OHIO Chillicothe alumna Mandy Day returns to teach the next generation of nurses

More than 20 years after earning her first nursing degree from Ohio University Chillicothe, Mandy (Stanley) Day is back where her career began, helping prepare the next generation of nurses. 

Day, a Waverly native, earned her Associate of Applied Science in Nursing at OHIO Chillicothe in 2003. She now serves as a clinical instructor for the campus, mentoring students during their clinical experiences, and as an outpatient educator for Adena Health System, training nurses and medical assistants across Adena’s outpatient facilities.

Her return is a full-circle moment shaped by years of nursing experience, a passion for education and a desire to support students facing the challenges she once did.

"It feels like home here," Day said. "I had the same experiences. I lived the same things. But now I get to do it in my own way."

Day earned her first degree at age 19 and quickly launched her career. She began her Bachelor of Science in Nursing as part of an OHIO Chillicothe nursing cohort housed in the PACCAR Center at Adena Regional Medical Center, but soon joined one of OHIO’s earliest online cohorts, graduating in 2009. 

After working in a variety of settings, including 13 years as a school nurse, she earned a master’s degree in nursing education from Mount Carmel College of Nursing and began focusing more intentionally on teaching. The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced that calling.

“All these experiences that I’ve had, all the good, the bad and everything in between, have led me to this role,” Day said. “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Sharing her knowledge, experience with OHIO students

Day sees teaching as a natural extension of her nursing career.

"I've always said I want to teach in the absolute best way I can because I may be the patient in that bed someday, or my family member might be," she said. "I’m really excited to come back to a place I called home and be a part of educating other nurses." 

Her path to nursing education was influenced by mentors she met as a student. Among them was Associate Professor of Nursing Camille Leadingham, whose support helped Day navigate one of the most challenging periods of nursing school. 

"I remember being in her office with tears as this very young student," Day said. "She had the patience of a saint. She was encouraging, and she had such an impact on me." 

Leadingham, a longtime OHIO Chillicothe faculty member, has watched many of her former students move into teaching roles.

“Mandy brings a sense of comfort to students,” Leadingham said. “She fosters resilience by coaching our nursing students through emotional fatigue, and the high-stakes pressure of nursing school. She has the lived experience of seeing how OHIO Chillicothe nursing faculty role model and shape the professional identity of our students by demonstrating clinical competence, ethical decision-making, and communication.”

Now, some of the students she teaches at OHIO Chillicothe are young adults she once cared for as a school nurse.

She remembers the moments that defined her own time on campus, from long hours in the nursing labs to crossing the graduation stage to receive her diploma and nurse pin.

"When you walk across that stage and you get pinned, it's so special," she said. "Those are moments you'll never forget." 

Advice for nursing students

Day encourages her students to stay open to opportunities and trust that every experience will help them grow.

"Never say never," she advises. "Take every opportunity that you can because you never know when it's going to benefit you and make you a stronger nurse." 

That perspective guides Day both inside and outside the profession. A wife, mother of three, avid reader, 4-H volunteer and outdoor enthusiast, she embraces the same spirit of lifelong learning and service that first brought her to nursing.

More than two decades after beginning her nursing education at OHIO Chillicothe, she remains grateful for the faculty members who helped launch her career and for the opportunity to care for others.

"It's a gift to be able to care for other people," Day said. "When you remember that and hold on to it through your practice, it changes who you are."