Symmetry is now the norm for Godwin Feh. Years of toil have resulted in better days.

No longer is he tip-toeing a tightrope, balancing work, school and finances in a foreign land. Feh turned his passion for the health care industry into a thriving business.

Feh, 35, became a health care entrepreneur in November 2016 with the launch of Cohesive Healthcare Management & Consulting.

The company, headquartered in Shawnee, now employs more than 300 people while providing operations expertise to rural and community hospitals. The client focus is on increasing revenues, adding staff and money management.

Business is good, said Feh, which also means that health care has improved at medical centers from Carnegie to Stigler and from Mangum to Pawhuska. The company also works with clients in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee.

Feh left his native Cameroon for the U.S. in 2003 in search of educational opportunities. He enrolled at Canadian Valley Technology Center, intent on becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

Feh said the support and encouragement provided by instructors there helped him escape despair. He exceled in the classroom. After passing the state practical nursing board exam, he fed a hunger for learning by also obtaining an associate degree in nursing, a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in business administration.

He began working as a Certified Nurse Aide, then as an LPN. Feh used his experience at CV Tech as a springboard to success. He has since held job titles, such as nurse supervisor, chief clinical officer, director of clinical operations and now chief executive. He also obtained U.S. citizenship.

He has not forgotten the hard times. Feh and wife, Shemika Feh, recently pledged $5,000 in annual support to the CV Tech Foundation, which will in turn help those who find themselves facing similar difficult circumstances that he once faced.

“The instructors at Canadian Valley provided me moral support and encouraged me to trust in myself,” he said. “They treated me more like a son.”

The money will be used to assist students with various hardships, said CV Tech Nursing Director Lauri Jones.

Feh said his company collaborates with community hospital staffs, medical staffs and hospital boards to plan, implement and achieve strategic goals in a cohesive manner.

“I have been able to systematically tackle challenges uniquely using a comprehensive team approach,” he said. “I pride myself with the ability to challenge the status quo by using best and sustainable evidence-based practices.”

Several dozen LPN’s graduate each year at CV Tech’s Chickasha and El Reno campuses, Jones said. Growth within the field is projected at 12 percent, according to data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is considered faster than average. Median pay is nearly $22 per hour or about $45,000 per year.

LPN’s provide basic medical care, from baths to blood pressure checks and bandaging.