Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Did you know that first year nurses experience the highest turnover of any group?
That reality is staggering, but it also tells us something important.
You are not alone and your growth matters.
Welcome to the All One Nurse Podcast where we are bridging the gap between the stethoscope and the soul through real nursing stories and nursing conversations.
Here our mission is simple, to get back to the human side of healthcare.
I'm your host, nurse Chanel Tompkins and I'm also your mentor and nurse educator. And this space was created just for you to breathe, to learn, to grow, and most importantly, feel supported no matter where you are in your nursing journey.
So take a deep breath and let's step into your next breakthrough. And welcome back to the All One Nurse Podcast. I'm your host Chanel Tompkins and we're supporting you, my new and aspiring nurse, as you transition into your early career as a professional nurse. And Today we're honoring Dr. Amaka Akanade, who is a trailblazer in chronic wound and ostomy care. I met Dr. Amaka Akonnade back in March this year at a conference, the Nurses Making Money Moves conference, hosted by Dr. Farrah Lawrence. And it was really awesome. And I knew that she was a clinician on a mission and what she does and continues to do will bless her community in a mighty way. Dr. Akonnade has her DNP. She's a certified family Nurse practitioner as well as a certified Advanced practitioner for wound Ostomy care. With many of years of clinical experience, she has transformed patient outcomes through evidence based nurse led protocols like cutting venous ulcer, healing times nearly in half and saving health care systems over. Listen to this 1.2 million doll through smarter and earlier interventions. And her work bridges that precision and dignity, expanding access through telehealth and mentorship that empowers nurses everywhere to deliver world class wound care. She's awesome. So much so that she's been recognized as champion of change. And her leadership reminds us that a well educated nurse tending to patience is one of the most powerful forces of healing. Now let's dive into her story, which is one of purpose, innovation and the heart of nursing in action. And I'm so excited to have you here to tune in. If you're new here, welcome. Go ahead and click that subscribe button so that you don't miss another wonderful episode. And don't forget to stay tuned to the very end so that you can find out how to connect with Amaka, whether it's through social media or her website. And of Course, how to connect with me, your host, Chanel Tompkins, and join our awesome all one nurse community. Okay, let's dive in. Welcome, Ms. Amaka Akonade.
[00:03:37] Speaker B: How are you? I'm good. How are you? Thank you for having me. Yes.
[00:03:41] Speaker A: I'm doing wonderful. I'm just so glad to have you here with us on All One Nurse.
[00:03:47] Speaker B: I'm glad to be here.
[00:03:48] Speaker A: Yes. So tell us, tell us a little bit about you. What brought you into nursing? Because you've been doing this for a, for quite a bit time.
[00:03:57] Speaker B: Yes, yes, yes. Oh, gosh. I really can't even see myself doing anything other than nursing. Honestly. I've been doing this for about 15, 16 years. As a little girl, I actually wanted to be a pediatrician. I was like, I'm going to be a doctor. I'm going to take care of kids. And then I took this course in high school where we actually went to like a children's hospital and we went to the clinic and it was a lot to see the little kids. I'm like, I don't think I want to do this anymore. So, so I said, you know, I, I, I kind of changed my track from being like a pediatrician to then actually emulating my mom. My mom immigrated from here for, from Nigeria. When she came here, she tried to do her business. And she tried. Cause she was a business worker in Nigeria. That didn't work out. She came here in the 80s. Then she actually went to beautician and she went to beauty school. She tried to do that. And then she went to the one area where they were kind of getting everyone hiring, which is nursing. And she always told me that nursing was never anything that she felt like she wanted to do, but it was one of the ways that she could support her family. Wow. And so she went into nursing and she loves it. She's into nursing right now. 40 plus years. Wow. And now looking back, I wanted to be like mom. I wanted to be like Mommy. That's how I kind of got my first taste of nursing. What it is to be a caregiver, to be a nurturer for my mom. That's why one of the reasons I went into nursing.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: Yes. That is so awesome. Now tell us, when you got into nursing, what was your journey like? Because, you know, a lot of our listeners are new nurses or aspiring nurses. So what was your nursing journey like? Which program did you start with and go from there?
