Teaching with compassion earns Liz Mantych a 2017 Excellence in Nursing nomination

UMSL Daily

Liz Mantych, an associate teaching professor and director of the RN to BSN program at UMSL, is a nominee for a 2017 Excellence in Nursing Award. St. Louis Magazine will present the awards to the chosen winners at the Chase Park Plaza on April 19. (Photo by August Jennewein)
When University of Missouri–St. Louis Associate Teaching Professor of Nursing Liz Mantych was first considering going to nursing school, her parents were concerned.
“They said, ‘Oh, Elizabeth, we don’t know. It’s just that you’re very sensitive. That’s going to be a hard road for you,’” Mantych explains. “I said, ‘No, I think my sensitivity is what will make me a good nurse.’”
Her parents told her they fully supported her no matter what, and that if she really wanted to she should give nursing a try.
She did. And then some. Mantych went on to complete not only her bachelor’s degree in nursing but also her master’s and eventually her doctorate in nursing practice. She worked for a time in an oncology unit in a Boston hospital and even learned how to care for hospice patients in London. Along the way, a friend convinced her that teaching nursing students was also something she should try. As soon as she did, she was hooked.
Now, more than 30 years later, Mantych’s incredible nursing career has earned her some special recognition. St. Louis Magazine has nominated her for a 2017 Excellence in Nursing Award in their nurse educator category.
Mantych credits good fortune and hard work for her nomination. But it also just might have something to do with Liz Mantych herself – with her fast-talking, energetic kindness, and the teaching philosophy she’s built upon something she had back when she was an undergraduate – the ability to recognize a wide variety of strengths.
“My main goal is to make ...

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