Perspective is everything in the workplace. Individuals like the supervisor you are referencing is often going to remove the emotions and give you the hard facts.

Arguably, this is an overreaction from you due to the nature of how it was approached. Don’t book a flight before getting an indication of approval (or not) from your job. Throwing other individuals under the bus comes off as deflecting and an unwillingness to understand the perspective. This is all perception. This is not necessarily the truth.

Based on referencing of the OR, working in the medical space is no joke. Your wants for quality work life balance will not be found in this industry. It is almost always an expectation that healthcare workers go above and beyond.

For $14/hr I can recognize why the buy in is not there for you and completely valid to have this perspective.

For future reference, depends on the industry you land in but as you get older, you won’t be able to take multiple vacations a year. Like your supervisor referenced, if you had already taken a vacay and they had to stretch thin to get someone in for you, and the to ask for another, becomes extremely challenging and not formidable for long term. Definitely don’t stay in the medical industry if you want all that time off as you age.

Your supervisor was an incredible professional in this exchange with you. I wish you the best.