FEATURE

WC shapes nursing journey of John Crews  

John Crews is proof that you can level up your education without ever leaving Parker County.

Crews is a three-time Weatherford College graduate, earning his EMT certification in 2015, followed by his Associate Degree in Nursing in 2022 and his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in December 2024. Today, he works as a registered nurse in the emergency department at Harris Methodist Hospital in downtown Fort Worth in a fast-paced environment that suits his calm demeanor.

“All of my medical training has been done here right at Weatherford College,” Crews said. “I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere here.”

After finishing his EMT certification one summer, Crews came back for nursing school. He was drawn by the quality of teaching and the sense of community in the Alesia Armstrong Wiggs School of Nursing.

“Everybody I’ve worked with always has great things to say about graduates from Weatherford’s nursing program,” he said.

After graduating from the ADN program, Crews took a year off before enrolling in the BSN program in January 2024. The program’s affordability and structure made advancing his education possible while continuing to work.

“It is so nice to only have to pay community college prices to receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing,” Crews said. “And the BSN here holds up the same as a BSN from any other university in this country.”

Crews said the BSN program expanded his focus beyond bedside nursing. With ADN already completed, the coursework emphasized research, leadership and evidence-based practice.

As part of the program, he shadowed a nursing manager during a leadership clinical, which gave him insight into how hospitals run. He uses what he learned every day in the emergency department.

Crews has built his career on staying calm, whether he’s working on ambulances as an EMT or caring for seriously ill patients in the ER, and especially when others are facing their toughest moments.

“I had a patient one time who came in with a hemorrhagic stroke. It was quite literally the worst day of his life,” Crews said. “And I was able to be there and, in addition to doing the medical treatment as a nurse, I was also able to help calm him... and he knew we were there to help him.”  

Looking ahead, Crews wants to earn a doctoral degree and become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. In that role, he would work in the operating room alongside anesthesiologists during surgeries.

This goal gives new meaning to a memory from his childhood. In first grade, Crews was asked to draw his hero, and he chose his aunt, who was a nurse. His drawing showed a hospital, an ambulance, a helicopter, an emergency room and an operating room.

At the time, it was simply admiration. Looking back, it feels more like a roadmap.

“I guess in a sense, that sort of is prophetic, isn’t it?” he said.

For students considering nursing, Crews offers simple advice: apply broadly, but keep Weatherford College at the top of your list. 
“Weatherford College still produces some of the best nurses,” he said. “Don’t give up. You’re in the right place. It’s worth it in the end.” 
 

 
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2026 issue of The Hilltop, a magazine for alumni and friends of Weatherford College. View the full publication here.