Becky McIntire is a long time Nurse Practitioner and sees patients full-time at the Breckenridge Medical Center. "As a nurse practitioner I am trained and licensed to treat a lot of illnesses. I have certain skills to care for patients, and can also prescribe medicines. A lot of times that is just what a patient needs. But I also have special skills to determine when a patient needs to see a physician for complex problems or conditions. This helps patients get special care and it helps a physician treat patients with more acute needs."

McIntire embarked on a nursing career in hospital emergency and operating rooms and on patient floors. She served as director of nursing at Stephens Memorial Hospital for several years, as well as Director of Quality Management at Eastland Memorial Hospital. Becky also started her family, but stayed with her medical dream. She was a working mom of three and a commuting nursing student until she got her degree as Master of Science in Nursing at UT Arlington. "Working as a Nurse Practitioner brought me full circle back to caring for patients and having a positive impact on their lives."

"I continued to work in nursing management as well, and things really changed for me. I worked for a private group that sent me on lengthy health care projects in Missouri, Washington, Florida, Maryland, and Arkansas. Then an opportunity became available for me to work again here in Breckenridge in the clinic. It's still non-stop."

"By working as a team at Breckenridge Medical Center, we have a group of professionals with tremendous medical experience. We have a variety of medical skills and interests. This means we can see more patients who need all kinds of care. Each of the caregivers can focus on special needs of patients with the support of one another. That is a marvelous advantage for everyone in Stephens County. You don't need to drive 70 to 120 miles to be cared for."