[00:05:38] Speaker B: Yes. So I, after I took a class called HOSA in high school, I knew I wanted to do the nursing and so I applied to a four year college. I went to University of Texas at Arlington. And it was a tough program. It was like a celebrated tough program.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: And I tell you, pharmacology kicked my butt. We took pharmacology. It was met because they had so many different classes altogether. I think like 17 or 18 credit courses together. But you know, I pushed through. It's. God, yeah, I pushed through. And so the pharmacology, the Med surge Med search 1 Med search 2. So I did that. I graduated and after I got my bachelor's I went back to Houston, Texas and I applied to get like a new grad residency.
Really? Yeah, new grad residency. And I would say to all new nurses, if when you graduate from nursing school, if you can get into a new grad residency, it's probably one of the best things that you can do because the program is actually designed to support new nurses and really help transition from the classroom to now kind of real life situations.
[00:06:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: I went to a particular hospital and I remember when I was in nursing school, I said, okay, I don't want to do anything with like cancer or anything with the brain. But I ended up working at a huge cancer hospital here in Houston, Texas on the neuro oncology unit. So people with brain cancer, so the two things. So that's how God kind of directs our steps. And so working on the neuro oncology unit and within the new grad residency program was absolutely amazing. I had amazing mentors who really nurtured me, who really poured into me and not only just the clinical hospital aspects of it, but just like kind of real life and dealing with patients and sometimes difficult situations that can happen between the nurse and the patient and how to handle some things like that I think was kind of almost pivotal in how I really grew into myself as a young, new 20 something year old nurse. After doing that for a little bit, I got married. And after we got married, he said, well, I have a job at Seattle. And I still said, does that mean that we're both going or do you go and you are we. Are we commuted or is this going to be a long distance as.
So I was like, all my family's here are in Houston.
[00:08:04] Speaker A: I think you're supposed to go.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: I guess I'm supposed to go now because I already have the ring, you know, so we didn't discuss it before. But you know, he, he's really. This was a amazing opportunity for him and it was hard for me because I always grew up with my family around and so it was going to be the first time in my entire life in my whole 24 years of moving away from home.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:08:28] Speaker B: And so, you know when they say, you know, a man leaves his parents? So that. That was it. Yeah, so that was it. So we moved to Seattle. And, you know, remember I said I was in neuro oncology, so I was trying to work and find different specialties so I can apply to the neuro oncology, but there was none there. There was none. There was none. I applied and applied and app.
And that finally applied to one position, and it was with a colorectal surgeon. It was total opposite. I was doing from brains, and now he's doing, like, the gut and the pelvis and all that. So I'm like, we going to the opposite, you know, the opposite way. And so I worked with him, and he dealt with a lot of patients that had irritable bowel syndrome who have Crohn's ulcerative colitis, lots of surgeries, things like that. And so I said, you know what? I need to follow the inpatient wound ostomy nurse, and I need to kind of see what she does so I can better serve your patients. Because when they're coming to me, then they're asking me, how do I put this pouch on? How do I know? How do I pack this wound? And so I need to be prepared. And so he told me to go follow the inpatient wound ostomy nurse. And I'm telling you, within two hours, maybe three hours, I said, this is what I need to be doing, this right here, this specialty. And, you know, when you have that aha moment, and, you know, you always, like, read about it, you think. But it was just like, this is it. It just felt so right. It felt so at home. And that was it. And so I went on to get my master's as a clinical nurse specialist. And at the same time I was doing that, I got my certification in wound care and ostomy care. And I was. They actually asked me, or I didn't even ask me. I just said. I assured myself. I said, well, I'm going to build a wound ostomy program here in the outpatient clinic. Because y' all not doing it. Y' all want me to do everything, so I'm just gonna make it.
Yes.
And that's what I did. And. And that was the beginning part of my journey. I did that for five years, and then I was pregnant with my first son. And I said, babe, you know how I went with you to Seattle, go back home. We need to go back home. Because, yes, my baby to be with cousins and grandmas and grandpas. So we went back here and I got my postmaster's as a nurse practitioner and went back to the hospital I was working at and did wound care, ostomy care, and then two years after that went back to get my doctorate and I got my doctorate last year and here I am now.
[00:11:05] Speaker A: Congrats.
