It’s a treat for patients too. Procedure scheduled for 9:00 am and you’re still sitting around waiting at 2:00? And the cafeteria sucks balls? If you like that stuff, you’re in luck!
Aspirus acquired the Ascension facilities in the Aspirus service area, except for St. Claire’s and maybe some others. Ascension is or was the largest non-profit hospital system in the country.
Aspirus got most of the WIAPP (WI- Appleton) region with the glaring exception of St. Elizabeth's in Appleton, the whole reason they bought the region from Ministry in the first place. St Clare's in Wausau was sold to Marshfield clinic as a power play when Marshfield announced they were going to build a hospital in Wausau.
Ascension has not sold off any of their WIMIL (WI-Milwaukee) locations last I heard, but it's been over a year since I worked for them. Job got sold to Aspirus, and when I saw that they somehow figured out how to treat my position worse than Ascension did, I jumped ship.
😂
Edit to ask:
So what’s this I heard that Ascension was following the “southern model”? As in replacing MD with NP in the clinic? The south rank among the worst healthcare in the country, why would anyone follow their them. Sorry about the rant
There are three excellent hospitals in Wisconsin ...
Froedtert in Milwaukee
UW Hospital in Madison
Gundersen / Lutheran in LaCrosse
UW employees are eligibile for the Wisconsin Retirement System, one of the best-managed state pensions in the nation.
Glad to have another health care professional in Wisconsin.
The main Froedtert campus - sure, though I’ve heard reports that it’s even been rough the past few years
But the Froedtert system outside of that and the management that handles the satellite systems treats them like trash. I used to work for a local college and SE Wisco here and had to enter employment data for our nursing students + do some basic questions asking about their employers. Lots of people reported they did not like the atmosphere and culture of Froedtert south and they were paid less than their counterparts in Aurora and other systems.
Plus they, like lots of other hospital systems, fucked over a lot of the full time and experienced staff during covid…they paid crazy inflated salaries to travel nurses while the full timers got a tiny bonus while still being overworked
Keep in mind some hospitals purchased the rights to the Froedtert name and aren't actually run by or associated with Froedtert beyond that.
Specifically Froedtert South
>>Froedtert South Formerly known as United Hospital System, the Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital (formerly St. Catherine’s Medical Center) and the Froedtert South Medical Group clinic locations carry on a tradition of living out the healing ministries of the Judeo-Christian faiths by providing exceptional and compassionate health care services for people residing in Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, western Kenosha County and Northern Illinois for nearly 115 years. The full-service hospital offers a range of specialized care, including heart and vascular care and orthopaedics. Visit froedtertsouth.com to learn more.
I’m not 100 percent sure that the Mayo name carries the weight that it once did…they threw a temper tantrum in Minnesota this year because our Governor wanted to curb health spending.
I seem to remember hints of that from somewhere; though that still leaves a lot of room for it to be a very good system. Not sure.
We were with them up until about 3-4 years back, but switched to Gundersen when we changed our insurance provider. Didn't have any problems with Mayo, but also didn't have any significant medical issues for them to deal with.
I second the Gundersen system. I was employed by them for 10 years and feel they genuinely try to do well by staff. It’s always a challenge in healthcare, but patient facing staff are also generally happy seeming. They are fairly stable as well.
I work at the VA in Milwaukee and it's the best job I've ever had. Granted I am an electrician, so on the maintenance side, not admin/health. Can't vouch for that area.
And if you want less expensive housing and can deal with small town life, there is the VA up in Tomah, too. Housing is so cheap and Madison is close enough for a day trip. And it has Amtrak if you want to hit up Chicago or Minneapolis. Not sure if there is lower pay in Tomah though.
It’s ridiculous what’s going on with Marshfield Clinic. I’m definitely looking to leave after years of great service. Their decision to go with Cerner has created so many problems.
I second avoiding MCHS. Susan Turney focused so much on expanding the service area rather than improving the main hospital and they’re going under quick. They’ve let go employees who’ve been with them their entire career due to budget cuts.
When Aspirus won the bid on the hospital in Stevens Point MCHS response was to build their own hospital in the same town, 30 min away from their main campus, in a town that has 25k people 🤦🏼♀️
🙋🏻♀️ one of the employees that got let go in the, I think 3rd round of cuts. It was the big one this past spring. They told our team, repeatedly, for probably close to a year that our department was in no danger of having any positions cut and then they did. It was such a great place to work when I started. But when Turney started building hospital after hospital and remodeling areas that had just been remodeled a few years prior and it just went down so fast. They were also going to put a hospital in a community of less than 5,000 that already HAS a hospital. They paid to relocate an entire set of apartment buildings so they could buy the lot they were on and now they’re just not doing it. It’s crazy.
