A+ Teacher guiding next generation of nurses

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Minerva Swanston is the nursing instructor at Pinellas Technical College and helps her students work towards earning their license to become a nurse. She’s been teaching there for 10 years. 

“I love it and I’m trying to not just teach them to be nurses but to love it,” she said.

Swanston started nursing in 1984.

“Spanish was my first language so needless to say learning medical, it’s not only English, it’s also medical. Medical is a whole language in itself so that was really challenging,” said Swanston.

Swanston said she truly loves being a nurse and teaching the next generation. She says many of her students work full-time on top of coming to school.

“The fact that you’re making somebody with four kids, a single mother, get a better job to help her kids have a better life,” Swanston said. “It’s so inspiring to us. It’s just what keeps us here.”

PTC Student Services Counselor Merritt Scott nominated Swanston to be featured as an A+ Teacher.

“I think so much of you and so many students do. You’ve touched so many lives. And you deserve a thank you,” Scott said to Swanston when we visited her class.

“It’s great to be appreciated. It really is. It made me cry. But I’m happy that it’s working for my students and that they appreciate it,” said Swanston.