2015 Gold Medalist ~ Nursing Education: Faculty
Thomas B. Mendez, RN, PhD, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
As a teenager, Dr. Thomas Mendez had a congenital renal anomaly that threatened his life. He has a clear memory of the woman who was head nurse on his unit during a six-week hospitalization.
“She came in on her day off to be with me when I had surgery,” Dr. Mendez says. “I was frightened, as were my parents, so her compassion was especially meaningful. Even on her day off, she called to see how I was doing. This was not unique to me. She did it with all of her patients. I was inspired by her caring and compassion and thought nursing would be a wonderful vocation.”
During high school, he volunteered for a number of organizations, including what was then known as the American Tuberculosis Association. “I found working with people who had a chronic disease quite fulfilling,” he says. “In the end that’s why I chose nursing.”
Education was also important to Dr. Mendez. He earned a diploma in nursing from Northwest Texas Hospital School of Nursing in Amarillo in 1977. In 1988, he received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, followed by his Master of Science in Nursing in 1993 at the same institution. He received his doctorate at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2013.
“I come from a long line of educators,” he says. “Most of my aunts and uncles had graduate degrees and doctorates. One aunt was an LVN and eventually went back to school to become a registered nurse. It took her a long time so I really appreciated her tenacity and her drive to become an RN. Along the way in my own education, I’ve had some wonderful mentors who instilled in me the importance of helping children and young adults formulate and shape their future. My hope was always that through my experience and my education, I could inspire other individuals to be the best they can be.”
An assistant professor at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for the past six years, Dr. Mendez’s primary area of focus is psychiatric mental health nursing. In her nomination of him for the Good Samaritan Foundation Excellence in Nursing Awards, Alice S. Hill, RN, PhD, FAAN, wrote, “Dr. Mendez readily shares his knowledge and clinical expertise in psychiatric nursing. His love for nursing shines through as he works tirelessly with undergraduate students in the classroom and clinical settings, helping them to understand and respond appropriately to the mental health challenges of the patients they encounter. When I think of Dr. Mendez, the first word that comes to mind is dedication. This word was exemplified most recently when a number of undergraduate students were given a second chance to continue with their studies and Dr. Mendez was asked to serve as their mentor and guide for the remainder of their program. Without hesitation, he said yes, and immediately developed a plan for their success. With unrelenting patience, time, and hard work, each of the students graduated. His dedication to these students was truly the gift of a second chance.”
Dr. Mendez was elected to serve in the prestigious role of chair of the UTMB School of Nursing Faculty Assembly in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Highly respected by both faculty and administrators, he currently serves as a faculty senator.
Dr. Mendez’s expertise and commitment to nursing has been recognized by his peers inside and outside the School of Nursing. Included on his long list of awards are the Beverly and F.A. (Andy) Odom Endowment for Nursing Research at the UTMB School of Nursing, the Excellence in Education Award from the Alpha Delta Chapter Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the Eleanor Brasher Farley and Stephanie Farley Pardue Memorial for Nursing Leadership Award at UTMB, Men of Achievement, and the Pamela G. Watson Award at the UTMB School of Nursing.
Over the course of his academic career, Dr. Mendez has sought to find answers to questions through research supported by small grants and self-supported funding. Findings from these projects have added to his knowledge base as he integrates this work into the classroom. His cutting-edge work on the influence of ethnicity on psychiatric diagnoses in a tri-ethnic hospitalized population provides a new framework for teaching students about caring for patients from diverse backgrounds, with an emphasis on Hispanic psychiatric patients.
On winning the Excellence in Nursing Gold Medal Award, he says he’s “shocked and moved. I’ve always considered recognition by the Good Samaritan Foundation as one of the pinnacles of nursing achievement. When I was a young nursing student, a faculty member who was not a nurse told me I would never make it as a nurse, which was devastating to me. It really hit the ego hard, particularly as I was really working to be a good nurse. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and a sense of forgiveness for that comment to receive this award because it validates my commitment to nursing.”
Dr. Mendez plans to continue helping people hone their nursing skills and foster their belief in the value of nursing. “Nursing is a wonderful career that offers so many different opportunities,” he says. “I’ve been a clinician, a therapist, an administrator, a risk manager, a legal nurse consultant, and an educator. I hope that others looking at careers will consider nursing for the opportunities it offers and also for the compassion it inspires. Today’s nursing students are a challenge. They’re very intelligent, very tech-savvy individuals. My greatest desire is to provide the encouragement, support, and guidance they need to become the very best nurses they can be.”
