What Does a Patient Transporter Do? Meet the Man Behind the Name at CoxHealth

Ask Dave about his job at Cox Medical Center Branson, and he probably won't start with hospital hallways or wheelchairs.

He'll tell you about the Navy.

From the Navy to a new chapter: Dave's path to a second-career hospital job

He served from 1967 to 1971 before earning a degree in electrical engineering, one he laughs that he never actually used. Instead, life led him into sales, where he spent decades helping people, first as a manufacturer representative and later working at an automobile dealership in Maryland.

When that chapter came to an end, Dave was 62 years old.

"I asked my wife, 'Are we up for one more adventure in life?'"

The answer was yes.

The couple sold their home, moved to Branson to be closer to their daughter, and embraced a new beginning. Dave worked wherever he could.

Then came the chapter neither of them expected.

His wife, a nurse, was diagnosed with cancer. Dave stepped away from work to care for her during her illness, staying by her side until she passed away.

Not long afterward, he saw an opening for a patient transporter at the hospital.

"I was kind of surprised I got the job," Dave says with a grin. "In a week, I'll be 79."

Today, it's hard to imagine the hospital without him.

What is a patient transporter? A day in the life at CoxHealth

As a patient transporter, Dave's days are filled with moving patients between departments, delivering beds and equipment, and responding wherever help is needed. But ask him what his job really is, and his answer has nothing to do with logistics.

"My goal is to get people from Point A to Point B safely... and put a smile on their face."

It's a simple philosophy that patients remember.

In fact, coworkers and patients know him so well as "Transporter Dave" that he even wears a hat with the nickname stitched across the front.

Why patients remember "Transporter Dave"

Dave understands that every person he transports is carrying something more than a hospital bracelet. Many are anxious. Some are facing surgeries. Others are receiving difficult diagnoses or heading to chemotherapy treatments.

"You don't know what their circumstances are," he says. "There's a lot of fear."

Sometimes people want to talk. Sometimes they don't. Dave has learned to recognize the difference.

"I just try to help relieve a little anxiety."

His compassion comes from personal experience.

In 2017, Dave was a patient at Cox Branson after suffering a heart attack. Years later, complications following back surgery brought him back to the hospital, where he spent several days being treated for a bloodstream infection before completing a month of infusion therapy.

"The care was phenomenal," he says. "Absolutely incredible."

He also remembers watching his wife receive chemotherapy in the Infusion Center.

"The nurses were awesome," he recalls. "I still see them today, and they still remember my wife."

Those experiences gave him a unique perspective. He knows what it feels like to sit beside the hospital bed and what it feels like to lie in it.

It's one reason every trip down the hallway matters.

The CoxHealth team that keeps him coming back

Dave says one of the greatest surprises has been the people he works alongside.

He especially praises the ICU team, his "A Team," along with nurses, physicians, environmental services, food service staff, and everyone who makes the hospital run.

And as one might suspect, it's the little moments that make him smile.

You see, there's another employee named Dave who works in the cafeteria.

"Whenever we see each other it's, 'Dave!' 'How you doing, Dave?' 'Doing good, Dave!'"

Those everyday interactions are part of what keeps him coming back.

Outside of work, Dave beams with pride when talking about his family. His daughter, who lives with him, recently lost 130 pounds through determination and discipline and has become his go-to technology expert. His son, who still lives in Maryland, is raising a family of his own.

Family has always been at the center of Dave's life.

So has service.

A career built on caring: why CoxHealth careers like Dave's matter

Whether serving his country, helping customers or comforting nervous patients in a hospital hallway, every chapter has shared a common thread: caring for people.

For Dave, this job isn't about staying busy. It's about staying connected.

And after nearly eight decades of life, that's exactly where he still wants to be.

"I don't think I've ever had a day when I wasn't excited about coming to work here," Dave says.

For patients, a transporter may simply be the person taking them to their next destination.

For those who meet Dave, he's often much more than that.

He's a reassuring smile.

A listening ear.

A friendly conversation.

A reminder that sometimes the most meaningful care happens between Point A and Point B.