On September 24, Children’s Minnetonka Surgery Center is celebrating 25 remarkable years of service. To commemorate this milestone, we’re highlighting three employees who have worked at this location since it opened in 1994. Keep reading to learn more about Michele Meier, an operating room circulating nurse; Jerry Gunn, facility engineer; and Gayle King, staff RN.
Get to know Michele, Jerry and Gayle
What do you love most about your job?
Gayle King: I really love the children. They are all so different and yet the same. They have families that are a part of what I work with and learn from. I am inspired daily how amazing Children are!
Jerry Gunn: I love making a difference and working with all the great people out here.
Michele Meier: I really love working in pediatrics, as well as helping families feel welcome and less nervous pre-operation. It is the most satisfying part of my job.
Do you have a favorite memory from working at Children’s?
Jerry Gunn: We had two animals donated out here for display by an artist, a zebra and a giraffe. The giraffe happened to be too tall to get him inside the building, so we “scheduled surgery” and “amputated” his legs and reattached his feet. Throughout the “procedure,” we were all wearing scrubs! The artist did the work and we assisted. It ended up getting on KARE-11 news – great publicity for us!
Michele Meier: The first couple of years that Children’s Minnetonka was open, we had a very small staff. Each team member had a common goal: to make Children’s Minnetonka a successful surgery center. We were each other’s “work family.”
Gayle King: When in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) many years ago, a 13-year-old patient told her mother she saw a rainbow moments before she passed away. It was very moving as I spent time with her and her family that day. It inspired me deeply that there is hope and beauty in life as we walk on our human journey. And it is the children that show us the way if we pay attention.
What do you want families to know about the work your team does at the Minnetonka clinic?
Michele Meier: Each member of our team at Children’s Minnetonka truly puts “kids first.” We all believe in being a strong advocate for each patient.
Gayle King: We started small and were able to base so much on giving quality, patient-centered care. We were given room to invest our ideas and efforts to be part of a business that has grown, survived and still is a desired place to work. Our connection to Children’s gives us strength and success. We just have the luxury of doing it in small more intimate ways.
Interested in joining our team?
We’re looking for individuals who are driven to join us in our mission to champion the health needs of children and their families. Want to make Children’s Minnesota an even better place? Apply today.
