Lessons

in adversity

Chamber worker eyes new career

August 26, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK

Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Fifteen years ago, Dori McGhan flew off the back of a four-wheeler, breaking her neck, shattering her jaw and knocking out her teeth.

That life-threatening event, which happened on a dirt trail off Knik Road when she was 12 years old stirred her interest in the medical field and propelled her toward becoming an emergency medical technician when she was 20.

This week, McGhan prepares to start a two-year nursing program. She trades in her position as an executive assistant at the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce for 30 pounds of nursing books, commutes to University of Alaska in Anchorage and late nights of studying.

Her experiences - as a pre-teen who survived an ATV crash, and as an EMT II in the Valley - have shaped her journey toward becoming a nurse.

Mark Doner, a computer science teacher at Wasilla High School and a first responder, was the first person to show up on the accident scene when her friend, who was driving, waved for help.

"Just the fact that he knew how to be calm and keep me calm helped. One false move and I could have been paralyzed or stopped breathing," said McGhan, who immediately knew she'd broken her neck.

She said her eyes were so swollen she couldn't keep them open. So, she told Doner she would squeeze his hand periodically to let him know she was still alive, but she had to close her eyes.

Recalling that time in her life, McGhan says she loved watching Rescue 911 shows, and teased her bangs as big as they could get.

"I was more mad about missing the first day of the fair. I had just got a perm, and they had to shave my hair to put the traction unit on," she said.

Now, she wears her hair long, straight and sleek and can look two years down the road and feel confident she'll be working in the medical field.

"At the time (after the crash), I was more interested in becoming an X-ray tech," McGhan said, explaining she built a good rapport with the X-ray technician who was so much a part of her life then.

"Nursing is more my forte. Nursing is more people-oriented. I was born to be a caregiver," she said. "The blood and guts don't bother me. What most people think is gross doesn't bother me."

She worked as a paid volunteer for Wasilla Ambulance Service for about three years and then took a brief break to reevaluate some of the things she'd seen and find a way to learn from them.

"I took a leave of absence because I saw too many kids die - hit on bikes, in car wrecks, suicides," she said. "EMT school didn't teach you to cope with losses, to deal with the stress of it."

To obtain a job in the Valley's medical field, McGhan will be driving to Anchorage four days a week for nursing school.

By mid-October, she'll be engaging in clinical work in the Valley. In the past, the hands-on education took place in Anchorage.

"I'm excited about it. If you're doing clinical work in Anchorage, you get used to their facilities. Since the clinical work is in the Valley, I'll be more familiar with it. So, the transition to employment here will be easier," she said.

Her husband, Corey McGhan, completely supports her upcoming school days as well as her decision to quit her chamber job.

Her co-workers at the chamber also applauded McGhan for following her dreams.

McGhan draws some parallels between Wasilla's Chamber of Commerce and the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center now under construction.

"Both the chamber and the medical field are growing exponentially, especially in the Valley," she said. "Both are people-oriented; and both are filling needs in the community."

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@frontiersman.com.