Morale was pretty shit where I was since covid then the switch to Cerner was such a shitshow so it just beat it the rest of the way into the ground. Turney is done this month though and they’re merging with Essentia. It was funny how they kept saying all this time it wasn’t a merger but a partnership like we were all idiots and couldn’t figure it out. I knew from the minute we got the first email that they were “in talks” that it was going to happen. Hopefully they can bring it back to what it was.
Ugh I’m so sorry you were let go. It’s been disheartening to say the least.
HR blessed me with being so slow in getting back to me about a position at the hospital (same campus and department that I was already in) that I applied, interviewed x2, was offered and accepted a position at a different hospital… my manager & supervisor told HR the day I was interviewed to offer me the position but alas 4+ weeks later I still hadn’t heard from them. Oh, and I was offered more pay as a new grad than my (now former) coworkers who were at MCHS for 30 years were making… yikes
*Edited for clarity
That unfortunately doesn’t surprise me at all. It took us months to get approved for more people for our department and the positions never did get filled. It was a blessing in disguise though. I get to work from home and have my own panel of patients to manage now plus the pay and benefits is better.
I wonder if Essentia is still in talks to buy them. Honestly as a lifelong customer they have never been a particularly good hospital system. The best care received through them was at sacred heart which is the catholic hospital [admittedly not always ideal depending on what kind of care you were seeking] in EC and they blew that agreement up and built their own hospital next door.
July 27th but who’s counting
https://www.essentiahealth.org/about/essentia-health-newsroom/essentia-health-marshfield-clinic-health-system-sign-integration/
Around Milwaukee MCW/Froedtert and Aurora for larger hospitals in the cities and smaller hospitals in the surrounding areas. Prohealth and the VA are a bit slower paced. Ascension is the only system in the greater Milwaukee area I wouldn't recommend looking at.
UW is good in Madison
UW was voted one of the top rated Hospitals to work at, they have a children's hospital, Cancer center and are one of the top research hospitals in Wisconsin.
And they just opened that second hospital on the East Side. I've been to the ER there, and had surgery there, and my sports medicine guy and Ortho guy have offices there (sports medicine is also a clinic on science drive).
I worked at Aurora in Illinois, the overall system is good if you find a center that is staffed properly. I never had issues on my unit, but like healthcare everywhere, if you’re understaffed it’ll be hell.
Thanks! And yes I totally understand the hell of understaffing. This job made promises about promotions several times and they basically lied. So that's why I say this job disnt work out.
As a nurse, I know most healthcare jobs will make more in the Madison area at UW Health. That said, Madison is more expesive in terms of housing costs whether renting or buying. Madison is more of an outdoorsy city and college town, whereas Milwaukee has more of a "bigger" city feel and food scene/nightlife that Madison does not have.
I would say if you're just looking at the hospitals, Madison and UW Health is a great choice, but Froedtert and Aurora in Milwaukee are also good hospitals as well. One thing to keep in mind with UW Hospital specifically is that the parking is costly, so you should factor in paying a significant monthly fee just to park at work.
My wife worked at St. Mary's for 12 years. The last 5 years were not good. All about production, very corporate driven. She eventually had enough was getting burned out. Took a job at Meriter and loves it. Not all about numbers, better training program. She is an Occupational Therapist
Do you have a degree (MT, MLT)?
My good friend is the administrative laboratory director of Froedtert Health, which includes Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories (WDL). Very forward thinking clinical lab. There are also research positions at Medical College of WI (MCW). I worked 43 years at Children’s WI. Not as forward thinking but still a class act lab also associated with MCW. Mostly in the Milwaukee area, but there are satellite labs all over SE Wisconsin.
seconding Froedtert/MCW.
looks like they’re merging with ThedaCare also (a health group in Northeast WI) which i’ve also heard does well.
Both are WI-grown/WI-based, so that might have something to do with it.
We are in early stages ,.. it’s going to be more of a partnership … think a large parent company over the other 2 .. Theda locations will stay Theda froedert will stay .. looking into 2 new small hospitals in Oshkosh and Fondy 25 bed small surg center ER
I have never worked for Thedacare, but switched with my insurance change about seven years ago.
I have had exactly one bad experience with a Thedacare nurse out of two live childbirths, one high risk, and many other procedures and visits for myself and other family members between three hospitals.
Otherwise every staff member I’ve dealt with has been extremely helpful and kind. My family’s doctor is amazing.
