Born at Texas Health Plano, care team member comes back for a career.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano leaders recently shared how a strong culture attracts new care team members and provides outstanding patient experiences.
“We always ask new employees at orientation why they chose to join Texas Health Plano as we want them to remember they had a choice and part of our leadership team’s job is to continually earn that choice,” said Fraser Hay, FACHE, hospital president. “It is encouraging to regularly hear many join us because of their prior positive experiences as a patient or student and others whose children now have joined our teams. This all strengthens Texas Health’s reputation as one of the best places to work.”
Alejandra Penagos’ response was especially unusual: She was born at the hospital 26 years ago and wanted to start her career there because of her exposure to Texas Health’s culture during her clinical rotations.
Penagos, a PRN sonographer, said she was first attracted to Texas Health Resources when she did a rotation at Texas Health Hospital Frisco.
Communication and collaboration
“I loved the culture,” Penagos said. “I had other clinicals, so I went to a different hospital at another system for my first rotations. But Texas Health Frisco was my second and I instantly noticed that everyone was so welcoming! You would be walking down the halls and they’d ask, ‘Oh, how are you doing?’”
She also loved the communication and collaboration among clinicians. “We would talk to other modalities, like CT and MRI, and it’s all about teamwork.”
When she graduated, Penagos was excited to find that Texas Health Plano was hiring. “I got an interview, and it went super well with the manager and the lead at the time. Then, I got the job. I call it a full-circle moment.”
A bonus benefit: She’s found that talking to patients about how she was born at the hospital is a great icebreaker.
Looking ahead, Penagos said, “I just finished my training, and I want to continue growing as a sonographer and gain more experience. I feel like this is the right place for me to get that.”
She said the sonographers at Texas Health Plano are “inspiring” to work with.
Labor and delivery love
Nancy Rodriguez, R.N., a charge nurse in Texas Health Plano’s labor and delivery unit, would agree. She’s been at Texas Health Plano for 15 of her 20 years in nursing. Her care really stood out for a patient who delivered a son in February.
Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Laura Massey, D.N.P., M.H.A., B.S.N., R.N., CPN, heard all about it one day a few months ago when she was downstairs getting coffee. She saw Rodriguez juggling a tray full of specialty drinks and asked if she could help. But before she could, a woman carrying a baby intervened.
Rodriguez introduced Massey to the patient – the woman who had delivered in February. “You have the best labor and delivery department, and I love the team,” the woman said. “These drinks are my treat for them, and it doesn’t repay them for the wonderful care they provided me and my baby when I delivered at Texas Health Plano.”
Massey has firsthand experience with the unit: Her grandchild Rhett was born at Texas Health Plano on April 29, 2025.
“I can say the way she felt is exactly how I felt when Rhett was delivered here,” Massey said. “The nurses on L&D genuinely love what they do and their patients.”
The experiences at Texas Health Plano show just a few of the ways Texas Health is an amazing place to work. “They add up in countless ways every day across our system,” said Carla Dawson, chief people officer.
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