Mike Annoh: MedTech, Terwilliger Plaza
Mike Annoh
MedTech, Health Services
Terwilliger Plaza
When did you first begin working at Terwilliger Plaza.
I began working at Terwilliger Plaza as a caregiver in 2011. I fell in love with this community right away. I knew this is where I wanted to be. In 2016, I transitioned to the role of MedTech within the Department of Health Services working primarily in The Metcalf and The Terrace supporting our resident Members.
You have had an interesting life journey to this moment in time.
I was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa and moved to Portland when I was about 16 years old.
My father, Israel Annoh, is a master drummer and was a traveling musician who performed all around the world. His band ended up in Portland, playing with the band Obo Addy, a traditional Ghanaian musician. He decided to settle here and bring the family over – my five siblings and stepmother. He went on to teach music at Jefferson High School for 40 years.
I attended Grant High School, graduating in 2000. Then I went to Portland State University and received my degree in Architecture/Project Management. Currently, I am a nursing student at the OHSU School of Nursing and will receive my degree this coming June.
Why did you transition careers from architecture to the medical field.
I first began working in the medical field in high school, so I was exposed to the field and the environment. For almost 19 years –I worked at OHSU, which was a dynamic hospital setting, as part of the lift team crew. My primary responsibilities were to move patients in and around the hospital for their various procedures, and to reposition and care for them throughout the day.
My mind was set though that I wanted to be an architect. While I was working on my architecture degree I did an internship and realized it wasn’t really what I wanted to do, although I continued to work in the field for the next several years, while also working part-time at OHSU. Then in 2005, when the economy wasn’t doing well, I was laid off from the architecture firm where I was working and knew this was the moment to pursue nursing.
I continued to work part-time at OHSU and began working at Terwilliger Plaza in 2011. I transitioned out of OHSU in 2016 when I began taking my prerequisite classes for nursing at Portland Community College.
What prerequisites were required to apply for nursing school?
Some of the classes I had to take were anatomy, psychology, microbiology, nutrition, and math.
This is when you began to receive support from the Terwilliger Plaza Foundation.
I received scholarships from the Terwilliger Foundation to pursue my prerequisites at PCC. The Foundation, which is supported by Terwilliger Plaza Member contributions was established to support Terwilliger Plaza to enhance the quality of life of its Members, and to support the Lesta Hoel Memorial Trust Fund so that no Member has to leave the Plaza due to financial hardship. It also has a strong impact throughout the community enhancing programs and facilities through its support.
As well, The Foundation supports Terwilliger Plaza staff by offering scholarships - and in my case, for the pursuit of health care or retirement center related fields.
Knowing that the Terwilliger Plaza Foundation is Member supported is quite special.
It’s amazing to have this support from within the community. The Members are wonderful. You’re always appreciated. Terwilliger Plaza treats their employees well. They validate their employees and want to see them improve themselves professionally.
The Foundation is also supporting your studies at OHSU in the pursuit of your nursing degree.
Yes. I couldn’t have done it without the financial support. The Foundation has provided many employees the opportunity to better themselves. School is expensive – you’re working paycheck to paycheck. Loans are difficult and never enough. I began the nursing program at OHSU in 2019 and The Foundation support has allowed me to focus on school and my studies. And thanks to them, I’ve done really well. I’ll be graduating in June with a 3.6 GPA.
It’s so nice when people are good to each other. It means a lot to me. I am very grateful.
Talk about your position here at Terwilliger Plaza.
As a MedTech I help the nurses with whatever they need in support of the Members. I do my daily rounds, distribute the morning and afternoon medications, assist caregivers with Member transport, and I’m involved with managing overall logistics and medication inventory. Whatever our Members need, I’m there for them.
What are the differences between working in a hospital vs a senior living community setting?
The difference is the pace. The Terrace and The Metcalf are calm environments. You’re working with geriatric Members, or perhaps people who have Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or mild cognitive impairment. You have to know when to be encouraging, understanding and recognize you are working on their time and not your time. I’m here to support our Members, while also creating a space of dignity and respect.
This person-centered style of health service here at Terwilliger Plaza offers a continuum of care that supports individual needs. This is very important to me. Holistic nursing and patient-centered care have been the highlights throughout my nursing school journey.
Are there ways in which your architecture studies have influenced you in health services?
I’m very structural. I like structure. The nursing field can be so spontaneous – you have to be ready, creative – and prepared to act. And yet, it also has structure. Combined with empathy and compassion its a wonderful blend of attributes.
You seem to have found the career path that inspires you.
I’ve been in the health field now for over 26 years. I just love the environment. I feel like I’m making a difference. I’ve met people who took an interest in me and saw my potential. The way I am with my patients – the interaction. It touches me in a way that every day I know this is where I want to be.
Have to ask, coming from a musical family, did you ever consider being a musician yourself?
I actually played the drums in a few bands. My dad talked me out of it though. “It’s not going to be a good retirement for you,” he said, and I switched my focus to nursing!
Quite a journey you’ve had as you’ve pursued your career path.
Terwilliger Plaza is great. There is a family atmosphere here. While I work in The Terrace and The Metcalf, I interact with many Members from within Terwilliger Plaza through daily interaction or hallway conversations. They are so insightful and have so much to share. They make your life different, and you make their life different.
I love this place.