[00:11:06] Speaker B: That's kind of like the whole. The whole nursing. So I would say for new nurses, it takes a while. If I add them all the years is maybe about 10 years, honestly through the school. But you have. But it's just so many different avenues. There's so many different ways you can really kind of hone in on your expertise and your specialty. And what I love about nursing is that it's so varied. You can do anything. If this don't work out, you can do something else that you could be a nurse and not even see a patient. Like, you could, you know, you could work informatics, you can work pet. There's a lot of AI thing, digital health. And so it's, I think, is an absolutely amazing profession to go into in any ways. This really makes sure that everyone can be a nurse and go to whatever place they want to go to.
[00:11:49] Speaker A: Yes. I love that you explained it that way. And even your journey is very unique in how you went from first and foremost. I take my hat off to you for taking on neuro for one, right out of nursing school in oncology. Like, those are a lot of neuro patients that I have witnessed have been, you know, like, just like with cancer, there is no respect of persons. Like, they can just come in young and some type of a neuro event and it's just like, oh my God.
And so that alone was accomplishment.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. And it wasn't no easy feat. And I just think that I really learned so much about myself in those early years. So I would say for new nurses to really give yourself grace, be patient with yourself, make sure that you have a good mentor and, you know, you hear a lot about, you know, how sometimes nurses eat their young and all that. And yeah, that can be true, but there also are a lot of amazing nurses who do want to teach and mentor and who do want to provide kind of like that nurturing environment. So as a new nurse, you can just thrive and you can grow.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: Yes. Now, did you experience any, any of the neg encounters when it came to orienting on some of the new units? Even as a established Nurse, you know, you were doing neuro oncology and then transferred to Seattle and working up under a surgeon. So what were your experiences like?
[00:13:22] Speaker B: That's a great question.
So when I was in neuro oncology at that hospital, I never really experienced anything like that. However, when I went to Seattle.
[00:13:35] Speaker A: As we take a brief pause in today's conversation, let's reflect on the heart of nursing and the sacred work of caring for others. Scripture reminds us in Jeremiah 30, verses 17. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord every day. Nurses are privileged, we are absolutely privileged to witness healing in many forms. Sometimes it is physical healing that can be measured and seen, and other times it is emotional encouragement, and that's a lot of the time. And also compassionate presence and the reassurance that someone cares. So whether we're tending to a complex wound, providing comfort during a difficult diagnosis, or just walking alongside a patient through recovery, I want you to know that you serve as an instrument of hope and restoration. So as you're listening today, may this verse remind you that your work reflects God's compassion through your skill, your dedication and your kindness and the intentionality to just want to acquire the skill to take care of people. Well, wherever you are in your nursing journey, you are still helping to bring healing to those who are hurting. And for those on a journey toward recovery, you may be the encouragement that they need. Sometimes it's just your presence and your kindred spirit that brings them hope. And I also want you to be encouraged knowing that healing is not just about the body, but about the whole person. So to continue to show up, continue to be your best self as you continue to take care of others. And as we continue our conversation and our discussion with our advanced wound care nurse, Amaka, let us remember that every act of care has the power to restore dignity, inspire hope, and make a healing last difference in someone's life. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17.
Now, let's return to the conversation.
[00:15:56] Speaker B: Part of my. My very first few months, I think people were just. It was just a different environment. And there was one particular nurse, and I would never forget her name. And that's how, you know, you know, people could just like, you know, like, I just never. I could see her face or her name. Yes, but what it was, you know, sometimes people carry things and then they maybe knowingly or unknowingly kind of project their own insecurities or trauma onto other people. Yes, it was very challenging working with her I think she. I don't know if the word to use is upset, but I was working with the. Again, the chief of colorectal surgery, and I think she thought as a fairly new nurse, I shouldn't be working with him. And I needed to be working with someone else. And I.
Not that I didn't deserve it, but I just didn't have enough experience to work with him. But he hand chose me, he handpicked me, he interviewed me. He said, you remind me of Michelle Obama. You know, so he. So I remember that he said, how much? But she just kind of gave me a really, really, really hard time. And yeah, I just kind of went my way whenever she come around. I just kind of know this went my way and kind of try to try to avoid her until one day when it was just no avoiding. And I finally just had.
I said, lord, just give me the right words. And we just kind of had a talk. And I don't think she. And after that talk, I don't know if she realized what she was doing or what she was projecting and come to find out there was other people that was talking to her about her behavior as well.
She was much older than me, and she's been there for a very long time. Yeah. And so after we had that talk, I think she had a little bit more respect for me. And we were good.