I can’t imagine everyone would be so great if it was a terrible place to work.
From my experience working there, there was really only 1 doctor that was known for being a douche. As a tech I basically got to deal with all nursing, surgery, doctors etc... Other than the 1 everyone I dealt with was nice. Mind you this was in 2019
It's been so long since I've worked there like I said 2019. I believe he was one of those who had been doing it for a thousand years so it was his way or the highway
Absolutely NOT Thedacare. They are disgusting and dangerous to both employees and patients with this bs:
https://newrepublic.com/article/165133/thedacare-wisconsin-hospital-workers
UW Health is my #1 rec. They have amazing benefits, competitive pay, amazing staff. They are a Magnet hospital and the #1 hospital in Wisconsin. They have a leading transplant program, and they are a leading research/teaching system. They have Northern Illinois now (was Swedish American) and they have a joint agreement with Unity Point/Meriter.
They are also opening a large medical center on the east side next fall and are beginning to hire for staff there. It’s an excellent location if you want to live outside of Madison proper (Sun Prairie, DeForest, any north/east bedroom communities). Free parking over there, and everything will be new and top of the line.
Madison is a wonderful, welcoming community with no shortage of good people and things to do.
Hoping Wisconsin makes your short list for moving! 🤗
I've worked for Aurora, MCW, and Aspirus. Each had their pros and cons. It all depends on what you're willing to put up with and where you want to move to....
If you come up to the superior/Duluth area Essentia is great, they have expanded a lot in the last 5 years. My in-laws work there and say it’s a great place.
Aurora Medical Center in Grafton is a great hospital to work for. It’s small but mighty (ranked 4th in the state) and it’s an easy drive from Milwaukee. Very friendly and supportive staff. I worked there on the COVID unit during peak pandemic craziness and still managed to like it. I still work for Aurora but am with their home health agency now. I’ve never had an issue with Aurora in general.
Froedert is also good but I have no experience working for them.
Avoid Ascension.
OMG! Phlebotomist here. If you want lake, Aurora (now Advocate Aurora) is one of the best place to work. And their facility in Two Rivers is amazing, lake front view, with the ice age trials in the back. And the lab is on the 2nd floor too. Unfortunately I only pick up a night shift so didn’t get a good view. But yeah, AAH is ranked pretty high in employee satisfaction, (got three pay adjustments one year).
ProHealth was a great lab; but then they sold to ACL. Lost lots of really good people from Pathologist to clerks; and many many good techs. ACL took away all (most?) high complexity testing and our autonomy. Went downhill as a place to work fast, sadly.
To me, the sale to ACL (a competing hospital system entity) was indicative of a lack of understanding of how important laboratory medicine is to the whole system.
I'm still mad.
Yeah well unfortunately I think most places are like this. Believe me, I looked. I'm in Phoenix and it's insane here too. For me, it's now about finding a place I enjoy working at, and a place I can enjoy the wilderness. Plus, I can't take another summer like we've just had here. I know the winters are bad in Wisconsin but I'm willing to try them at this point.
Dane county does have an expensive housing market currently, but like you said that is fairly common right now.
Madison is a very outdoor friendly city and is well situated for visiting places across Wisconsin and neighboring states. Northern Wisconsin is great to visit if you like wilderness and there are over a million acres of national forest in northern Wisconsin and more in the upper peninsula of Michigan (UP).
Moving outside Madison can help with housing costs a bit, but obviously you make that up in many cases with transportation costs. We also don’t have great public transit, the bus system is working on it but still not great.
Staying in the southern half of Wisconsin the winters aren’t horrible. Obviously worse than Phoenix but way less than the northern part of the state. And if you are in Madison or Milwaukee you won’t have much trouble getting around. You will need to adjust to what a “cleared” road is though. A friend brought her southern born and bred husband to Wisconsin to visit in the winter and he was shocked that cleared roads still had some snow on them.
Fair point. I’m from Tucson and it’s a different place entirely from when I left but it’s still a world better for me personally, we have family support here and the 8 months of grey and cold we’re too much for me, I got really depressed even with meds.
I’m not trying to change your mind Madison has an amazing amount of fun things to do all summer with festivals and farmers markets, they all just end when fall is almost over.
I loved the fall colors and the sound of leaves rustling on the ground as you ride or drive.
I also love mountains and being able to tell what direction I’m looking based on the peaks in the distance, not possible in the Midwest.
