No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

With a total of six children all under the age of six residing beneath one roof, bumps and bruises are bound to happen. Clinical Administrative Medical Assisting (CAMA) student Meghan Chinoski found this to be true when her 3 year old son broke his femur in the midst of harmless horseplay and had to be air lifted to the Children’s Hospital.

Meghan’s future at SJVC was set in stone in Meghan’s mind from before day one.

“I originally was going to move to Bakersfield but in the end we had to go to Antelope Valley instead. I was interested in the medical field,” Meghan reveals. “I saw they had an SJVC in Lancaster, and I knew I wanted to go there.”

Having attended other secondary schools previously Meghan confesses that SJVC has no doubt been the perfect fit for her.

“It’s been a really good experience, I’ve gone to community college before,” she says. “With SJVC it has been more personal with my relationships with teachers… Here the teachers know your name and you’re an individual.”

One day while Meghan was in her science class she received an unexpected phone call from her husband.

“He sounded really shaken up,” Meghan says of her husband when he called to let her know about the accident. “He [their son] has older siblings and his sister jumped off the bed and landed on his leg and the way he was positioned is what broke it.”

Meghan went through the initial panic that any mother would experience, but once she reflected on the situation she was able to apply what she had been trained to do in emergencies to this personal circumstance.

“When I first left I was freaking out and it was very traumatic,” Meghan explains. “Then I thought about what it would be like in the same situation if I was working and that would be to remain calm no matter the severity of it.”

Following her son’s visit to the Children’s Hospital Meghan continued to apply her training when her son’s dressings had to be fixed.

While Meghan strongly debated on whether or not to take a break from school to care for her son she decided against it.

“I thought about that [taking time off] and in the long run it’s just another bump in the road, but if you stop once, you’ll keep stopping along the way,” says Meghan.

Along with support from her “halo deserving” husband, the dedication of the faculty at SJVC Lancaster does not go unnoticed by Meghan.

“I see the dedication the teachers have for the students, especially when they find different ways and tools to teach them, to help the students better understand,” she says.

The exemplary education provided by SJVC along with Meghan’s dedication guarantee that she will be ready to tackle any medical emergency both professionally and personally.