New medical provider's good bedside manner came naturally

MATTAWA — The first characteristics you notice when you meet Cindy Reed are her nearly-constant smile and a warm personality that comes from the heart

A nurse practitioner, Reed is one of the newer medical providers at the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic on Government Way. She joined the staff last year.

Reed’s manner of speaking is mixed with smiles and laughs, and she loves to talk about how she came to Mattawa. It was a long road, and it was unplanned.

Reed was an only child, but she wasn’t a brat. She was close to her parents all of their lives. Not long after she was married, she moved to Tacoma to be near them.

“We were a unit,” she said.

Reed was the daughter of a U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant. She lived in numerous states and countries, twice in Germany. She graduated from Frankfurt American High School.

Reed was not a rebellious military brat. She enjoyed all of the places she lived with her parents. She especially liked meeting new people and making new friends.

Those experiences were likely responsible for Reed’s personality today. She came into the medical profession with a ready-made comforting bedside manner.

Reed was born in Indiana, but she had ties to Washington state. A couple of uncles, whom she met, were wheat farmers near Bickleton.

Reed started high school in Georgetown, Washington D.C., where her father was stationed. Then he was sent to Germany. So she graduated from Frankfurt American.

Reed didn’t become a nurse because of some long-held dream or plan. She just woke up one morning and decided to become a nurse.

Reed started her registered nurse studies at the University of Maryland while her father was stationed in the area. Her father was reassigned to McChord AFB near Tacoma. Married, Reed and her husband followed him and her mother to Tacoma.

Reed continued her nursing studies at Tacoma Community College, then finished her bachelor’s degree online with Phoenix University. In her mid-20s, Reed launched a registered nurse career that would last more than 30 years. She still doesn’t know why she chose nursing, but she’s glad she did.

“Nursing is never boring,” she said. “It was a serious job, but the people I took care of were inspiring.”

Reed is referred to as a provider because she does the work of a doctor but is not one. She is also not a physician’s assistant, who must do his or her work under the supervision of a doctor.

“I could start my own family practice if I wanted,” she said.

Reed had been in nursing for many years when she started to think and then dream of becoming a NP. She had learned a lot from doctors with which she worked. She was confident she could do the same work and handle the responsibility.

“When you’re a nurse, you follow someone else’s orders,” Reed said. “As a nurse practitioner, you make the decisions.”

Reed finally took that leap toward NP six years ago at the urging of her husband. He reminded her of her dream and her capabilities.

“He thought I would be good at it,” she said.

All Reed needed to qualify for the NP program was a bachelor’s degree and three to five years of experience in acute care. She had that, and some. Studying online, she earned the master’s degree she needed from Georgetown University.

“It takes three to three and half years,” Reed said. “All I could think of was the next test, the next paper.”

Thankfully, most of what she needed to learn in the course she already knew. She learned during her nursing studies and all of the years working with doctors.

Reed was in no rush to find a place to start her NP career. She remained a nurse in the oncology department at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland while she waited for an opportunity to open up.

During all of her years of Air Force travels, Reed had enjoyed small towns the best. She got to know people, and people got to know her. She jumped when the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic opportunity presented itself.

“The staff was so welcoming,” she said.

After accepting the position, Reed came to the realization that she had just changed her life drastically. Now she’d be calling the shots, making the decisions and taking responsibility for a patient’s health.

“It was scary,” she said. “There was that moment of ‘What have I done?’”

Things went smoothly from the start. The patients were quite friendly. There were no major crises.

“The last two months, my confidence as a provider has gone way up,” Reed said.

Reed still lives in Tri-Cities, where her husband is an electrician, but she believes she will come to know the community. Already she likes the dispositions of the patients she’s treated.

They all thank her. She especially appreciates the ones who return later to thank her. Some call her Cindy. Some call her doctor.

“Cindy is just fine,” Reed said. “I am not a very formal person.”

No, she’s not. Probably because of all that travel and making friends around the world.