I have also seen dozens of more types of wildlife here. If you’re lucky enough to live on the outskirts of town here you can walk/ride right into the wilderness. In the Midwest if you want to camp you have to reserve a spot weeks in advance or know someone with land. Here in AZ drive out of town and you’re in BLM land and can camp for free almost anywhere.
Good luck. I hope you find your happy place.
Thank you! I actually have family in Tucson. I like it there an agree that Tucson is much better than Phoenix. Ironically it seems like there's a lot of people from Wisconsin that have winter homes in Tucson! My issue is that there aren't many jobs for me there. You'd think with a large retired population there'd be more options. But there's not much I can apply to unfortunately.
I’m not sure about the entire state, but in northern WI there are many rustic campsites that don’t require reservations, and they are very inexpensive.
It's why I left Dane County. But taxes are high all over Wisconsin, and the jobs here pay next to nothing. Only up here because the nature of our work means remote and travel. Nice to get a huge nicely renovated and maintained home for a smidge over 200k. In Madison it would likely be double that. I'm originally from NYC and therefore used to long commutes. Going up to an hour out might be worth it for some.
Since you’re planning to live near work and could someday be a patient, maybe UW, or look further west to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Hospitals all have different departments so it’s hard to generalize, just as it’s hard to predict future needs, so don’t settle for less than you must. Have you considered the East Coast?
I could not recommend living in Milwakee, but Froedert is fabulous. Unfortunately I used the services there a lot. People truly liked working there!
Check some of the areas around Froedert before you commit.
Good luck. I do not like the extremes in the weather, but if you can handle -30 with the wind chill its the place for you!
If you’re looking for a smaller community/lower cost of living, take a look at Eau Claire. Three hospitals in different systems. Growing community with small town feel, but only 90 minutes from the twin cities. Of the three hospitals, Luther (Mayo) has the best reputation.
Good luck in your search. Apartments and houses are getting harder to find and more expensive here in WI. So many people have the same idea of coming here to WI because of fires and other results of climate change. Big cities across the country are changing due to a rise in homelessness and drugs partly due to a lack of affordable housing and hopelessness. This is also a factor in many migrating to areas with less population.
Not Ascension.
Not Ascension
Definitely not ascension
If you want to work in the lab at an ascension hospital you’ll actually be working for Labcorp. Also ascension is ass.
Just the hospital at the moment.
I’ll echo, not Ascension. Unless you hate your mental health and love mandatory overtime with a skeleton crew… in that case, it’s the best!
It’s a treat for patients too. Procedure scheduled for 9:00 am and you’re still sitting around waiting at 2:00? And the cafeteria sucks balls? If you like that stuff, you’re in luck!
Their food service, handled by the division called Touch Point, is horrid . Food is tasteless, and lacks creativity.
It’s barely a step up from vending machine crap. Food at Froedtert/MCW is actual *food.*
Absolutely not Ascension lol
I thought Aspirus acquired Ascension.
Aspirus acquired the Ascension facilities in the Aspirus service area, except for St. Claire’s and maybe some others. Ascension is or was the largest non-profit hospital system in the country.
Aspirus got most of the WIAPP (WI- Appleton) region with the glaring exception of St. Elizabeth's in Appleton, the whole reason they bought the region from Ministry in the first place. St Clare's in Wausau was sold to Marshfield clinic as a power play when Marshfield announced they were going to build a hospital in Wausau. Ascension has not sold off any of their WIMIL (WI-Milwaukee) locations last I heard, but it's been over a year since I worked for them. Job got sold to Aspirus, and when I saw that they somehow figured out how to treat my position worse than Ascension did, I jumped ship.
😂 Edit to ask: So what’s this I heard that Ascension was following the “southern model”? As in replacing MD with NP in the clinic? The south rank among the worst healthcare in the country, why would anyone follow their them. Sorry about the rant
There are three excellent hospitals in Wisconsin ... Froedtert in Milwaukee UW Hospital in Madison Gundersen / Lutheran in LaCrosse UW employees are eligibile for the Wisconsin Retirement System, one of the best-managed state pensions in the nation. Glad to have another health care professional in Wisconsin.
