Page 26 - BusinessWest June 12, 2023

‘I Need to Be a Nurse’
Meghan Kalbaugh Sees Opportunity and Impact in Nursing
“What draws me in is how rewarding it is, knowing I’m helping people and making an impact in their
life and changing lives every day;
I absolutely love that.”
Meghan Kalbaugh’s mother was a nurse who worked in emergency rooms and on patient floors at local medical centers, including Baystate, Mercy, and
Holyoke. Her example was a quiet one.
“Surprisingly, we never really talked about it growing
up,” said Kalbaugh, who graduated from American Inter- national College (AIC) this spring with a bachelor of sci- ence in nursing degree. “It was always just my mom; she was a nurse, and she would come home, and I didn’t really have it in my mind to be a nurse.”
But in high school, Kalbaugh participated in a health- care-careers program, thinking she wanted to be a veteri- narian. She eventually realized that wasn’t for her, but she stayed in the program because her parents convinced her to follow through and finish it.
“So, my last year, I became a CNA because the final year of the program is doing a CNA course that’s com- pletely paid for because it was dual enrollment with Holy- oke Community College,” she recalled. “Throughout the course, I fell in love with taking care of people and forming a really special bond with my patients. I came home one day, and out of the blue, I was like, ‘I need to be a nurse. I love this, and I want to further my education.’”
Kalbaugh’s original goal when she enrolled at AIC was pediatrics, and she still loves that work, but a labor and delivery rotation changed her mind, and that has become her preferred setting down the road. “But I’m actually starting my nurse residency at Baystate on July 24, and I’ll be in the heart and vascular unit, because labor and
delivery wasn’t hiring new graduates. I figured going to
a different unit will still provide me with valuable skills and experience. So I’m really excited; I’ll get some heart and vascular experience and then hopefully, within a year, move over to labor and delivery.”
The past four years weren’t easy for Kalbaugh and her classmates, she said, due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
“It was really, really hard doing it all online from home, especially not seeing the professors in person and not hav- ing lectures in person, and just being alone. The course- work was challenging, and that was a time when we all really needed each other, and we couldn’t be with each other. So it was hard, honestly, managing like the isolation from everyone. I’m a very social person, and I just wanted to be around my peers so we could help each other and talk about concepts and be able to like connect with our professors.”
That said, “I’m happy we got through it as a class and were able to come back in person. I was so relieved. I remember the day that they told us we could come back, and I was so excited. I thought, no more of this awful being alone.”
After all, Kalbaugh is, as she noted, a people person, and she values the connections she can make as a nurse.
“What draws me in is how rewarding it is, knowing I’m helping people and making an impact in their life and changing lives every day; I absolutely love that.”
That’s not the only draw for nurses these days. As
At-A-Glance
For over 50 years, we have been dedicated to maintaining the quality of life for older adults, caregivers, and persons living with a disability. We achieve our mission by coordinating and providing programs and services which foster a person’s independence, dignity, safety, and peace of mind.
Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc. (GSSSI) has over 20 different programs and services to support older adults across Hampden County.
• Home Care Programs
• Meals on Wheels
• Community Dining Sites • Elder Protective Services • Adult Foster Care
• Personal Care Management
• Options Counseling
• Family Caregiver Support Resources
• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Resources • Healthy Living Workshops
To learn more and explore community options, call our Information & Referral Department. We offer free information about a wide range of services and programs and direct callers to appropriate resources within our community. 413-781-8800
The Information Center is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm • www.gsssi.org
www.gsssi.org
26 JUNE 12, 2023
MONTHLYFEATURE
BusinessWest