Like Mother, Like Daughter: Gator Nurses Share a Special Bond

By Anna Suggs

(L) Mother Tami Jungklaus (BSN 2001, MSN 2002) and daughter Elizabeth LeFave (BSN 2006, MSN 2006) enjoy their Gator Nursing bond.

Some say that there is no stronger bond than between that of a mother and daughter. Add a Gator Nursing connection and that bond becomes even stronger.

In its more than 50 years of history, it is not surprising that the College of Nursing boasts more than a handful of mother-daughter Gator Nurse pairs. Each pair is unique in their decision to become a nurse and, more specifically, a Gator Nurse.

Although many factors about their education and careers are different, one thing remains the same among every Gator Nurse: the passion they have for making a difference and the excitement they have to learn more.

Inspired by Her Mother’s Quest for Learning

Tami Jungklaus (BSN 2001, MSN 2002) and ElizabethLeFave (BSN 2006, MSN 2006) say the best thing about being mother-daughter Gator Nurses is the special bond they share.

“My mother is my best friend,” Elizabeth said. “It’s nice to have someone to confide in and understand what I do and what I’m going through. We both share that passion for nursing and taking care of our patients. It’s also funny when the family is all together and we start speaking medical jargon. It drives my brother and sister crazy!”

Elizabeth was a preteen when her mother, Tami, who is now an adult certified ARNP specializing in cardiology at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, decided to continue her nursing education at the UF College of Nursing. Tami was an LPN for years before she realized she wanted to have more responsibilities. She and her husband, Randolph, moved the family to Gainesville in 1984 and lived in married housing for a time while Randolph (BSBA 1989, MBA 1991, MHS 1991) attended UF.

LeFave and Jungklaus in front of the College of Nursing building.

Once her husband graduated, Tami felt it was her turn to fulfill her dream of earning her BSN, and she began taking classes at Santa Fe Community College. When she started at the College of Nursing, it felt like the perfect fit.

“I finally felt like my bachelor’s degree was an attainable goal, and it was very exciting to be at the College of Nursing,” Tami said. “As an older student and a mother, I wasn’t the typical student. But the camaraderie between our whole group enhanced the passion I had for what I was doing. The relationships we had with some of our professors were fantastic. Jodi Irving, for example, was a phenomenal role model for us.”

From an early age, Elizabeth was able to witness her mother’s passion and drive for nursing and education, and she understood academia was an important concept for her mother and father.

“I was very proud of my mother,” Elizabeth said. “I saw how passionate she was about what she was doing and how involved she was in each of her classes. Even when we went on family vacations, she was in the passenger seat of the car reading medical journals and textbooks.”

Elizabeth picked up on Tami’s enthusiasm and determination and decided at a very young age that she wanted to be a physician and work with children. She loved being around children and babies and volunteered at Shands on the pediatric floor. But after a while, Elizabeth realized that nursing was a better fit.

“My mother was a guiding force for me. I saw how she interacted with her patients every day. I saw the art of nursing through her and it encouraged me. The University of Florida was a no-brainer for me. I grew up a Gator and I have a sense of pride in this community and in the Gator Nation,” Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth enrolled in the College and learned more about pediatrics from her primary care pediatrics professor and mentor, Teresa Bruney, with whom she is still in contact.

Elizabeth is now a pediatric pulmonary nurse practitioner for UF and has returned to the College of Nursing to receive her DNP, which she anticipates completing in 2013.

A Historic Duo

Daughter Beverly Alexander (BSN1981, MSN 1986) and mother Shirley Bloodworth (BSN 1965, MSN 1966) have a rich heritage with the UF College of Nursing.

As the first mother-and-daughter duo to be inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, the international nursing honor society, Shirley Bloodworth (BSN 1965, MSN 1966) and Beverly Alexander (BSN 1981, MN 1986) have witnessed the history of the College of Nursing.

Shirley received her RN diploma and worked in New York before she moved to Gainesville in the 1950s, where she worked at the UF infirmary and lived at the nurse’s home. Before Shands at UF and the Health Science Center were built, Shirley began pursuing her undergraduate degree at UF in liberal arts. It was at that time she met her future husband, Thomas Bloodworth, Jr. (BA 1955, MA 1963).

She eventually had to drop out of UF when her husband was offered a job in Shreveport, La. When Thomas accepted a job at UF in the mid-1960s, Shirley decided it was time to return to school, this time to receive her BSN from the College of Nursing.

“At that time, the College of Nursing was just getting into full swing under the direction of Dean Dorothy Smith. As a student, there were wonderful opportunities for me, and I really grew to appreciate the expanded role of nurses and understood a much more collaborative interdisciplinary approach to patient care and the profession.”

