CoxHealth

If you’ve driven down National Avenue, you’ve most likely seen our skywalk signage highlighting how proud we are to be a Magnet-recognized hospital. In case you’re not familiar with this distinction, it is the highest national and international honor a health care organization can earn for professional nursing practice that supports quality patient outcomes specifically influenced by registered nurses – and Cox Medical Center hospitals are the first and only facilities in our region to be Magnet-designated. This is a years-long process involving an application, written patient care documentation and an on-site visit by a team of appraisers. Only 9% of U.S. hospitals achieve this distinction. To learn more about our Magnet status, please visit our website here: https://lnkd.in/g8grgxbb

We’ve reached a new milestone in our organization: 𝟭𝟰,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀!🎉 As the region’s largest employer, we can’t thank our colleagues enough for choosing to be a part of our team and their support for our community’s health care needs. Interested in joining us? We’re still growing! 😊 Visit CoxHealth.com/Careers for our current opportunities.

Recently, nurses from across our system were invited to Finley Farms for an evening of recognition and celebration for their professional accomplishments. At the event, we were honored to recognize many of these nurses, including Mindy Letterman, a registered nurse in the cardiovascular observation unit (CVOU). Mindy was awarded the Nurse Inspiration Silver Award for her commitment to exceptional patient care and leadership within her team. Read her nomination below: “As Mindy’s fellow colleague, for many years, I'm not sure I've met a more inspirational nurse. She is a genuinely caring, compassionate, knowledgeable and resourceful person. There are countless examples of patient care that have been exhibited that are amazing and without a doubt lifesaving. Mindy has had many years of experience in various areas of the hospital, and in particular, extensive intensive care experience, which is very beneficial to our patients in CVOU. On one occasion, a CVOU patient learned they needed open heart surgery. The patient had multiple concerns, enough that they wanted to leave without having surgery. Knowing Mindy’s expertise in taking care of patients after open heart surgeries, the patient’s nurse reached out to Mindy to see if she could help calm some of the patient’s fears. Mindy took the time to answer any questions the patient and their family had, therefore allowing them to make a fully informed decision and proceed with the surgery. On another occasion, a young patient was experiencing health problems due to drug use that they didn't disclose until Mindy completed their admission. Using her excellent communication skills and her sincere caring attitude, Mindy gained their trust, and they opened up about their struggles. Mindy spent hours finding resources for the patient and their family to help guide them. These are only two small examples of why Mindy is an exemplary nurse. She has a wealth of knowledge regarding all aspects of health care and is eager on every shift to teach patients how to better care for themselves.” “Alongside Mindy during countless shifts, I am inspired and find her exceptionally admirable. I've never met anyone more compassionately invested in everyone she encounters, whether it be her patients, their families or her coworkers. Mindy is a role model for all staff and inspires us all to be the best for our patients and each other.”

Would you like to join these smiling faces as a nurse at Cox Branson? We have a FREE event coming up that'll help you do just that. Mark your calendars for 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13. CoxHealth is hosting a hiring event for RNs and LPNs at the Branson Convention Center, located at 200 S Sycamore St. You can meet with CoxHealth nursing leaders and learn more about the perks of working as a nurse. On-the-spot interviews are a possibility. Save your spot on EventBrite at https://lnkd.in/gAZsjZEd. We hope to see you there!

This week, The Alliance for Healthcare Education announced that Evangel University joined as the organization’s first affiliate partner, marking a significant expansion of the collaborative efforts to address the region’s health care workforce needs. “We are thrilled to welcome Evangel University to The Alliance for Healthcare Education,” said Shallina Goodnight, executive director of The Alliance. “Our founding partners have already set a national precedent with this innovative collaboration. By integrating Evangel, we are taking a bold step to broaden our impact, enhancing our ability to fulfill our mission to prepare tomorrow's workforce and become the largest producer of health care professionals in the region.” You can read more below, but please join us in welcoming Evangel to The Alliance! https://lnkd.in/gNPJEnPN

Recently, nurses from across our system were invited to Finley Farms for an evening of recognition and celebration for their professional accomplishments. At the event, we were honored to recognize many of these nurses, including Megan Thimmesch, maternal child educator in pediatrics and nursing education at Cox South. Megan was awarded the Clinical Nurse Excellence Silver Award for her dedication and passion for nursing, caring for both her colleagues and patients. Read her nomination below: “Megan has been a nurse for over fifteen years and puts her heart and soul into being the best pediatrics/pediatric intensive care unit nurse possible. She is the pediatrics/PICU’s educator and also precepts on the unit. Due to our patient population, there is a high bar set to become a preceptor. Megan not only contributes to the criteria, but far exceeds it. She is so patient, kind and professional. I've never seen her get worked up or frazzled on the job. Her compassion is unparalleled. All of Megan’s wonderful qualities translate flawlessly into her work. It surprised no one that one time after her shift she went directly to the store to purchase a pair of shoes for a teenage patient that didn’t have any, then came right back to work to gift them to her patient. Megan also spends her free time researching the latest best practices to ensure we are giving the most up-to-date, quality care. We all believe she is just about the most knowledgeable nurse out there. In addition to teaching policies and nursing skills, she also teaches good work ethic, accountability and helpfulness by example. She is a dream!”