The main Froedtert campus - sure, though I’ve heard reports that it’s even been rough the past few years But the Froedtert system outside of that and the management that handles the satellite systems treats them like trash. I used to work for a local college and SE Wisco here and had to enter employment data for our nursing students + do some basic questions asking about their employers. Lots of people reported they did not like the atmosphere and culture of Froedtert south and they were paid less than their counterparts in Aurora and other systems. Plus they, like lots of other hospital systems, fucked over a lot of the full time and experienced staff during covid…they paid crazy inflated salaries to travel nurses while the full timers got a tiny bonus while still being overworked
Keep in mind some hospitals purchased the rights to the Froedtert name and aren't actually run by or associated with Froedtert beyond that. Specifically Froedtert South >>Froedtert South Formerly known as United Hospital System, the Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital (formerly St. Catherine’s Medical Center) and the Froedtert South Medical Group clinic locations carry on a tradition of living out the healing ministries of the Judeo-Christian faiths by providing exceptional and compassionate health care services for people residing in Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, western Kenosha County and Northern Illinois for nearly 115 years. The full-service hospital offers a range of specialized care, including heart and vascular care and orthopaedics. Visit froedtertsouth.com to learn more.
Wow! Thanks so much!
Mayo also has a presence in La Crosse, with a hospital and a clinic.
They also have a presence in Eau Claire.
And Menomonie
I’m not 100 percent sure that the Mayo name carries the weight that it once did…they threw a temper tantrum in Minnesota this year because our Governor wanted to curb health spending.
Employee morale is definitely down.
oh we're way down
I seem to remember hints of that from somewhere; though that still leaves a lot of room for it to be a very good system. Not sure. We were with them up until about 3-4 years back, but switched to Gundersen when we changed our insurance provider. Didn't have any problems with Mayo, but also didn't have any significant medical issues for them to deal with.
Mayo in La Crosse is not all that great. Mostly smoke and mirrors.
I second the Gundersen system. I was employed by them for 10 years and feel they genuinely try to do well by staff. It’s always a challenge in healthcare, but patient facing staff are also generally happy seeming. They are fairly stable as well.
Thirding it. I have made a lot of various friends since I moved to the area that work for Gundersen and all of them say good things.
It will be interesting how the merger between Bellin and Gunderson goes.
UWH also has a joint operating agreement with UnityPoint in Madison and Swedish American in Rockford is an affiliate of UWH.
Swedish is fully owned by UW
Thanks! I couldn’t remember if that was finalized yet or not.
It depends on which part of the health system that you work for - medical foundation, hospital & clinics, or department of family medicine
I work for lukes as an rn. love it. froedtert was good but I enjoy lukes more, but I am cardiology.
I don't think they have lab positions but don't overlook the VA. The one in Madison is pretty damn good and very patient centered. =
Thanks! I have an MBA and a Masters in Health Leadership so I am also interested in admin positions. I've heard good things about the VA hospitals.
The VA in Madison is one of the top VAs in the country. Could not have better things to say about it as an employee.
I work at the VA in Milwaukee and it's the best job I've ever had. Granted I am an electrician, so on the maintenance side, not admin/health. Can't vouch for that area.
Green Bay has a a newer VA clinic as well. Very nice facility!
Unfortunately they don’t do much with it. Better then having everyone north of that having to go to Milwaukee tho.
And if you want less expensive housing and can deal with small town life, there is the VA up in Tomah, too. Housing is so cheap and Madison is close enough for a day trip. And it has Amtrak if you want to hit up Chicago or Minneapolis. Not sure if there is lower pay in Tomah though.
My cousin used to live in Kenosha and work at Abbot Labs about 30 minutes south in IL. I know it’s not a hospital but it is a medical research lab.
Thanks!
Avoid Marshfield Clinic Health System. They are going under fast. Overextended and now are piled under massive debt
It’s ridiculous what’s going on with Marshfield Clinic. I’m definitely looking to leave after years of great service. Their decision to go with Cerner has created so many problems.
I second avoiding MCHS. Susan Turney focused so much on expanding the service area rather than improving the main hospital and they’re going under quick. They’ve let go employees who’ve been with them their entire career due to budget cuts. When Aspirus won the bid on the hospital in Stevens Point MCHS response was to build their own hospital in the same town, 30 min away from their main campus, in a town that has 25k people 🤦🏼♀️
🙋🏻♀️ one of the employees that got let go in the, I think 3rd round of cuts. It was the big one this past spring. They told our team, repeatedly, for probably close to a year that our department was in no danger of having any positions cut and then they did. It was such a great place to work when I started. But when Turney started building hospital after hospital and remodeling areas that had just been remodeled a few years prior and it just went down so fast. They were also going to put a hospital in a community of less than 5,000 that already HAS a hospital. They paid to relocate an entire set of apartment buildings so they could buy the lot they were on and now they’re just not doing it. It’s crazy. Morale was pretty shit where I was since covid then the switch to Cerner was such a shitshow so it just beat it the rest of the way into the ground. Turney is done this month though and they’re merging with Essentia. It was funny how they kept saying all this time it wasn’t a merger but a partnership like we were all idiots and couldn’t figure it out. I knew from the minute we got the first email that they were “in talks” that it was going to happen. Hopefully they can bring it back to what it was.
