Siblings continue family tradition of healthcareNovember 09, 2021

Taylor and Andrew Franco are graduates of the vocational nursing program at the Midland College (MC) Williams Regional Technical Training Center in Fort Stockton.  

Taylor graduated in August 2020 and is now currently taking classes in MC’s Associate Degree Nursing program to train to become a registered nurse.  Andrew, who is Taylor's half-brother graduated from the vocational nursing program in August 2021.  He hopes to begin the Associate Degree Nursing program next summer.

Even though Taylor is going to school full-time and Andrew just graduated, both are employed and helping to fulfill the demand for qualified nurses in the Permian Basin.  Taylor works part-time at Cactus Health Services in Fort Stockton, and Andrew works at Family Walk-In Clinic, also in Fort Stockton.  

“I want to stay in Fort Stockton,” Andrew said.  “This is where I grew up, and I love the community.  I want to help the people in this community through healthcare.  I really like small towns and rural medicine.  Working as a nurse in a small-town environment allows me the opportunity to help bring babies into the world and be there when people take their last breath.  I like the idea of being the person that’s there from the beginning to the end and interacting with my patients in the community through church and other activities.”

Taylor isn’t sure if she wants to remain in Fort Stockton when she completes her degree.  

“I really like living in Fort Stockton,” she said.  “However, one of the nice things about nursing is that it’s a job that is always needed everywhere.  I’ve had the opportunity to accomplish my clinical hours in hospitals and clinics in Midland and Odessa, as well as the Big Spring State Hospital, and I’ve enjoyed every setting.  I really like Labor & Delivery and the whole birthing process.  My other favorite setting is the Emergency Department because it’s fast-paced, and I get to experience a little bit of everything—from treating someone with the flu to administering CPR to automobile accident victims.”

Andrew said that if he had to move somewhere and specialize in a specific area, it would probably be med-surg nursing.

Taylor and Andrew have the same father and were born just four months apart to different mothers.  Taylor graduated from Fort Stockton High School in 2018, and Andrew graduated a year later in 2019.  They actually started taking courses at MC’s branch campus in Fort Stockton while still in high school through the dual credit program, which allowed them to obtain both high school and college credit for general education courses, such as English, history and government.

“Taking dual credit courses allowed me to get most of my prerequisite courses completed while I was still in high school,” Taylor explained.  “That made it really nice when I started taking nursing courses because I was able to just concentrate on my nursing skills.  I’ll graduate from the associate degree program this coming May.”

If all goes according to plans for Andrew, he will complete the associate degree nursing program in May of 2023.

“I’ve always wanted to have a profession where I could help others, but I really made up my mind to become a nurse in 2014 when my grandmother was ill,” Andrew explained. “Her nurses showed her the best care imaginable, and they also showed compassion and caring for the entire family.  I want to be able to give that same care to somebody at their worst moment.”