Working in health care and knowing you’ve made a positive impact on a patient and their family is an unparalleled feeling. In the Women and Newborns unit, Glenda Headlee had the opportunity to impact countless patients and their children, even caring for generations of new mothers within the same families. Now, after 41 years, Glenda is retiring from her role as nurse manager of Women and Newborns – a role she has held for 20 years of her career. Glenda began her career at CoxHealth in the Orthopedics Department as a nursing assistant. There, the nurses she worked with quickly piqued her interest in nursing school. The department she was interested in, however, was inspired by another group: the nurses in Women and Newborns that cared for her and her daughters after she gave birth. “There’s a deep connection and intimacy that happens with a nurse and new mother,” says Glenda. “It takes a lot of trust. The time the nurses spent with me as a new mom, helping me and explaining everything to me, saying ‘That’s okay and normal’ - it was inspiring.” Soon after, she joined Burge School of Nursing to pursue what would be a lifelong career in nursing. Following graduation, Glenda was hired as a staff nurse in the newborn nursery at Cox North. Over the next four decades, Glenda remained dedicated to the Women and Newborns department through its moves from Cox North to Cox South and eventually to the West Tower of Cox South. Throughout her tenure, Glenda held various roles, advancing her career from a nursing assistant to staff nurse, charge nurse, assistant nurse manager and finally nurse manager in 2004. “I've hired nurses that I have taken care of. Some of them have even brought me pictures and said ‘Look, that’s you with my mom when I was born!’,” says Glenda. “That feeling it gives you - it can’t be replicated.” Since the beginning of her career, Glenda has seen our organization grow from several hundred colleagues to almost 14,000. “We still have administrators that round. We still greet each other in the hall. When I come in in the mornings, we all speak to each other and say have a great day,” says Glenda. “We’ve grown so much, and CoxHealth still takes good care of its employees. I’ve had nothing but good things to say and the opportunities that were given to me – I’m not sure that I would’ve found that in a lot of places.” Following retirement, Glenda plans to spend time with her daughters and grandkids, traveling and volunteering in the community. “It’s been very bittersweet. I’m excited, but you hate to leave the people who have become such a big part of your life,” says Glenda. “We’ve got great young leaders coming up with enthusiasm and bright, great ideas – it's time to turn it over to the younger people.” Please join us in congratulating Glenda on her retirement! The impact you have had on our patients and community is immeasurable – thank you for your lifelong dedication to the health care field!

We’re taking home the GOLD 🥇! Not from the world games coming up, but from something even better – the Gold award from Mission Lifeline® EMS! What does that mean for patients? It means that CoxHealth EMS met the highest standards of excellence in heart attack (STEMI, which is the most severe type of heart attack) and stroke care, which is an incredible achievement! Prehospital personnel are the first care providers to patients suffering from acute emergencies, and their role in the care system for these patients is crucial and often sets the course for the patient’s outcome. “Our EMS team across the system works extremely hard to provide high-quality care to our patients – from extensive training to dedicated service – and to say I’m proud of them for this achievement is an understatement,” says Dr. Matthew Brandt, EMS Medical Director. “This recognition truly is a collaborative effort between Prehospital Services and our Emergency Department teams, and we’re honored to work with them.” In the future, if you are in need of care related to a heart attack or stroke, you can be reassured that the care you receive from CoxHealth EMS meets the highest national standard – and that reassurance is worth its weight in gold. Congratulations to our EMS team on this award!

Recently, we were honored to recognize members of various teams with a group DAISY award – an award that recognizes a collaborative group that demonstrates how improving patient and family outcomes often begins with an individual's idea but requires the collective effort of a team for successful implementation. Back in March, we shared a story of a patient in their final days, and how during this time, they were having conversations with their family and their Christian church about God, their life and life after death. In these discussions, the patient expressed their desire to be baptized before they passed. Thanks to the work of many teams, including Nursing, Corporate Compliance, EVS, Pastoral Care, CoxHealth Fitness Centers, EMS, and more, this patient was baptized within 24 hours of their initial request. This group’s (and a few more who aren’t pictured) work in going the extra mile to meet the spiritual needs of this patient is not only exactly what a group DAISY award is intended to recognize, but also the perfect representation of our vision, to be the best for those who need us. To read more about this patient’s story, visit this link: https://lnkd.in/gZXQsfMF

Preparing for your final semester of nursing school? Cross "job search" off your to-do list and apply today for CoxHealth's nationally accredited Graduate Nurse Residency Program. Applications are open for the January 2025 cohort. Learn more about the program and apply here: https://lnkd.in/ghiYhZ8P