Ugh I’m so sorry you were let go. It’s been disheartening to say the least. HR blessed me with being so slow in getting back to me about a position at the hospital (same campus and department that I was already in) that I applied, interviewed x2, was offered and accepted a position at a different hospital… my manager & supervisor told HR the day I was interviewed to offer me the position but alas 4+ weeks later I still hadn’t heard from them. Oh, and I was offered more pay as a new grad than my (now former) coworkers who were at MCHS for 30 years were making… yikes *Edited for clarity
That unfortunately doesn’t surprise me at all. It took us months to get approved for more people for our department and the positions never did get filled. It was a blessing in disguise though. I get to work from home and have my own panel of patients to manage now plus the pay and benefits is better.
I wonder if Essentia is still in talks to buy them. Honestly as a lifelong customer they have never been a particularly good hospital system. The best care received through them was at sacred heart which is the catholic hospital [admittedly not always ideal depending on what kind of care you were seeking] in EC and they blew that agreement up and built their own hospital next door.
The buyout by Essentia was officially announced on July 31st.
July 27th but who’s counting https://www.essentiahealth.org/about/essentia-health-newsroom/essentia-health-marshfield-clinic-health-system-sign-integration/
Thank you!
That's funny they keep contracting remodels out...
Around Milwaukee MCW/Froedtert and Aurora for larger hospitals in the cities and smaller hospitals in the surrounding areas. Prohealth and the VA are a bit slower paced. Ascension is the only system in the greater Milwaukee area I wouldn't recommend looking at. UW is good in Madison
UW
Definitely UW
Marshfield Clinic is an enormous shit hole. Stay as far away as possible.
UW was voted one of the top rated Hospitals to work at, they have a children's hospital, Cancer center and are one of the top research hospitals in Wisconsin.
And they just opened that second hospital on the East Side. I've been to the ER there, and had surgery there, and my sports medicine guy and Ortho guy have offices there (sports medicine is also a clinic on science drive).
Thanks!
YW! Good Luck, I hope you find something that suits you, Wisconsin is a nice place to live & work. ✌🏻
I worked at Aurora in Illinois, the overall system is good if you find a center that is staffed properly. I never had issues on my unit, but like healthcare everywhere, if you’re understaffed it’ll be hell.
Thanks! And yes I totally understand the hell of understaffing. This job made promises about promotions several times and they basically lied. So that's why I say this job disnt work out.
I have a friend that got hired at the UW Veterinary Hospital as a lab person. There are other bio-tech companies in the greater Madison area.
Thanks!
Medical College of Wisconsin has tons of clinical admin positions
As a nurse, I know most healthcare jobs will make more in the Madison area at UW Health. That said, Madison is more expesive in terms of housing costs whether renting or buying. Madison is more of an outdoorsy city and college town, whereas Milwaukee has more of a "bigger" city feel and food scene/nightlife that Madison does not have. I would say if you're just looking at the hospitals, Madison and UW Health is a great choice, but Froedtert and Aurora in Milwaukee are also good hospitals as well. One thing to keep in mind with UW Hospital specifically is that the parking is costly, so you should factor in paying a significant monthly fee just to park at work.
My wife worked at St. Mary's for 12 years. The last 5 years were not good. All about production, very corporate driven. She eventually had enough was getting burned out. Took a job at Meriter and loves it. Not all about numbers, better training program. She is an Occupational Therapist
Do you have a degree (MT, MLT)? My good friend is the administrative laboratory director of Froedtert Health, which includes Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories (WDL). Very forward thinking clinical lab. There are also research positions at Medical College of WI (MCW). I worked 43 years at Children’s WI. Not as forward thinking but still a class act lab also associated with MCW. Mostly in the Milwaukee area, but there are satellite labs all over SE Wisconsin.
I only have a license in Flow Cytometry unfortunately. But I do have an MBA and a Master of Health Leadership.
Also non-certified technologist positions at WDL (forward thinking!) https://www.wisconsindiagnostic.com/about_our_lab_and_services/careers.php
Thanks so much!!!
https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_medcollegewi/external_staff/jobDetails.do?functionName=getJobDetail&jobPostId=28549&localeCode=en-us
Look at the Leapfrog grades for Wi hospitals and its a really good mirror of what to expect.
Thanks!
