Tanta Hulsey worked in retail management for ten years, but in January 2012, after spending Christmas in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with her grandfather, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse.
“I had always wanted to be a nurse,” she said. “I graduated from Midland High School in 1998, married early and by 2000, I had my first child. I went to work in the retail industry to help pay the family bills. In 2012, my husband Tim and I built an RV park on our property, and the income from that endeavor enabled me to stop working in retail and become a full-time Midland College student."
Hulsey attended Midland College briefly after high school but needed to complete most prerequisite courses before entering the Associate Degree Nursing program. She finished these courses by spring 2013 and was accepted into the program that fall.
“Nursing school was a great experience but very rigorous, especially for a mother of three children," she said. "Thankfully, my family was very supportive. In fact, during the last semester, I called my mother-in-law who lives in Georgia and told her I needed help. She came to live with us until June to assist with ‘mom duties’ like cooking meals and carpooling."
Hulsey graduated from Midland College in May 2015, one day before her 35th birthday, and began working as a registered nurse in the ICU at Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH) that June.
“I had never worked in a medical setting until I started working as a nurse in the ICU,” Hulsey explained. “However, I didn’t have any doubts that I couldn’t handle the job and have not once regretted my decision to leave retail and go into nursing.”
Hulsey has continued at MMH since June 2015 except for a brief six-month stint as a case manager for Hospice of Midland. In April 2019, she was promoted to nighttime nurse manager in the Critical Care Unit and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree by March 2020.
“I received my bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon University right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic,” she said. “During the height of the pandemic...we eventually even had beds on the ninth floor of the hospital...I saw amazing nursing care during this time.”
In April 2022, Hulsey enrolled again at Grand Canyon University for a Master’s of Science degree in Nurse Administration which she obtained in November 2023 while continuing full-time work at MMH.
Today, Hulsey is licensed as a Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) and serves as Critical Care Nurse Manager at MMH overseeing operations of 55 nurses and eight ancillary staff.
Her husband Tim is retired from law enforcement and now works as an inventory manager for an oil drilling company. Their two daughters are attending nursing school through Alamo Colleges District while their son works in oil and gas after graduating early from high school.
“Now that our children are grown...Tim and I spend our vacation time going places we never had a chance to visit,” Hulsey said. “Life is good. I’m enjoying the career I always dreamed of having...It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Midland College offers many programs for students exploring opportunities through its Welcome Center.
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