Well, well, well, Dean's got to be proud, made it to national news. MSNBC has the story now, and it's right there on the Home page for MSN.com. Way to go! As Carlos Mencia would say, Dean Healthcare is a Dee Dee Dee.

MedCareProvider - Allow work visas for foreign nurses? While US nurses, citizens, are being laid off? What part of this story did you not get? All of it apparently.

Medman86---Let's get the story straight before posting....The plastic surgeons that are now performing services at Janesville have been with the Dean Health System since 2001. They are "new" to Janesville because they have never performed services here but are not "new" to the Dean Health System. Unless you were a staff member, doctor or patient in that situation then the whole story will never be known. STOP assuming the worst. Plus, St. Mary's Hospital is still planning on building the hospital and Dean Health Systems is still planning on building a new clinic. Remember one thing...if the situation was reversed and it was yourself in the news, would you want the community to judge first and ask questions later. Try that next time.

Hey - good to see that the hospital that is "planned" for Janesville has such excellent regard for patient care (and real empathy for their employees)!!!!

You should read the comments on the Wisconsin State Journal site. Many people want to leave Dean and go to UW. Don't blame them a bit!

Want to read more and think this is just an urban legend:

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/...

http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/latest/44...

http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLi...

http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/nurse-...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,5155...

http://surgery.about.com/b/2009/04/13/su...

http://engforum.pravda.ru/showthread.php...

http://explore.twitter.com/atomicpoet/st...

hooters, I love that post. I think it's a testament to the kind of people who run the company in which you work. They aren't focused on the almighty dollar, they're focused on serving others! I have alot of respect for you and the people you're working with. Others could learn alot from all of you. God bless!

sandman, no argument there! That's the media for you. That's also the mindset mainstream American's have as well. We've been dummied down for so long we've become reliant on it. The media has done it's job in brainwashing everyone into thinking they need to read and see all this negative crap on a daily basis just so they can feel better about their own inadequicies in life. It's called teaching society that average is okay. Many would argue that it's not so bad to strive for average and I would argue this; would you send your child off to school and tell him/her the same thing???? Would you expect the same attitude from your leaders in your communities? How about the president of the U.S.? Would that be a good mindset for him to have?? Bottom line, the media is owned by Corporate America who's only interest in the American people is one thing...MONEY. Own the media, own the country. Look at the economy we're in! I rest my case.

We believe at http://www.medcareprovider.com/nurse-tra... that ---- Putting extra money in different projects ---- is not the ultimate solution to meet the immediate demand of NURSES or DOCTORS.

We need to allow more work visa for foreign nurses while we educate locally to meet the demand for future.

Another story with few facts but significant headline shock value! Seems whomever wrote this knows little about what actually happened. A manager...a nurse...a surgery?! All the makings of an urban legend! Did they find a hook attached to the door handle or a choking doberman in the closet as well?
How well did the Gazette handle its layoffs? Was anyone called in "right in the middle of researching or writing a story"? You see, there's a big difference between pointless, sensationalized gossip and that holy grail one might call "responsible journalism" -- and good luck in your quest to find it, write it, and print it! We're waiting, hoping, praying, cajoling...

Nice... Good thing they laid off 90 workers so they could hire a new Plastic Surgeon. I'm kind of glad that a hospital with those morals isnt coming to Janesville.

I work in a 120 bed psych/dementia facility...long term care basically. Our Administrator is seen out on the floors often and has even helps transport resident's to and from activities. Our nursing supervisors AND administrator make their home phone numbers available for calls on the weekend if need be and the superviors are often in a SUPPORTING role for all working in the building. Our CNA's make more than I did as an LPN at Mercy hospital and they are respected, valued, and part of the care planning TEAM. Our rounding Doc's and Medical Director Doc don't get mad when we call them for orders either.
I never thought I would be lucky enough to work in such a wonderful environment...most everyone likes their job and it shows in the quality of care our resident's recieve.

Pretty ominous for those clamoring to enter nursing school, thinking it's a recession proof career.... guess not.

Is THIS the kind of organization we want opening another healthcare facility in our city? Why do we even need a Madison money-grubbing company to open another hospital? Do we even have that many people around here?

She was in the clinic office assisting with a minor procedure (ie mole removal or skin biopsy), not in the hospital surgery suite. By tomorrow, she will probably have been the one performing the surgery. This is about the poor judgement of one supervisor, not the downfall of an entire health system or the entire health care industry.

My 27 year old daughter just had her second hip replaced just 8 weeks after her first one, TODAY!!! I can't give enough positive Kudos to St. Mary's. Of course EVERY single hospital in our area has "issues".

