Helping Others

Laurie Mansuy uses her nursing degrees to care for those in need

Laurie Mansuy, of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, wanted to be a nurse since she was young. She liked helping people and was fascinated with the inner workings of the human body. She knew that, with nursing, she could combine those interests and help heal people. Mansuy became an LPN and has been a nurse for several decades. In 2019, she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Excelsior College, finally completing a lifelong goal and enabling her to move up in her career.

Mansuy works 12-hour shifts at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, as a staff nurse. For the past four years, she has overseen not only several patients at a time but also nurse’s aides. She gives medications, helps give baths, and talks with doctors about patient needs and medications. “It’s a lot of sick patients we get from all over the place. And it’s challenging and tiring at the same time,” she says. Normally she is in the orthopedics unit, but much of her unit has currently been closed and reopened to help with COVID-19 patients.

She also works in home care for University Hospitals Home Care, based in Cleveland. She is a fill-in nurse responding to calls when necessary, and visits patients’ homes to check and administer medications, change dressings, check vital signs, and so forth. Mansuy is also a licensed massage therapist.

Mansuy was encouraged by her superiors to pursue her bachelor’s degree to maintain her position with University Hospitals Home Care. Since she had always wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree, she thought it was a perfect reason to go back to school. Mansuy pursued her associate degree in nursing with Excelsior, earning her degree in 1988, when the college was still known as Regents College. Only later did she discover that the Cleveland Clinic is an educational partner of Excelsior and so she decided to return to earn her bachelor’s degree and take advantage of the tuition reimbursement available through her employer.

Mansuy says the hardest part about going back to school was sticking to a schedule and posting to discussions on time. She says it was helpful to know she wasn’t alone and that others were working full time just like her. Mansuy also says she got through her schooling simply because she knew she could do it. Now she tells others to stay positive because “ . . . even though you have a lot going on in your life, if you really want your degree, you will get your degree. And everything else will work out.”

Mansuy’s job duties have remained much the same with her bachelor’s degree, but her advanced education will allow her to transfer into other positions. She intends to apply for a case manager position, in which she would help coordinate discharge for patients and work with doctors, nurses, patients, and families. In this position, she would also oversee the patient’s plans after discharge, such as rehab.

So far, Mansuy has enjoyed her journey. Now that she has her bachelor’s degree, she can take advantage of new opportunities to care for and help other people. Mansuy tells others to enjoy their journeys too, saying, “Just because there is a goal at the end — enjoy the journey along the way, because there is so much fun stuff you can learn from just the path you are on.” View our RN to MSN in Nursing options.

More from Laurie Mansuy

Best book, podcast, newsletter, etc. that relates to your profession:

“I read the American Journal of Nursing. They have articles on a variety of subjects. Also, the newsletter from Ohio Board of Nursing Education dept from Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.”

Most important traits necessary to succeed in your profession:

“A nurse needs to enjoy working with people. A nurse shouldn’t go into nursing for the money… A nurse needs time management skills to be organized…Also a nurse needs to enjoy working with other nurses and learn to resolve conflicts. A nurse needs compassion but not to the point of getting attached to a patient where that person’s judgment becomes clouded with emotion. Also, a nurse needs a good sense of humor. My motto is go to work, do my job well with patients, have a good time, and go home.”

Best advice you’ve ever received:

“Enjoy the journey. Just enjoy the time, enjoy the now. Enjoy the journey, because you learn so much. You learn organizational skills, more so. And you learn: just the desire of learning, you’re learning something different.”