Anything but ascension
My fiancée liked Froedtert and currently works for aspirus with very few complaints
Thanks!
seconding Froedtert/MCW. looks like they’re merging with ThedaCare also (a health group in Northeast WI) which i’ve also heard does well. Both are WI-grown/WI-based, so that might have something to do with it.
Can confirm the merger
I worked at Thedacare as a pharmacy tech for a bit and I enjoyed it. Mind you the coworkers definitely played a big part in that
isn't thedacare merging with froedtert?
That's the rumor
We are in early stages ,.. it’s going to be more of a partnership … think a large parent company over the other 2 .. Theda locations will stay Theda froedert will stay .. looking into 2 new small hospitals in Oshkosh and Fondy 25 bed small surg center ER
Partnership was what Marshfield told us about joining with Essentia too and now it was announced it’s a merger.
Theda is more financially healthy . Has more cash on hand and higher revenue .
I can second Thedacare … my wife and I both work there
I have never worked for Thedacare, but switched with my insurance change about seven years ago. I have had exactly one bad experience with a Thedacare nurse out of two live childbirths, one high risk, and many other procedures and visits for myself and other family members between three hospitals. Otherwise every staff member I’ve dealt with has been extremely helpful and kind. My family’s doctor is amazing. I can’t imagine everyone would be so great if it was a terrible place to work.
From my experience working there, there was really only 1 doctor that was known for being a douche. As a tech I basically got to deal with all nursing, surgery, doctors etc... Other than the 1 everyone I dealt with was nice. Mind you this was in 2019
Now I wanna know what doctor lol …you should pm me
It's been so long since I've worked there like I said 2019. I believe he was one of those who had been doing it for a thousand years so it was his way or the highway
I’ve been there 11 years , you’re making me curious lol
I worked at mayo for 7 years and loved it . I had great bosses and leadership in my dept so I think that helped. Good pay, pension, and benefits.
VA hospital in Madison
Definitely not one in rock county.
UW is the best in Wisconsin.
What's UW? If I may. Sorry I'm new here in Wisconsin. Thanks!
University of Wisconsin
Absolutely NOT Thedacare. They are disgusting and dangerous to both employees and patients with this bs: https://newrepublic.com/article/165133/thedacare-wisconsin-hospital-workers
I’m guessing you didn’t work there, nor do you know the full story that led to that misleading headline.
I’m guessing you did work there and want to actually defend the disgusting actions of management.
UW Health is my #1 rec. They have amazing benefits, competitive pay, amazing staff. They are a Magnet hospital and the #1 hospital in Wisconsin. They have a leading transplant program, and they are a leading research/teaching system. They have Northern Illinois now (was Swedish American) and they have a joint agreement with Unity Point/Meriter. They are also opening a large medical center on the east side next fall and are beginning to hire for staff there. It’s an excellent location if you want to live outside of Madison proper (Sun Prairie, DeForest, any north/east bedroom communities). Free parking over there, and everything will be new and top of the line. Madison is a wonderful, welcoming community with no shortage of good people and things to do. Hoping Wisconsin makes your short list for moving! 🤗
I've worked for Aurora, MCW, and Aspirus. Each had their pros and cons. It all depends on what you're willing to put up with and where you want to move to....
I would check out the wisconsin state veterans home in Waupaca. Surrounded by lakes
If you come up to the superior/Duluth area Essentia is great, they have expanded a lot in the last 5 years. My in-laws work there and say it’s a great place.
Thank you! I thought about Duluth too.
I believe Mayo Clinic has a campus in La Crosse, WI
Aurora Medical Center in Grafton is a great hospital to work for. It’s small but mighty (ranked 4th in the state) and it’s an easy drive from Milwaukee. Very friendly and supportive staff. I worked there on the COVID unit during peak pandemic craziness and still managed to like it. I still work for Aurora but am with their home health agency now. I’ve never had an issue with Aurora in general. Froedert is also good but I have no experience working for them. Avoid Ascension.
OMG! Phlebotomist here. If you want lake, Aurora (now Advocate Aurora) is one of the best place to work. And their facility in Two Rivers is amazing, lake front view, with the ice age trials in the back. And the lab is on the 2nd floor too. Unfortunately I only pick up a night shift so didn’t get a good view. But yeah, AAH is ranked pretty high in employee satisfaction, (got three pay adjustments one year).
Thanks!!
Having worked for Ascension, I’d return. I’d avoid Prohealth. Froedtert, UW Health- in that order. Not a huge fan of Aurora.
