The Job Nightmare

Dan is separating from his employer at Mountain Star (HCA).   It's hard for me to even wrap my head around how this happened.  When we found out Dan had cancer, he wanted to tell HCA that we were taking a trip to Europe for 3 weeks so no one would know.  He wanted to quietly have surgery and recover while everyone thought we were touring Europe!  Dan is a very private person by nature.  I convinced him that so many people care about him and that he should allow himself to be vulnerable and let our friends and his patients and his employer know what is really going on.  And so he did...  And. It. Has. Been. A. Nightmare!

Once Dan decided to tell his employer and our friends and neighbors, he also wanted his patients to know.  He was informed by HCA that the patients are not "his patients" but "HCA patients" and HCA will decide what the patients are told.  As is turns out, the patients are told that Dan is out for a "Family Emergency" and they have no idea when he will return.

As soon as Dan had surgery, HCA put him on unpaid medical leave. Dan has worked in Brigham City for 10 years... how is it possible that he hasn't earned any paid medical leave in 10 years???  When Dan opened his email 5 days after surgery and found out he had been placed on unpaid FMLA, he decided to return to work immediately.  He was escorted out of his own office and told he's not allowed to come back until he has a 5 page list of duties signed off by his surgeon. His surgeon was on vacation for a week, so he wasn't allowed to go back for another week. His surgeon, by the way, was appalled at what happened.

HCA refused to tell Dan's patients the truth about why he was gone for 3 weeks, refused to let patients schedule with him, refused to let him come back when he was ready... patients were told he's not taking patients.. ever...   It will take a year to build up his practice again.  And because is salary is based on his production,  that's year of living on 30-50% of his normal paycheck. HCA is refusing to do anything to help.
 
The biggest mistake we ever made was to sell Dan's practice to HCA 8 years ago.  Dan built the practice.  He named it, he hired everyone, he built the solid reputation, it was his.  We were fools to sell out to HCA. It has changed so much that it's not even recognizable.  We used to be a family.

I keep waiting to wake up from the nightmare.  Dan is sure the Lord is at the helm of our lives.  I want to trust him.  I'm trying so hard.  But I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me.

I hope I can look back someday with peace and understanding.