Alexander in her 1981 BSN class composite photo.

Shirley then went on to complete her MSN in Psychiatric Nursing and worked as the Nursing Director of the Clinical Research Center at the UF Medical Center, which was an adjunct faculty position, until 1980. Since then, she worked with Haven Hospice for 11 years and helped develop an “Advance Directive Kit” that she is still using to give seminars and workshops. She also has been a volunteer “End of Life” counselor for many years, is an Educator for the Alzheimer Association, was Director of the PrimeTime Institute at Santa Fe College, and now is a volunteer faculty member representing the College with the Interdisciplinary Family Health and is active as a volunteer with the Institute of Learning in Retirement at Oak Hammock.

During her mother’s busy career in the ’80s, Beverly was accepted in the BSN program at the College. Beverly decided to go into nursing not only because she was interested in the course work and career, but also because she observed her mother’s enjoyment of her career. The decision to be a Gator Nurse was just as easy for Beverly.

“Having grown up around Gainesville and having both parents as alumni, I always wanted to be a Gator!”

Shirley couldn’t be more proud of her daughter’s decision to be a Gator Nurse.

“I am absolutely delighted Beverly has chosen nursing for her personal growth, knowledge, life management and family development,” Shirley said. “I think she is a wonderful representative of what is possible at UF today.”

Beverly worked on the psychiatric unit at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville starting in 1982 before pursuing her master’s degree. She then became the Nurse Manager of the Children’s Crisis Stabilization Unit at University Medical Center in Jacksonville and also served as a UF adjunct faculty member. In 1991 she became the interim and eventual Director of Adult and Child Mental Health Services.

In 1993, after marrying Mark Alexander (JD 1984 Law) and starting a family, Beverly decided to resign from full-time work and began working part-time. After a six-year career hiatus she took to raise her children, Beverly decided to enter the nursing doctoral program in Jacksonville, where she is currently pursuing her PhD.

Beverly says some of her fondest memories come from the interactions, mentoring and encouragement she has received from the faculty.

“Dr. Snider continues to guide me and encourage me to this day,” she said. “And I remember Professor Irving allowing me to do an independent study in California with my aunt, who is a public health nurse. These experiences helped to make me the nurse I am today.”

Beginning a New Tradition

Linda Hentschel, BSN 1978, with daughter and current UF BSN student Ann.

For Linda Hentschel (BSN 1978), the decision to become a nurse was a given. She was always drawn to helping people. Being from a military family, she had the opportunity to learn from the Navy nurses growing up. But the question of where she should go to nursing school was a little more complicated.

“Both of my parents went to FSU. My first Christmas present was an FSU sweatshirt. Needless to say, they teased me about me coming to the University of Florida,” Linda joked.

But for Linda’s daughter Ann, currently a junior BSN student, the desire to become a nurse was not one that was always with her. She initially began her undergraduate career as a pre-med student, hoping to be a pediatrician.

Hentschel's 1978 Pinning Ceremony

When Linda’s sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Ann found herself spending time at the hospital in Gainesville where her aunt was receiving treatment.

“I saw the interaction between my aunt and the physicians and nurses,” Ann said. “I saw the difference in their patient interactions. I admired the nurse practitioners, who had a more holistic approach with more direct, personal interaction with the patients. That solidified my decision to become a nurse.”

Although Ann is just starting out in her nursing education, Linda, who has been a neonatal intensive care nurse since 1980 in Brandon, said she can already tell how excited her daughter is to be in the field.

Hentschel with her now-husband at her 1978 commencement ceremony.

“Over the summer before she even started the program, she was already looking for places to complete her practicum,” Linda said. “It’s been an exciting adventure for her coming to nursing school.”

Ann said she would like to continue her education after earning her BSN degree. In particular her interests lie in enrolling in a DNP program in pediatrics.

“I know that I want to work with children. I participated in an international mission trip and at the end of it, I didn’t want to come home.”

She is excited to get into the hospital and to learn from the faculty members.

“There are just so many different areas of study within the College of Nursing and so many faculty members passionate about what they are doing. I am excited to find that same passion in what I’m doing. I know I made the right decision to be in nursing.”

An Unbreakable Bond

For these and many other Gator Nurse mother-daughter pairs, the unique bond of nursing as well as the tie to Gator Nursing serves as an even stronger part of their unbreakable bond.

“I am very proud of my daughter and her accomplishments,” Tami said. “There was never any doubt in my mind that she would succeed as a Gator Nurse.”

Fall 2011