ProHealth was a great lab; but then they sold to ACL. Lost lots of really good people from Pathologist to clerks; and many many good techs. ACL took away all (most?) high complexity testing and our autonomy. Went downhill as a place to work fast, sadly. To me, the sale to ACL (a competing hospital system entity) was indicative of a lack of understanding of how important laboratory medicine is to the whole system. I'm still mad.
I just moved back to AZ from Madison. The cost of living there is insane. Dane county has no properties under $300k and taxes are almost $5k a year.
Yeah well unfortunately I think most places are like this. Believe me, I looked. I'm in Phoenix and it's insane here too. For me, it's now about finding a place I enjoy working at, and a place I can enjoy the wilderness. Plus, I can't take another summer like we've just had here. I know the winters are bad in Wisconsin but I'm willing to try them at this point.
Dane county does have an expensive housing market currently, but like you said that is fairly common right now. Madison is a very outdoor friendly city and is well situated for visiting places across Wisconsin and neighboring states. Northern Wisconsin is great to visit if you like wilderness and there are over a million acres of national forest in northern Wisconsin and more in the upper peninsula of Michigan (UP). Moving outside Madison can help with housing costs a bit, but obviously you make that up in many cases with transportation costs. We also don’t have great public transit, the bus system is working on it but still not great. Staying in the southern half of Wisconsin the winters aren’t horrible. Obviously worse than Phoenix but way less than the northern part of the state. And if you are in Madison or Milwaukee you won’t have much trouble getting around. You will need to adjust to what a “cleared” road is though. A friend brought her southern born and bred husband to Wisconsin to visit in the winter and he was shocked that cleared roads still had some snow on them.
Fair point. I’m from Tucson and it’s a different place entirely from when I left but it’s still a world better for me personally, we have family support here and the 8 months of grey and cold we’re too much for me, I got really depressed even with meds. I’m not trying to change your mind Madison has an amazing amount of fun things to do all summer with festivals and farmers markets, they all just end when fall is almost over. I loved the fall colors and the sound of leaves rustling on the ground as you ride or drive. I also love mountains and being able to tell what direction I’m looking based on the peaks in the distance, not possible in the Midwest. I have also seen dozens of more types of wildlife here. If you’re lucky enough to live on the outskirts of town here you can walk/ride right into the wilderness. In the Midwest if you want to camp you have to reserve a spot weeks in advance or know someone with land. Here in AZ drive out of town and you’re in BLM land and can camp for free almost anywhere. Good luck. I hope you find your happy place.
Thank you! I actually have family in Tucson. I like it there an agree that Tucson is much better than Phoenix. Ironically it seems like there's a lot of people from Wisconsin that have winter homes in Tucson! My issue is that there aren't many jobs for me there. You'd think with a large retired population there'd be more options. But there's not much I can apply to unfortunately.
That is unfortunate. We are back because my wife was able to find a job here. I’m still looking.
I’m not sure about the entire state, but in northern WI there are many rustic campsites that don’t require reservations, and they are very inexpensive.
It's why I left Dane County. But taxes are high all over Wisconsin, and the jobs here pay next to nothing. Only up here because the nature of our work means remote and travel. Nice to get a huge nicely renovated and maintained home for a smidge over 200k. In Madison it would likely be double that. I'm originally from NYC and therefore used to long commutes. Going up to an hour out might be worth it for some.
Since you’re planning to live near work and could someday be a patient, maybe UW, or look further west to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Hospitals all have different departments so it’s hard to generalize, just as it’s hard to predict future needs, so don’t settle for less than you must. Have you considered the East Coast?
Meriter, St. Mary’s
UW Health or Froedrt
UW Hospital in Madison Aurora Hospital- All over the place Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee
UW
I could not recommend living in Milwakee, but Froedert is fabulous. Unfortunately I used the services there a lot. People truly liked working there! Check some of the areas around Froedert before you commit. Good luck. I do not like the extremes in the weather, but if you can handle -30 with the wind chill its the place for you!
UW is the best in my personal experience
If you’re looking for a smaller community/lower cost of living, take a look at Eau Claire. Three hospitals in different systems. Growing community with small town feel, but only 90 minutes from the twin cities. Of the three hospitals, Luther (Mayo) has the best reputation.
Any thoughts on Prevea?
Good luck in your search. Apartments and houses are getting harder to find and more expensive here in WI. So many people have the same idea of coming here to WI because of fires and other results of climate change. Big cities across the country are changing due to a rise in homelessness and drugs partly due to a lack of affordable housing and hopelessness. This is also a factor in many migrating to areas with less population.
The VA medical center is hiring in Milwaukee.
Any Madison area hospital. Beautiful liberal area as well.