thought about just taking this off my CV altogether but the problem is, I got valuable research experience there that I don't want to leave out... and I feel that 2.5 years of research experience is better than 1.5

If anyone has comments I would really appreciate it! I am pretty anxious. It's so unfair because I was such a good employee and did so much to help the intervention succeed. 

P.S.- The schools I am applying to are across the country from this Lab, and there is a very low likelihood that any of the schools I am applying to will have heard of of this PI or her work, since she is a researcher on certain diseases and how they affect well-being (wont mention the specific disease because I don't want to identify her) and my research interests have nothing to do with that. 

Edited September 16, 2020 by EyelandPychePhD

[t_ruth]

That stinks. I'm sorry you had to go through this. It is too common a story unfortunately.

I think the most likely scenario is that they would only call/email the rotten PI if they were friends with her (or at least friendly with her)...and if they are friends with her, probably not the type of lab you would want to work in.

[EileanDonan]

For what it's worth, I had a conflict with a supervisor during a clinical internship I had last year which ultimately ended on a less-than-desirable note. Fortunately, I've filled other roles since then (much better experiences!), which means I can just draw upon them for references. I still keep this internship on my CV, and I've never had anyone directly ask for a reference from that location; my most recent research and clinical experience have been sufficient.

[SoundofSilence]

14 hours ago, EileanDonan said:

For what it's worth, I had a conflict with a supervisor during a clinical internship I had last year which ultimately ended on a less-than-desirable note. Fortunately, I've filled other roles since then (much better experiences!), which means I can just draw upon them for references. I still keep this internship on my CV, and I've never had anyone directly ask for a reference from that location; my most recent research and clinical experience have been sufficient.

I agree with this. I am sorry you had such a bad experience, but it may not be your last, since these things are more common than we would like. 

It happened to me with a supervisor and I've seen it happen with my friends. Sometimes it's a mismatch between you and the other person/s. Sometimes you encounter a really bad apple. People in the admissions committee probably have similar experiences or at least understand that not everything has to be perfect in order to be successful in the field. 

@t_ruth has a good point. Usually, they might call her for a reference if they know her well and want that opinion. But in most cases, only the most recent experience is taken into consideration, and this applies for most other jobs as well. 

I realize that everyone stresses on here how competitive a process this is, but it's not a background check   Try not to let the pressure get to you. I think not even people vetted for high level positions get that much scrutiny (where the top candidates get references checked for every other past job).

We must keep in mind that it's more about what you've learned and your potential for the future. Being reflective, showing how you've grown (through the good and the bad) shows a lot of potential for a clinical psychologist.

Best of luck!

 

[psychapplicant21]

I'm so sorry you experienced this, it sounds horrendous and extremely unfair. You are clearly a highly resilient and determined individual for sticking a job under those circumstances for so long. I don't see why you should have to remove this experience, and I doubt admissions would contact this Professor unless they are your LoR (which I assume they are not). I don't think you should worry, and in fact you should be extremely proud of yourself for continuing to perform at a high standard, given those incredibly difficult circumstances. Best of luck to you and I hope you get accepted this year (and I hope your mentor will be kind)

[EyelandPychePhD]

On 9/18/2020 at 10:35 AM, psychapplicant21 said:

I'm so sorry you experienced this, it sounds horrendous and extremely unfair. You are clearly a highly resilient and determined individual for sticking a job under those circumstances for so long. I don't see why you should have to remove this experience, and I doubt admissions would contact this Professor unless they are your LoR (which I assume they are not). I don't think you should worry, and in fact you should be extremely proud of yourself for continuing to perform at a high standard, given those incredibly difficult circumstances. Best of luck to you and I hope you get accepted this year (and I hope your mentor will be kind)

Thank you much! I truly appreciate your kind words. It was definitely a lesson in boundary-setting in professional relationships (extremely difficult to do with this type of person).