Male triplets make history in SCSU nursing program
PAm mCLOUGHLIN New Haven Register, Conn. Lynn and John Horobin of Wallingford will be triple-proud at the graduation of Southern Connecticut State University’s nursing class of 2023. The couple’s triplets are juniors in the program — three men going into a field still dominated by women. “We work well together,” Andrew Horobin, the oldest of the three, said. “We could have and would have gone our separate ways,” but wound up going into nursing for many of the same reasons. Andrew was born first, Luke came a minute later and Zach a minute after that. Now they’re 20 years old and have grown into handsome, strapping men. Andrew stands 6 feet, 4 inches; Luke is 6 feet, 3 inches; and Zach is 6 feet, 2 inches tall with lighter hair and doesn’t look much like his brothers. And as is usually the case, the apples don’t fall far from the trees. Their father, John Horobin, is a 6-foot, 6-inch Wallingford 12 | May 8, 2022
firefighter and longtime paramedic, while their mother, Lynn Horobin, is a dental hygienist. Both are proud of their three children, but neither is surprised by their career choices. “We are a health care family,” Lynn Horobin said. “The boys are caregiver kind of kids. They’re good all-around kids.” They’re “modeling their father,” she said, as two of the men — Andrew and Luke — want to become career firefighters and paramedics like him after graduating from nursing school. The two already are volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMTs. The two say nursing can be the part-time job they’ll likely need as a firefighter and/or the backup if they were to get injured or burnt out. John Horobin was all for that reasoning. “It’s a great job to have. It’s a whole another family to be part of,” John Horobin said of the fire service. “I always taught them if you want a good, blue-collar job, that’s it right there.” He said being nurses will give Andrew and Luke a step up since 75%
of calls are medical. Zach is considering a nursing career that involves pediatrics or maternity, as he likes children. “The triplets” — as they are often referred to in the community and at school — live at home in Wallingford, Connecticut, have most of their classes together, study with each other and hang out generally with the same broad group of friends. They use the word “we” a lot, but emphasize, as does their mother, that they have distinct personalities, different routines and are very much individuals. Lynn Horobin said she and her husband stressed individuality in raising their sons, never lumping them together to be called “the triplets,” although she sometimes referred to them as “the boys.” “We all think in a different way,” Zach said. All three are hard working and determined, they and their parents said. The brothers defend and protect one another. “We do a lot of things together. We’re very close,” Andrew Horobin said.
He said “we” became interested in the health care/helping fields just by “living it” at home. Their grandfather was a firefighter so the brothers grew up listening to nonstop talk about “the calls.” In the spirit of John Horobin’s guidance, Andrew Horobin said there are many practical factors that rang positive about going into nursing: nurses are always needed, the field pays well, nurses can choose to work in different settings, and they can keep various hours. “We wanted a degree that was meaningful, something very usable to help us in the future,” Andrew said. All three were accepted directly from high school into the SCSU nursing program, a special distinction that requires high academic grades. The brothers all complete the Certified Nursing Assistant program at Lyman Hall High School. At SCSU, the three juniors all are on the dean’s list. Maria D. Krol, associate professor and director for SCSU’s Bachelor of Science Nursing Program, said about 88% of nursing students are women. In 1970, only 2.9% of nurses were men, she said. Gender diversity in the nursing field is as important as racial diversity, for the same reasons, Krol said. “The presence of more males as nurses ensures the males (patients) feel represented. They may be more likely
nurses: the heart of health care
to share more private information or less likely to be opposed to certain procedures like a catheter insertion if it’s done by a male nurse,” she said. “Having a diverse workforce is beneficial to the population in general. It is a different perspective and we all benefit from diversity.” Krol believes the Horobin men are the first triplets to attend SCSU’s nursing school, although there have been several sets of female twins. There are 203 juniors and seniors in the nursing program and 29 of them are male students. The Horobin triplets are among 16 men in the class of 2023. While the brothers say they get along great, it doesn’t mean they “don’t mess” with each other, as young men do. While there is some competitive spirit, it’s always overridden by each wanting to see the others’ success. Zach Horobin said it was while doing his CNA clinical work at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare and Masonicare that he decided nursing would be a “rewarding” career. As for being a triplet, Zach said, “It’s great, it’s the little things.” He said “you’re never alone,” even during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when many people may have felt isolated. Zach said the nursing material is difficult so it’s great to study together (they also study with other friends) and have the benefit of a brother who can explain a difficult concept in a way that makes sense. “Everything is pretty
good about it,” Zach said of being a triplet. He said people might wonder whether it’s more difficult to share with two siblings the same age, “but you can’t have everything yourself anyway.” Luke said he was torn between going for firefighter, paramedic and nursing, so he decided to get his nursing degree first because he didn’t think he’d get back to school once in the swing of a firefighter/paramedic career. Next, he will pursue the firefighting/ paramedic careers. Luke said he thought that if there a two candidates for a job, having that nursing degree would be an advantage. “A lot of firefighters I know have two jobs,” Luke said. “It’s (nursing) a good fallback in case you get hurt on the job.” He also appreciates being a triplet. “It’s never a dull moment,” Luke said. “You always have two buddies with you.” Luke said of Andrew, “He sometimes levels me out and complements me.” Andrew said he thinks having more than one profession is a good move. “If I burn out on one thing, I can do another,” Andrew said. “For me, I want to help people. I’ve always looked up to people who help each other.”
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