And we were good.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: The only thing I can outright remember that was probably a little bit negative.
[00:17:43] Speaker A: Gotcha. Thank you for sharing that. Because a lot of times we new nurses do need to hear that because they want. They need to know what the outcome was.
And it doesn't always have to end in a negative way or you don't have to stay in a disruptive environment. And a lot of times it's that conversation.
And I tell new nurses all the time, you gotta be willing to have that conversation.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: You have to open your mouth and talk because people sometimes don't know. And you have to just be willing to embrace being uncomfortable, to grow, because that's where growth really happens. When you're uncomfortable, when you're stretched, that's where it happens. And so actually, looking back, I'm very grateful for that experience because that experience kind of taught me that, you know what? I do need to voice and articulate my concerns or my feelings. And thereafter, anything that kind of made me feel uncomfortable or if it was a very uncomfortable, disruptive behavior, that it was affecting the care I provided to my patients, I was able and equipped with that courage to say, you Know what? I'm going to say something about it in a very respectful manner, but I'm going to let you know about yourself and then we're going to have a conversation.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: Yeah, that's good. Now, working up under color a colorectal surgeon and then finding your way into the wound ostomy care space.
It seems like wound ostomy care, like kind of found you.
[00:19:03] Speaker B: Yes, it definitely found me. I did not go through nursing school or even work at my first hospital saying, I want to be a wound care nurse. I didn't do, I will say working in neuro oncology when there was any, like open wounds or any surgical incisions, I would kind of gravitate because a lot of people would sometimes maybe get grossed out, like, oh, I didn't want to, you know, but I felt no big deal, you know, and I would just, I would just go. And so. But I never just grew. No, I guess grew up nursing, grew up that, oh, I want to be this. I did. I really didn't know. I was just kind of going where I had the experience.
So when I saw that need, that I needed to be equipped with the knowledge and then the skill and the skill set to adequately take care of these patients, I had to ask my surgeon. I need to, I need to really shadow and precept with this wound oxomine nurse. So when I was with her, I think I just fell in love with this. How knowledgeable she was and how much she was. She was needed. She was really needed. And the nurses, the staff, the providers, they were always looking for her because they had some issue whether it was a fistula or a leaking pouch or a complicated wound. And they would see her or us coming down and they'd just be so, oh, she's here, she's here, she's here. You know, And I just, I just love. I just love. And she really enjoy what she did. And so as I really kind of became immersed in it, I loved it. I love, I love the, the outcome. I love being able to speak to people even beyond just the out wound, just the outwardly wounds. But because, you know, when you have a surgical wound or incision or pouch, it affects your quality of life. It affects how you feel about yourself, it affects how you move in space. It affects how you communicate with people.
So if I come into a space and be with someone and stay and hold their hand and say, okay, it's going to be okay. Yeah, we're going to get you right. We're going to find the right Path that's going to stay on. You're going to be able to go to church, to Sunday service. You're going to be able to go to see your son graduate. We're going to do this together. You are not alone. And I. I love that. And I've had patience just. I mean, cry. Me too. And I'm a crier. So both of us, we're just.
Let's go.
Me too. We're just like. We're gonna get it together.
And I just. I just. I just. I love that. I just love this. And you. And you have to. There's such a space of vulnerability that you have to.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: Have to. To.
[00:21:39] Speaker B: To be like that. And I've just felt so. It's such a gift that patients give me to be that vulnerable with me, to say, I need help. I need you to help me. I want to be able to live life. I've had patients walk into my clinic and say, amaka, I just wish the cancer would have took me. I can't live with this bag. And that just breaks my heart.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Breaks my heart.
[00:22:01] Speaker B: Breaks my heart.
So to be able to restore that confidence, to restore their life, to restore, like Noah, they can go out and have life and say, you know what? Thank God I live. Thank God that the surgeon was able to do that. So that just means everything to me.
[00:22:18] Speaker A: Yes. That's so awesome. And I'm glad that you said that, because sometimes we don't see the importance, especially when you're trying to get newer nurses to understand that, to get past the task, because they're learning all the different tasks, and they want to be safe.
Of course, of course. Because they've worked hard for their license, but they have to see paths, what the patient's actually here for. And when a patient is young, they're in their 30s, their 40s, and they have a new ostomy bag, you know, that that affects them mentally, emotionally. And so I do try to make it my business, say, hey, remember, we gotta see. We gotta check in with them, and we wanna empower them to let them know, like, it's okay, like you said. So it's so good to just hear you talk about this.
[00:23:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:08] Speaker A: But, Amaka, you have done some awesome things.
You have done some awesome things, and I would love for you to just share what all you're doing now.
[00:23:18] Speaker B: Oh, gosh. Now.
So I would say about three years ago, I've been doing wound care for a long time now, and I work in a clinic, accountable care organization, where we have 37 clinics all throughout the Houston area. And so I was recruited from the hospital to really kind of start and spearhead a wound ostomy program here within the clinic. And so I was really struggling whether to do this or not, because I'm like, oh, wow, I'm leaving the safety of the hospital because this is all I've known and grew up at the hospital, now to the outpatient clinic. And so that's a whole different ballgame, you know, like, you know, in the hospital, at least, everything's there. You have all your stuff there. But in the clinic, it's just that's. That's you do you and the patient. That's it. And so I decided to take on that task. I said, you know, I don't run away from anything difficult. I like to run just straightforward to it. So I did. And we. I built the program. We did. Like, so what it is is that we have different providers. Patients who have wounds or a complex ostomy, they send us a referral, and then we see the patients. And so I've been loving to build that program up from the ground up again. It's what I love to do. And I've been doing it for about eight years. Two years ago, however, I got a little itch in me. I'm like, okay. I feel like I, you know, there's something else. And my son, he said, mommy, I think you should be doing this on your own. So. What do you mean?
[00:24:39] Speaker A: Come on.
Through the mouth of babes.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: I'm telling you, he's like, mommy. And he was very. He's usually a jokester.
[00:24:48] Speaker A: You know this.
[00:24:48] Speaker B: And he was just very quiet. And I remember driving, I looked in the rear view, and he was looking. He was just so serious, like, mommy, you're going to have your own practice. And I said, and little did he know, I've been thinking and praying on this for a year prior. And you know how, you know, we're called to be obedient? I was not. I was like, oh, no, I'm just not gonna. I'm not gonna do it. You know, I just want to go see my patients and do what I need to do and come home, do a practice. It's a whole nother thing I'm not gonna do. It's comfortable. You were comfortable that you said it. I was very comfortable. Very comfortable. And he. He just said it. And he. In fact, he spoke. Spoke the name of it, the name that I was thinking. And I was like, God, if this ain't you. I said, okay, okay. I'M okay. I'm not going to run anymore. I'm not going to run. And so for the past two years I've been working on developing my private practice, the wound care nurse led private practice. And basically what we do is we expand access to specialty wound and ostomy care to the community.
[00:25:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:51] Speaker B: Right now we have millions, millions of people who are suffering from chronic wounds, millions more who have, who are diagnosed with colorectal cancers or they have a, maybe an unexpected ostomy from either trauma, diverticulitis, what have you. And we just have such a limited shortage of wound ostomy care specialists. And so I made it my mission to really bridge the gap in that. How. And I thought, how can I really expand access? How can me just. Little Amaka. How can I just really make sure that I can see as many people as I can and it will provide that expert quality care that's desperately needed. Currently, a lot of physicians or healthcare providers are not specifically trained in wound care. So maybe when they see a wound they may say something like, oh, let's do gauze or wet to dry, or let's just give up some antibiotics and pray that it goes away.
Without really understanding the underlying etiology of why the wound happened in the first place.
[00:26:54] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:26:54] Speaker B: And so we need experts in that to say, okay, let's look at your circulation.
Is it, you have high blood sugars, Is it because, you know, the way your foot is shaping, you need a special shoe, things like that. And so I built Prodigy, that's the name of the company. I built Prodigy to really be sure that we can equip healthcare providers in expert care either through virtual, virtual like telemedicine, outpatient clinic, and also partnering with other healthcare facilities and agencies so we can expand that access. I'm very excited about it. It's like my new baby.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: It's like my, it's like my new baby. And it's like, you know when you're, you know when you're pregnant, you know you're pregnant, you're, you have all the feels and you're just, you're just happy and, and then you start getting towards the end, you're like, okay, I just need this baby. I just need this baby. Like, I, I feel like right now I'm having contractions. I decided I'm ready to go. My son, I was almost like 6 meters dilated when the hospital and at that time he was a 10 pound baby. So I'm feeling like I just need to deliver it.
Yeah. So that, so that's where I am with this, with this practice. And I'm super, super excited to really launch it and to really just share my expertise and scale it. I know it's going to be beyond my wildest dreams, but it's just been, man, it's, it's, it's. It takes a lot of work to, to, to come up with a business, develop it, have the business plan, have the right people. It's a lot of work. And I can't tell you the amount of vulnerability and just surrender I've had to have with this because I'm kind of like a type A person where I like to have all my ducks in a row. I like to have this, that, this. But I say, God, I have to give it to you. I have to give it to you. I know this is what you put in my heart and I have to give it to you. I know you and I know you will see it through. I know you will see. So that's just where I am with that. And I can't wait. I'm just so excited. I can't wait to see where it is 13 years, 5 years, 10 years from now.
[00:28:58] Speaker A: Come on. I am so proud of you, Amaka. And it's definitely. It's scary when you are type A and you're like, God, I just need to know what's around the corner.
I need to know. But unfortunately, it's that faith walk telling you it's that faith walk, right? It's you again.
You have to, you have. It's the action steps. Like, you just take the next step and God, like, I got you, but you like God. I don't see the next step after that. He's like, I got you. Just know you're heading in the right direction because you're already giving it to
[00:29:30] Speaker B: me, man, you said it right, that faith walk. And you know, it's like I thought I was part of faith, but this really tells. Like, are you really.
[00:29:40] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:29:40] Speaker B: Are you really a person of faith? And are you really going to trust me with this? You know, and like you said, I just need to know the next step. And it's hard for me because I've, I'm the eldest of four. I've always been able to take care of my siblings, now my kids and make sure everything.
And as a. And it's hard because I feel like on something, I just don't have no control. I can control when other people email me back or respond to this or do. I cannot. So I said I have to leave it in your hands and just trust in the gift that he has given to me and steward it well. So that's all I can do?
[00:30:16] Speaker A: That's it? That's all you can do? I love Tamaka. You actually won a pitch contest for Prodigy?
[00:30:24] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. It was surreal, honestly. And Dr. Farrah is amazing, number one, and so full of life and energy. And I remember her emailing saying, you need to come. You need to try. And again about being obedient. And I did not. In fact, I missed the deadline to even turn everything.
[00:30:44] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:30:44] Speaker B: And then she's like, guess what? The deadline's extended. I said, okay. And so I sent her the. The video and apply.
And when I wasn't expecting. I just wanted this to network. Honestly, I was there just to network and just to have fun. And I love the conference because it was just like no other conference I've been to. It was fun. I. I had a great time. And so when it came down to pitch, of course, Ms. Presch, the host of the pitch competition, she was amazing. And I was practicing, and I just kind of just spoke from the heart, honestly. I just spoke from the heart and kind of told the story of why I think it's just a Prodigy isn't needed. It's just. It's just really needed just to serve our community. And yes, I won. I won.
[00:31:26] Speaker A: Yes, you did. And you did an awesome job. And I think everybody that was there would agree that you were very passionate about what you were doing, and the need was great.
Because we can talk about one thing that I've been looking at a lot more is the difference between health equality and equity.
And everybody can have the ability to go buy the products they need for. For wound, wound care and ostomies. But do everybody have the means to do it?
[00:31:55] Speaker B: To do it? That's what it is.
That's what it is.
Yeah.
[00:32:00] Speaker A: That. That is what makes what you're doing so much more awesome. Now when you talk about your business and really serving underserved individuals. I had someone mention recently about ostomy care. Matter of fact, it was. It was ostomy care, wound ostomy nurse coming to talk to a group of nursing assistants. And one thing that they pointed out is that you will be surprised. Some of the things that people do not have when you get into home, like the home health setting or outpatient settings, they don't. They don't have some of the equipment or the supplies that are provided in the hospital. So it's so much more important to make sure that they have what they need to kind of empower them, to make sure they, that we talk to them not only from that emotional standpoint, making sure that they're hey. That they have the get up to even want to touch it.
[00:32:50] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:32:51] Speaker A: To get better and to know in most cases it's reversible and guess what? And they come back and they get it reversed and all is well.
[00:32:59] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:33:00] Speaker A: And so it's one of those things. And so when you're out there in the outpatient setting, it is just remarkable how you are truly serving the community.