I just don't understand the logic behind pulling someone out of a surgery room. I also do not believe this manager did NOT know exactly where this nurse was. Staff can find any other staff member in these hospitals via schedules. Of course this manager knew EXACTLY where this nurse was. It was a bad call... and should be addressed.

I don't care if this minor surgery was to fix an ingrown toenail, the action was uncalled for. The timing was uncalled for and the method of dismissal was uncalled for. I would hope a board of review examines this manager. What difference would an hour have made? If it was minor surgery, it shouldn't have been a big deal. I will wait to read the "rest of the story", but I'll bet money... there "was an axe being ground" here...

There are few professions that impact a human being's life... Medical, Law Enforcement, Fire/Rescue... these fields should be considered sacred and held to the highest level of professionalism. This manager was wrong on SOOO many levels.

Someone im sure can turn this into a Mercy rant.

Opinionsforfree: You hit it right on the head. There's not a better blog than that anywhere.

All the hospitals are like that, I work at Beloit Memorial Hospital and I am responsible for over 30 patients on the weekends. The management does'nt care because they are not there on the weekends. They are all in it for the MONEY!!!! Talk about patients first it's how they can save a buck.

rummage, In regards to your statement about burying our heads in quicksand.. Honestly, the American people have been doing just that for too many years and it's finally catching up with us. You can only plug the holes in the dam so much before you have to renovate the entire dam. What we're seeing right now is the ostrich that buried his head in the sand to hide from the lion is getting his rear end eaten alive!

Only in America

Truth, you didn't post the whole quote:
.
"Did we use 10 sponges or 11? In all the excitement about my layoff I forget how many we used, but seeing as how a single sponge left behind can either kill you from infection, or give your the biggest medical malpractice lawsuit settlement of the year, the question you have to ask yourself is 'Do I feel lucky?'
.
Well, do ya, patient! Do you feel lucky?"

MATHEW516 ~ isn't that just terrible? Minimal law enforcement is really the LAST THING our communities need right now. It truly is going to have to come down to citizens' arrests....because crime is just going to keep getting worse, and with the demise of the law enforcement, boy how much fun are they all going to have? I wish I had a big ole pit of quick sand out back, so I could bury my head and pretend none of this is happening. LOL.

I did also want to comment on the select few on here that mentioned all of the information is now here. I agree with you. The jest of the story does seem cold and heartless, but a news article can never possibly cover every single aspect of an occurance. And even when they try, the story is being told by someone who may "inject" a few details. I just hope this nurse will keep positive, and know that things will always get better (eventually....sigh).

So much for the "jobs with job security". I would have always thought nurses, police officers, teachers, doctors etc would always be in demand. It is a scary thought that the ones who really keep our communities safe and thriving are also being unemployed. I don't know about all of you, but I am scared. Seems to me the only "jobs with job security" are going to be drug rehabs, jails and morgues. :(

I see this just made the Fox news website.

tinkerb45..you're right. Law enforcement jobs are being cut down to a bare minimum now in many communities as well as firefighters who are payrolled. Just as kleej said, our society has it's priorities out of whack. Principle always trumps money and when that doesn't happen, you'll have chaos. Welcome to the new America.

Safety first...as long as it doesn't cost us any money.

This is another example of how backwards this culture is. We as a society have been so focused on money for so long that we're willing to compromise our principles for that almighty dollar. This is healthcare we're talking about! Still, once again, the bottom line is MONEY. Forget the fact that we spend more than all the countries in this world COMBINED on health care, yet are the unhealthiest country out there. We bet on the wrong horse for too long and we're paying for it.

Shift changes are very common during surgery. So during the middle of a case nurses will come and go as their shifts dictate.

The story is not clear if a shift change occured or if it was a supervisor interupted the nurse during the middle of the case. Also lacking, was the nurse a surgical assistant (i.e. a first assistant) or a circulator.

Was it handled poorly, yes. But in order to sensationalize this story, the gazette needs to purposely omit information which would shed light as to what really happened.

Did we use 10 sponges or 11, I forget

after reading these comments, the one that stood out is the MBA =Money before Anything. Wall Street is saturated with MBA's & brainwashed with "Money Before Anything attitude. Then us common people who labor for a living are just mind-boggled by their multi-million dollar salaries & bonus's & heartlessness. No wonder fundamental churches are full of people.

Dumb and awkward (and bad publicity), but I doubt it's reason for a medical board review or for reinstatement. Among other things, it's not clear that the manager knew the individual was assisting a surgery.

there really is not a problem with laying a nurse off, if that is what the company has to do it is what it has to do, but there is a problem with the way it was handled.

I think that manager lacked people skills. I worked for a Janesville health facility for 26 years. There are many nurses that should not be nurses-they do it because it pays well. Please do not go into Nursing unless you care about people not just the paycheck.

