Kindra’s Story: WMMC is My Partner for Nursing

There is no denying it – nurses are vital to providing our community with quality care. They are teachers, caregivers, advocates, critical thinkers, and innovators that provide critical care when a patient needs it most. This is Kindra Cox’s story, an RN, BSN, and why she loves being a nurse at Western Missouri Medical Center’s Emergency Department.

Kindra Cox, RN, BSN, at Western Missouri Medical Center’s Emergency Department Trauma Room

Kindra Chooses WMMC For Her Patients

Western Missouri Medical Center (WMMC) is proud to have nurses like Kindra taking care of patients. Kindra is a Charge Nurse in the Emergency Department (ED) during the day and is passionate about everything she does as a nurse at WMMC.

“I connect with patients every day,” Kindra says when talking about how much she loves being at a patient’s bedside. “I can speak to any lab work of any patient we have in the emergency room at any given time. It’s a challenge but I absolutely love it.”

Kindra chooses WMMC for her patients because of the vast amount of services that are offered here. We are a Level III Trauma, Stroke and STEMI center with a significant number of telehealth services to keep our community members close to their loved ones.

Kindra programming an IV pump.

Kindra’s Greatest Accomplishments at WMMC

Recently, Kindra was a finalist at the Annual March of Dimes in the Emergency/Transport Category. Kindra began her career at WMMC as a tech in the ED while attending nursing school at the University of Central Missouri. She leads the ED improvement committee which has focused on decreasing wait times for lower acuity patients. Three years ago, the ED was experiencing much longer wait times. Today, the Fast Track is in place and staffed to see and treat lower acuity patients in a timelier manner; ultimately decreasing wait times and increasing patient satisfaction.

“At WMMC my proudest accomplishment is leading the ED Improvement Committee which implemented the ‘Fast Track’ in our emergency room,” Kindra says. “This committee built a process that moved lower risk patients through the emergency room quicker by seeing a nurse practitioner so they can be treated quickly.”

Kindra truly loves providing patient-centered care and wants to better their experience. She explains that so often you are not just the nurse that patients need, but also the friend they need, and this shows in everything she does. Since graduation, she has worked as a new graduate in the ER and was promoted to Charge Nurse. Some days in the ED are more challenging than others, but there is always someone to brighten her mood at the end of the day whether it is her patients or her coworkers.

Kindra Cox and her Coworkers in the ED.

Left to Right: Dr. Allen, Kindra Cox, with Jessica Shane, Rachel Rozell, Morgan Wahn, and Jennifer Wisocky.

Kindra is Grateful for the WMMC Team

You will never feel alone at WMMC – the staff is always being supportive and lifting each other up. When Kindra was asked what word she would use to describe WMMC she quickly said “Gratitude!” When talking to nursing staff at huddle first thing in the morning and sharing what each of us is grateful for, you’ll always find someone who is grateful at WMMC.

“My best day at work is any day I am able to come to work with my coworkers and positively impact someone’s life. The ED staff is truly my extended family,” Kindra says. “Every day I come to work I know that I have the support system I need. If I have a critical patient I can look to my left or my right and know that each and every one of my coworkers know what they are doing and can help care for our patients, even the most critical cases. I think every day is the best day when you have that.”

Why Kindra Chooses WMMC

When asked why she chose to stay at WMMC after graduating her answer was simple – the family bond with her staff and the opportunity to use all of her skills.

“What makes WMMC so unique is the patients we help in the rural healthcare setting. We get a nice mixture of rural and urban hospital-type cases. I love how we have the capabilities of caring for a little bit of everything; including critical care cases, at one facility, in a manageable way. We have such a broad horizon of skills with that family feel. I have never felt that anywhere else.”

It is nurses like Kindra who help make quality care, closer to home happen every day at WMMC; and we are so grateful for our nurses! Share Kindra’s story to help spread our gratitude for nurses like Kindra!

Kindra’s Story: WMMC is My Partner for Nursing

Other Recent Posts by WMMC: