COVID-19's Impact on the Job Search process

2020 was a year filled with uncertainty and new normals.  Our society adapted to a new way to educate our children, stay connected to friends and family and perform our jobs.  The pandemic also changed how companies hired and how job seekers thought about starting new positions.  Let's hear from one of our new Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) colleagues, who decided to jump in with both feet and brave the new hiring process.

Meet Mabel

Mabel Frimpong began working for Fresenius Medical Care in May of 2019, but recently joined our travel nurse division. Mabel has not let the challenging times stop her from accomplishing her dream of becoming a dialysis nurse.  Read on to learn about the family friend that inspired her to start her journey to becoming an RN and how she ended up here at FMCNA.  

LET’S HEAR WHAT MABEL HAD TO SAY:

Q: What was your experience like beginning a new career during a pandemic?

A:It was quite interesting and exciting but the thought of increasing your risk with travelling made it challenging. The process was easy and the fact that you could choose where your assignment would be made me feel safe. The team was willing to work with me.

Q: The pandemic has required us to all adjust our daily routine.  How are you adjusting to staying safe? Is there anything you are doing to help maintain both safety and/or connection during this time?

A: Wearing a face covering is a huge adjustment to my routine because I have to always make sure I have a clean and extra one everywhere I go and also making conscious efforts to wash my hands more often than I used to, keeping my environment clean and also maintaining social distancing. To maintain both safety and connection, I visit people less, I make more phone and zoom calls because it’s always challenging to maintain your distance when you find yourself around certain friends and family, hence that is only way to keep the connection.

Q: What would you tell someone hesitant about starting a new career during this pandemic?

A: Go for it.  There is no better time, It may seem challenging but this is new norm, the pandemic has introduced a lifestyle for us, do what you got to do, life goes on.

Q: How do you feel that your role is a "vital part" in supporting our patients and our company?

A: With FMCNA every role plays a vital part of the team. As an RN, I play the role of a team leader in providing care and support for our patients and ensuring safety and comfort during treatments.

Q: Do you feel you have a powerful effect in your role? If so, how?

A: I feel I have an influential effect in my role. As a team leader, I provide education in all aspects to my clients, ensuring that my team members are comfortable and feel safe at work. At times, when a member of the team is indisposed, I step up, take on additional roles in order to make my patients feel safe and comfortable.

Q: Do you feel that your role allows you to be a partner in caring? If so, how?

A: Definitely, my role allows me to listen to my patients and without imposing my thoughts and beliefs on them, I work with them in identifying and addressing their needs and concerns.

Q: Describe an experience or feeling that stands out when thinking of your career with FMCNA?

A:  I am originally from Ghana, a country in West Africa. I grew up and lived the most part of my life there until about 5 years ago when I relocated into the United States.

Growing up, I had a childhood friend who belonged to a beautiful family which I admired the most. This friend of mine lost her dad to renal failure. I did not know what it was at the time, but I remember her dad had extremely swollen feet (pedal edema) and a puffy face. In Africa, any sudden illness is considered a spiritual disease and therefore, requires traditional medicine, which in some ways had proven to be effective. The family sought spirituality and traditional medicine in various forms. His condition only worsened with time, despite the huge amount of money paid to these traditional healers. The family finally decided to seek medical attention by taking him to one of the top-rated hospitals in Ghana. He was diagnosed with Acute Renal Failure and dialysis was the required treatment at the time. Dialysis had then been introduced in our country and it cost thousands of dollars. It was only done in that facility and was 3x a week. This family sought for funds and donations, but all they gathered could only pay for two (2) sessions of dialysis. He had two sessions and the hospital offered him two additional at no cost. The family could no longer afford it and therefore the treatment was terminated. My friend’s dad lived a few more days and passed away after about a week or two later. This was a hard blow to the family because they had lost their father because of not being able to afford healthcare.

This heightened my interest in healthcare and especially to be a hemodialysis RN. My interest was in the fact after each dialysis session, he looked a lot better with a decrease in swelling. It was as if some magic happened while he was gone. I always wanted to find out what it was that happened while he was at dialysis that made him better and what it was that the nurses did differently from the other nurses. I went to nursing school in Ghana and had the opportunity to shadow in the dialysis unit a few times but there was no training available and there was no way I could become a dialysis nurse.

Fast forward, I relocated to the United States, I took my Nclex and passed and wanted to get into dialysis. I did not meet the requirements as of then (at least one year of nursing experience). I worked on med surg units while I waited. A year later, a friend referred me to FMCNA where I was trained to become a dialysis nurse. This is why I do what I do. I choose to do it FMCNA because it is a larger company, with several outpatient and inpatient centers which broadens the scope. It is the company that chose to believe in me and made my dream of being a dialysis nurse a reality.

About Fresenius Medical Care

We have become a global leader in healthcare because of the unwavering dedication our people bring to work every day. Whether that means developing new-to-market dialysis technology or educating patients, our team touches the lives of more than 190,000 patients through innovative care and profound, personal connections.

With Fresenius Medical Care North America, you will “be the difference,” enabling patients to thrive, providing comfort to families, supporting coworkers so they can realize their goals, compelling our company to achieve through innovation and performance, and driving the development of your career.

Our team is made up of over 70,000 dedicated employees in North America. All of them focus on being the difference and delivering the highest-quality care to people with kidney disease – helping them to lead longer, better, and healthier lives.