Seems like they should lay off the manager and keep the nurse. Patient care is supposed to be the priority, and, obviously, that manager fails to understand that.

smplyred71,
I worked for Dean and based on my experience would disagree your conclusions about Dean being a good employer but you're right at least it was a job.

I hope that the nurse who was called out to get laid off has the sense to report her supervisor to the medical board. Having someone leave a procedure could have endangered a patient and could be grounds for discipline on the license. Dean is out there for the money. I apprecitate all the bad press this is going to give them.

If the patient was not in any danger with the nurse leaving why was the nurse in there to begin with? Sounds like poor management in more ways than one.
Sorry to the nurse that lost her job.
There will probably be a manager's job opening soon that you can apply for though.

Rosewood- A pymt in advance for pts who do not have insurance is not required at Dean. Dean will work with you on a pymt arrangement, etc. Nobody will be turned away if they dont have insurance when you go to Dean. All you have to do is call and ask and you would hear the same thing!

Everyone has a comment about the way Dean is out for only the money. Do any of you bloggers work at Dean? Probably not, so how can you judge what goes on within our system. Dean has been a very good employer for the past 11 years to me. In today's economy, we are lucky to still have jobs. There is always going to be someone who isn't happy about the way that Dean or Mercy handles their care. There will always be room for improvement. So instead of blogging about it here, why don't you voice your concerns with your doctor or health care providers. If that doesn't work, then go to your state representatives. Before judging the situation, we should know ALL the facts. I am sure that the whole situation is not explained correctly. As stated in the State Journal this am, the patient is doing fine and was taken care of by other health staff while the nurse was being talked to. It was a very stressful time for ALL employees, including managers and administation.

Stupid is as stupid does. What a manager! But I'm sure that somewhere down the line it will come out that the manager was unaware that the nurse was in surgery and therefore is really just an innocent victim. He/she would say he/she would have waited until after to notify the nurse that she was fired if it was known where she was. Or, the manager was just a plain JERK!!!!!! Take your choice.

It sounds like the manager that did the laying off had a personal issue with the nurse. If not that, then it seems the manager wasn't properly trained and was in the wrong position.
Glad I wasn't the one on the operating table!

Seems to me the Dr. would be at least irritated that he would lose a nurse in the middle of his suregery! And what about the patient having the surgey? I sure would be mad if I knew that had happened during my surgery! No matter how minor the surgery, there are always risks, and I think that would exacerbate that chance, having it interrupted! WOW! What a class act! Get rid of the manager and keep the nurse!

Never thought i would say this but hello Mercy.

yeah that is a little uncalled for, pulling someone out of surgery not only embarrasing but not very professional

acsc-I know for a fact Doctors will not see patients if they do not have insurance-Urgent care requires half the bill before they see anyone so people will be force to go to the ER and that just backs up the waiting. ER's should be used for emergencies not as a Doctors office.

MBA = Money Before Anything

I agree this manager could have certainly waited.. Sounds to me as if they really wanted to wave their "Im in charge" hat around..Putz. Wonder what the Dr. had to say about the incident afterwards.

To call anyone away from any patient, client, potential buyer, etc., seems rude to me.

Ofcourse the layoffs were about money, what business is in business not to make money. What Dean did with the layoffs was be proactive. UW may not be laying off people now, but will they need to later in the year? Probably. People arent going to go see thier drs due to copays and coinsurance. We all have been there. Where can we make cuts in expenses? That is the insurance part, not the medical clinics. Drs will see patients no matter if they have insurance or not. It will be interesting when the end of 2009 rolls around to see what medical organizations out there will be doing layoffs because they are over thier budget. Actually, being proactive is taking responsibility and being wise.

My2cents, it is not Dean's fault in a manner of speaking. It was the manager's own doing and the manager should be let go also. I am a manager and you have to plan this type of notification and do it in a proper manner. This manager did not, and if Dean wants to save money, letting a manager go is better anyway. Grant it that this might be a 1 time problem, a person needs to be held accountable for their actions and managers should be held at a higher standard since they represent the company.

Where was the human resources representative on that one? Aren't they coordinating the layoffs?

Dean Health just lost all my respect. Its tacky and very un-profesional and just shows how important patient and employee care is to Dean.

It does seem it is about the money and not only at Dean. IMO no surgery is minor as anything can happen in any type of surgery. To lay someone off like the manager did was not wise as the nurse could have been upset and not done her best after getting that type of news. JMO

Northman I agree.

Way to go Dean-Class act. It shows to me its all about the money and not the patients anymore.

That's amazing!

classy.

Sounds to me like the nurse should be re-instated, and the clueless manager laid off.