[00:33:10] Speaker B: And so it's hard. I know you mentioned like going to like the hospitals and going to home health nurses and working in the clinic. I've seen a lot of patients who come and then they say, well my home health nurse didn't know that or she didn't, you know, she didn't know that. And it's not even like, because it's not really this taught like that. And then I've had patients likewise who come to the clinic and say, you know what? I was in the hospital, I vaguely remember a nurse saying something but they're, you know, still recovering from anesthesia, a major surgery and they don't remember. So they come back and they're like, what, what do I do with this? And so, you know, especially like if you're a new nurse or you're a travel nurse or you're going to the home health, I would say get with your local wound care nurse or your ostomy nurse and say, okay, this is what I know. What other tips do you have for me? Or I have this patient and we TR this what other tips I've had. So, and I love, love, love. I love the nurses who call me up or send me emails or send me pictures and they say this is not working. Would it not call them up? Or we'll have the video going and we'll do and we'll walk through it at the same time and she'll be there. I'm just kind of guiding her. And it really is a win win for everyone, for everyone involved. And so I would say if you're definitely, if you're starting out new nurse season nurse, we would never know everything. We will never know everything. You have to. And there's many times I'm calling a colleague or my physician colleague or my fellow nurse colleague or whoever it may be and say, you know what, what do you think? This is what I got going on. This is what I'm Thinking, what do you think? Two heads are always better than one. So I said, always reach out. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate, collaborate, work together. All for the benefit of our patients.
[00:34:53] Speaker A: Yes, yes. Now, how would you, what advice do you have for nurses? Just to understand the importance of wound care. Like, I know we are tasked in the hospital to help prevent wounds, but unfortunately we cannot prevent all wounds. But most can be prevented if it's dealing with pressure, of course. But then when we have just wounds in general and they're waiting on those one or two nurses that are the wound ostomy nurses or the wound care team, it's like, how do we get them to understand, like, hey, we have to steal.
Yeah, attend to that patient. So what advice do you have?
[00:35:31] Speaker B: It's so important. So in the hospital, when I went as a baby nurse, I really didn't understand the significance of it. Like, oh, we have to do this prevalence study. Oh, you know, you roll your eyes and, you know, take so much time.
But then when I became like a wound care nurse and certified, really, when patients develop pressure injuries, like in the hospital, it's like all tied to reimbursement. Like, the hospital loses money and then that, you know, those cuts affect other things like staffing and I mean, it's just a trickle down effect. But not only that, above that, it's just the patient themselves. We want to be sure that we're inspecting their skin from head to toe. They're not feeling good, we want to get them up and walking. We want to make sure, okay, what is your nutrition like? Because it's very difficult to heal a stage 4 sacral pressure ulcer than to prevent one from happening.
So I know it may seem tedious and time consuming to fill out those skin assessments, but it is such a significant thing that needs to happen every shift per your hospital protocol. It just really needs to happen. Because when patients develop pressure injuries or pressure sore, it just affects everything else. How they, how they heal. They don't want to get up now, their nutrition is not good. Now, now, now we have to pat. In addition to giving you these IV antibiotics and this, now we have to pack this wound. And now you have an open wound that's at high risk for infection. So it just really goes on and on and on. So it is very, very, very important to, to do that. And if you do have that kind of love for that, then maybe a sign that should be a skin champion. Be a skin champion and help your fellow nurse say, you know what? No, you know, this is not your strength. But let's do it together. Let's go ahead and do it together. And honestly, while the patient's up and at. They're at the. In the restroom brushing their teeth or whatever, you know, say, okay, Mr. So and so we're going quick look and go ahead and feel the back of their head and look at any shoulder and their bony prominences to make sure everything looks good and clear. And I will say, even with our patients, a darker skin color, more melanin, we want to really be sure that we're focusing on those two, because a lot of those patients get missed. I know. And you have to really be trained to make sure that how does that skin color look compared to the one next to it would have been like a skin temperature. So we want to make sure that we're really assessing. And especially on darker skin tone patients, you really need to be sure that you're paying close attention, because those ones really get missed. By the time you do see something, it's very significant.
[00:38:02] Speaker A: You said something very important. You said that preventing a stage four is. Is a lot easier than trying to treat it or get it, getting it to heal.
[00:38:13] Speaker B: That's something to think about.
