A member of Midland College’s inaugural nursing class who was conferred an associate of applied science degrees in 1984, Arkansas resident Paralea Hursh credits her lengthy nursing career to the school, according to a July 27 press release.
“I owe it all to Midland College,” Hursh said in a statement. “Nothing in my life, except my family, has been a bigger blessing than my Midland College nursing degree.”
Hursh currently works as the director of operations for Fort Smith, AR-based Nursing Consultants, tasked with overseeing 17 long-term care facilities and companies that provide ancillary care. Her place of employment isn’t far from her hometown of Muldrow, OK. Hursh recalled how her family was on welfare during her younger years in Muldrow.
After earning an associate’s degree in business from Tulsa Junior College and married with a son, the then-26-year-old found her way to Midland by way of the oil boom in the Permian Basin at the time. Marital problems prompted her to make a change.
“It was time for me to make a change in my life,” Hursh told the college. “I come from a long tradition of nurses in my family, and I decided that maybe I should also try to become a nurse.”
A phone call to Midland College in the spring of 1982 set the course for what eventually became a 39-year nursing career. Hursh chalks up her successful career to divine intervention.
“My timing was perfect … I knew that I had made the right decision,” she said. “I loved learning the parts of the human body and how they work!”
According to the news release, Hursh expressed gratitude to three professors – Dr. Celia Harris, Dr. Eileen Piwetz and Clara Usrey – for their support during her time at Midland College. She said she has no regrets about her career choice.