You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: A Lesson in Staffing, Boundaries, and Timing

By Carl Stoddard, Doctors CFO

After enough years working with medical and dental practices, you learn that no policy manual fully prepares you for real life. Systems help, but people always find new ways to surprise you.

This is one of those stories.

A Longtime, Reliable Employee

The practice had an office manager who had been with them for years. She was a good worker. Reliable. Familiar with the systems and trusted by the team. Like many long-tenured employees, she wasn’t perfect. She could have used a small attitude tune-up, but overall, she did the job and kept the office moving. There were no major red flags.

A Routine Leave… At First

One day, the office manager went on leave. Nothing unusual. People need time off, and the practice adjusted. Coverage was arranged and operations continued as normal. For a few weeks, everything seemed fine.

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

Then someone called the office asking specifically for the office manager. Because she was on leave, the call was forwarded to her home. And that’s when things took a strange turn. The person who answered the phone was not the office manager. It was her husband. Not only was he answering the call, he was answering it as if he were her. Same tone. Same confidence. Full customer-service voice.

At first, it almost sounded normal. Almost. But as the conversation continued, it became clear something wasn’t right. After a few questions, he finally explained. “Oh, she’s busy right now,” he said. “I’m just helping out.” Helping out, apparently, meant impersonating your spouse at work.

Where the Line Was Crossed

That phone call crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed. HR did not view the situation as harmless or helpful. Trust had been broken, and professional boundaries were clearly violated. Regardless of intent, the decision was unavoidable. That was the end of her employment.

It was uncomfortable. She had been with the practice for years. But once judgment and boundaries fail, there is rarely a clean way back.

An Unexpected Turn

A few weeks later, the practice hired a new doctor. The fit was good. Professional. Easy to work with. And as part of that transition, something unexpected happened.

The new doctor had an experienced office manager who was suddenly available.

She knew the systems. She handled the front desk with confidence. She answered phones herself. No improvising. No substitutes. No surprises. The staffing problem that had felt disruptive resolved itself faster than anyone expected.

The Real Lesson

This story is funny in hindsight, but the lesson is serious. Staffing issues often linger because familiarity feels safer than change. Long tenure can hide growing risks. Small boundary issues get overlooked until they become impossible to ignore. And sometimes, holding on too long prevents better solutions from appearing.

This isn’t about being harsh or suspicious. It’s about clarity. Clear roles. Clear expectations. Clear professional boundaries. Because when those break down, the consequences are rarely subtle.

And occasionally, they arrive in the form of a very confused phone call.

Yes, it’s a true story.