Abu Fofanah has worked at Roland Park Place for more than seven years and was promoted to clinical coordinator in July 2013.
What does your job entail?
I act as the clinical coordinator in the health care center at Roland Park Place, which provides both long-term care and short-term rehabilitation stays for residents. ... I develop and oversee each resident's customized plan of care based on each resident's individual diagnoses. ... The nursing staff then follows the plans of care I put into place and I manage the provision of individual clinical services to residents based on the care plan. I supervise all of the nurses, nursing assistants and nursing aids delivering any clinical care to residents.
One of the most important parts of my job is serving as a liaison between residents and their family members, as well as their physicians and Roland Park Place's director of health services. ... I also have to analyze any changes in a resident's condition and identify symptoms which might lead to more acute care. ... I also provide nursing care per any plan of treatment from the resident's physician and I instruct the nursing staff on delivery of medications, any dietary needs, disease processes and resident self-care.
What kind of schooling or training did you go through?
I completed my nursing education in the United States, but I have a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry from Njala University College in Sierra Leone, West Africa, my home country. I then earned my Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership from Mountain State University in the United States. I am currently pursuing my MBA in health care management at American Sentinel University online. I also pursue and complete ongoing education in the field of geriatrics and nursing through Continued Education Units as required by the state.
What inspired you to this career?
I am from a small town in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and have had an interest in health care since childhood. ... While good health of elders is of great significance to Sierra Leoneans, health care in the country is extremely poor. I was compelled to earn a [medical-related] degree in Sierra Leone in order to join the country's health staff and contribute services at home. My passion to make a difference in the health care system within Sierra Leone has influenced me to gain knowledge, grow my experiences and ultimately specialize in geriatric nursing here in America. In Sierra Leone, it is a general cultural belief that the more you help your elders, the more blessings you receive. ... Caring for older adults has become my true passion and I hope to continue my education, receive good training and further my expertise in this field so that I can someday return to Sierra Leone and contribute my services to improve available health care services there.
What do you like best about your job?
When residents recover from issues they think they'll never recover from -- based on the care we gave -- it's an incredible part of the job. We see people every day who have hip fractures, for example, and think they will never walk again, but when they do walk again after all of the care and therapy and treatment we give them, they're so grateful and appreciative. I know we've not only changed someone's life, but someone's attitude about life.
What are the challenges?
I do a lot of on-the-job training with the nursing and clinical staff from showing them something small like the best way to wrap a bandage on a wound, to something big like administering medication or giving an injection appropriately. Most of the challenges I face are in finding the right balance and timing in teaching staff. I need to care for each resident and continue to show them privacy, compassion and respect -- even during a teaching moment with a nursing assistant or nursing aid, for example.