[00:38:14] Speaker A: And the patient is the bottom line. Like, they're the one that has to experience that. And you think about it, if you're sitting down on something and your bottom hurts and then you have a wound on it and it doesn't go away in a day or two, like.
[00:38:28] Speaker B: No, it doesn't.
[00:38:30] Speaker A: Weeks.
[00:38:30] Speaker B: Weeks.
[00:38:31] Speaker A: Could be months.
[00:38:32] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:38:34] Speaker A: You think about quality of life.
[00:38:36] Speaker B: That's right. That's right. It's just. It's difficult. It's hard. It's hard for patients. And I've seen some where it's just pretty deep. I could put my whole hand all the way up to my watch. So it's really, really, really deep. Where you see a bone exposed and this, and then you have to get the back in and make sure there's no bone infection.
Yeah. And it all starts with just making sure that you turn the patient. So I will say this, too. Not all pressure ulcers are preventable. You could try your best, but if someone's at the end of life or they're really sick, that is really. You know, our skin is a large organ, so if your organs start to shut down, that will shut down, too. So sometimes you could do everything, and eventually there's nothing else you can do. But at the very least, want to make sure that we're expecting the skin. Making sure that a patient's Nutrition is what they should be. They're up, they're walking. Get them physical therapy if needed. Get them a nutritionist. Make sure their blood sugars are controlled, making sure they're offloaded. The wedges. You don't even have a wedge. You use a pillow. Pillow. Offload the float, the heels.
[00:39:36] Speaker A: All.
[00:39:37] Speaker B: All of that. All of that.
[00:39:39] Speaker A: I love it. I love it. Thank you so much for sharing and thank you so much for just being with us today.
[00:39:45] Speaker B: Oh, my absolute pleasure, yes.
[00:39:47] Speaker A: Now, as we wrap up, how can listeners connect with you?
[00:39:51] Speaker B: Oh, wow. I love to hear from everyone. So, yes, you can connect to me through LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn. Amaka Akanade. So look me up. I'm on Tick Tock. Tick Tock. I do a lot of cute little videos about ostomy care and peristomal skin care and how to change a pouch. Yes. I'm also on Instagram as well. So TikTok and Instagram. My name is Dr. Wonderful. So not wonderful, but wound Wonderful.
I love it.
[00:40:19] Speaker A: That is. Yeah.
[00:40:21] Speaker B: And if you want to look me up, where my practice is is Prodigy Wounds. So you can go to www.prodigywound.com so you can email me. Look me up on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn. I'm happy to connect with anyone just to give advice and just to talk your ear off.
[00:40:38] Speaker A: Yes. Thank you so much, Maka, for just sitting with us and sharing your expertise and sharing your background.
[00:40:44] Speaker B: Of course.
[00:40:45] Speaker A: This has been awesome.
[00:40:46] Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:40:48] Speaker A: Yes, ma'. Am. And I'm going to add all your links down into the show notes below for our listeners so they can just click on it and go straight to your LinkedIn, your Instagram or your website.
All right. Especially for the area that you serve, which is the Houston area. Awesome. Thank you so much.
[00:41:06] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:41:07] Speaker A: Wow. What an Inspiring conversation with Dr. Amaka Akanade. A true example of excellence, compassion, and purpose in nursing. Her story reminds me that, that when knowledge meets our hearts, healing becomes a movement and not just a moment. And where she originally saw herself in nursing, she did not see herself where she is today.
So I am rooting for her. I'm rooting for Prodigy, and I'm just looking forward to the impact that she's
[00:41:39] Speaker B: going to have on her community.
[00:41:41] Speaker A: All because of her yes, her yes. Even when we don't know what we're committing to, sometimes it's just having a yes for God.
So if today's episode resonated with you in some way, I'd love for you to join the All One Nurse Community, a space where nurses gather weekly for devotions, prayer and real conversations. We meet every Thursday, except for the last Thursday of the month via Zoom for an hour. The goal is to discuss and unpack your wins, your barriers, and some of your goals. So come connect with me and other nurses in this safe space who are ready to share their experiences and grow in faith and find strength beyond the scrubs and beyond your clinical shifts, as well as learning how to be our best selves in every facet of our lives. And be sure to connect with Amaka Akanade through social media, her business website, or on LinkedIn. All of her links are in the show notes at the bottom of this episode and until next time, let your light shine.
