Dr. Beth Schultz to Direct Nursing Program Starting 2021
Brandi Norton
Manchester University is introducing a nursing program directed by Dr. Beth Schultz. She joined the university in 2019 and brings with her a considerable knowledge of nursing, having taught future nurses for over 25 years in various settings.
She comes to MU most directly from the Anderson University School of Nursing in South Carolina, and nursing education was all in the South. She has an Associate’s degree at Gulf Coast Community College; a Bachelor’s degree in nursing at University of North Florida; a Master’s in nursing at Jacksonville University, FL; and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in leadership from Union University, which is in Jackson, TN.
How does she feel about moving to the colder Midwest? “My husband was from Indiana, so making the move wasn’t that hard,” she said.
Schultz came to the conclusion that she wanted to be a nurse her senior year in high school, when her mother was fighting breast cancer. After receiving her own education, Schultz is determined to give students more knowledge about nursing.
She has considerable experience. For example, she has delivered babies and taken care of the mother and the baby after the delivery. She’s even worked at camps over the summer. What’s her favorite memory? “One day at an all-boys camp, there was this little boy who was 14 years old and he said he thought he had broken his leg,” she began. “I asked him what he did to make him think that and how bad did it hurt?”
The kids at the camp couldn’t have their phones for the 3-5 days they were there. So then the little boy said, “It isn’t broken, I just really want to talk to my mom, I haven’t talked to her in 3 days.”
She thinks about that memory because the little boy took the time out of his day to think of how he could get to a phone to call his mom, and the broken-leg idea was the only thing that came to mind. She worked at an all-girls camp too, and although she wasn’t sure what it would be like working with all boys, it turned out she really enjoyed them.
Being a nurse—and a professor of nursing—has, however, led to some family sacrifices. Schultz simply said she knew from the beginning she would miss certain things, such as watching her kids open their gifts on Christmas, or going to games.
But she stated that the other nurses help one another out by covering some of their hours. “If I knew a nurse who had small children then I would tell that nurse to go home and be with his/her family, and that I would cover the rest of their hours,” she said.
Schultz has four children, three boys and one girl. On her off days she and her husband would take their kids to Disney World because it was so close to their house in Florida. They also enjoyed going to the beach. So instead of her sleeping on her off days, she made time to create memories with her family.
The nursing program is looking to begin sometime in 2021. Beth Schultz is excited about this journey and already has the location for the nursing classes: in the Science Center at the far end, toward Cordier Auditorium.