Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Nurse Laid Off in Middle of Surgery

This isn't media related, but for all journalists who get handed the bad news while in the office, remember, it could be worse.

A registered nurse working for Dean Health System in Madison, Wis., found out that she was among 90 employees being laid off by getting the pink slip in the middle of surgery, according to a story by Dee J. Hall in the Wisconsin State Journal.

The abrupt removal, which spokesman Paul Pitas said posed no danger to the patient, came after the Madison-based health care provider announced Wednesday that it planned to “immediately” lay off 90 employees.

Pitas, director of corporate communications, labeled the action “clearly ... an error in judgment on the part of the manager conducting the layoff.” He declined to name the manager but described her as “an otherwise good employee with more than 30 years of nursing experience who made a regrettable decision.”

“This person is very upset and is extremely remorseful over this,” Pitas said, adding that the layoffs created “extraordinary circumstances.”

The nurse has not been identified, nor has the type of procedure she was working on when she was summoned and let go, the newspaper reported. The patient was in no danger, the hospital spokesman said.

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