Olu consistently illustrates Compassion through service. Prior to coming to the main campus, Olu worked as a Jail Health nurse. He is able to recruit even the most emotionally difficult patients to participate in their plan of care. One patient said, "I only want to see Olu. I know he will help me and take care of me."
Integrity is at the core of everything Olu does. Wound care has been challenging in the last few years at Parkland and transparency is critical. Olu is an excellent clinician who still examines the care he gives to each patient every day. He brings cases to the team for discussion and solicits input from the group to make sure he is providing the best care in each case.
When asked about what makes Olu so special, his teammates respond with, "that smile." Inevitably they smile, too, with the recollection. One colleague responded, "Olu has a way of discussing cases that brings a calming environment, without defensiveness" where everyone can learn. This respect is evident in his clinical care as well. In a recent situation where he was stuck with an urgent episode and was receiving frequent calls from another floor with a patient in need, Olu never lost his cool. His response was simply, "Let me go and help. For them to be calling again when they know what is happening here means something's up."
Olu functions as the hub for multi-disciplinary COLLABORATION on behalf of his patients. In one case he worked with the patient, the primary nurse, social work, and Dr Minshall's team to create an appropriate discharge plan for a patient with colon cancer. In another case he managed a very complex wound and the provider wrote, "Just wanted to let you know that Olu is taking great care of our Orthopaedic patients and the patient expressed particular gratitude for his services."
Another teammate speaks eloquently to Olu's LEADERSHIP. She said,"I nominated Olu for the DAISY Award last time because I love watching his therapeutic communication." She went on to explain how Olu demonstrated the value of this technique when dealing with an angry patient. "He was able to validate the patient's feelings, redirect his conversation, all the while providing great clinical care." In addition to his smile, nearly every person on the team says "Olu is NEVER too busy to help." He makes time to assist in complex cases, discuss photos and initiate care conferences.
Board certified in both wound and continence specialty, Olu's EXCELLENCE is evident daily as the content expert in his field. He is engaged in evidence-based practice and helped drive a recent change in Parkland's Wound Care Treatment Protocol involving the management of infected wounds. His excellence doesn't stop at work. In the community he has lectured about wound care nursing at the Medical Magnet high school here in Dallas. He is also active in our local Nigerian community and recently coordinated a dinner for a visiting dignitary from his country.
For Parkland's wound care patients a discharge plan cannot be created without attention to their social situation. Olu has become an expert at using Parkland resources and community resources to create a functional plan for his patients. His careful planning for desired outcomes is the definition of STEWARDSHIP.
Even in the day to day stress of a small department with many patients and a heavy workload, Olu stays rock solid. He is a stabilizing factor for this team. He is almost always smiling and if you ask how he is, he nearly always says, "Great!" His kindness and generosity are legendary. During one of the floods he started a canned food drive, when one of the nurse's garages burned down he started collecting money for expenses and when our long-time EVS professional was retiring he lead the collection campaign then as well.
Parkland is a better place because Olu Akinfolajimi works here. The Wound Care Service is blessed to call him colleague and friend.