At the UF College of Nursing, the mission goes beyond preparing nurses for today’s challenges and equipping them to lead in the health care landscape of tomorrow.

From simulation labs powered by the latest technology to advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations, Gator Nurses are stepping into the future with purpose, innovation and compassion.

In classrooms, clinics and communities, UF Nursing students and faculty are redefining what it means to be “future ready.” Their work reflects a deep commitment to clinical excellence, addressing health care discrepancies and research that changes lives in Florida and across the nation. Driven by the Elevate 2029 strategic plan, this mission falls under the pillars of Care, Lead, Inspire, each pursued boldly.

The following stories highlight how that vision comes to life through advocacy, leading-edge technology and research that pushes boundaries.

During her 15 years as a nurse in the intensive care unit, Meredith Fischer saw how advance directives and do-not-resuscitate orders often failed to ensure that patients’ end-of-life wishes were respected.

Many ended up unable to have their wishes followed because the proper documents could not be found or accessed in time. So, when Fischer, a UF Nursing DNP student, saw an opportunity to act, she did not hesitate and embarked on an ongoing effort to change Florida law.

Fischer’s opportunity came in the fall of 2023 thanks to a College of Nursing assignment in a health policy and finance class. The assignment encouraged students to write letters to state legislators about health policy issues. Her letter, addressing the end-of-life laws, received a response and a request to meet from the legislator.

“I was shocked,” Fischer said. “I had no idea that a simple letter would get this kind of response.”

Encouraged by her professor, Fischer eventually became actively involved in the push to pass legislation that would honor the final wishes of Florida patients. She worked with advocates, legislators and state organizations, including the Florida Nurses Association, to advance legislation. While the proposed bills did not pass in the most recent legislative session, Fischer is committed to working for change.

“Patients deserve to have their wishes honored,” Fischer said. “I’m doing everything I can to make sure that happens.”

Caroline Shapansky, a Gator BSN student, used the pageant stage to advance her advocacy for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

That work led to an invitation to April’s 2025 Disability Policy Seminar in Washington, D.C., where she joined advocates from around the country to meet with members of Congress and discuss pressing issues affecting people with disabilities and their families.

Shapansky, who is the current Miss Ocala, along with caregivers and parents of disabled individuals and two advocates with a disability, met with officials from four Florida legislative offices.

“We asked legislators to protect Medicaid funding, support home-based care services and preserve state flexibility,” she said.

Shapansky recently competed in the Miss Florida pageant where she received the award for Practical Leadership and Quality of Character. She also was named the first runner-up in the Overall Community Service Initiative Scholarship Award.

Her advocacy started in high school when she volunteered as a leader in a Young Life Capernaum program, which unites teens and young adults with and without disabilities to develop friendships. She also founded a nonprofit dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of people with disabilities and partners with The ARC of Alachua and Marion counties.

On the UF campus, Shapansky serves as a student senator representing the College of Nursing, where she champions policies, accessibility improvements and enhanced campus resources for students with disabilities.

“I think people often look at me and see a pageant girl or a nursing student, and they don’t always realize that I’m also in policy meetings, advocating for people with disabilities,” she said.

When Michael Bumbach, PhD, APRN, started his career as a nurse practitioner in the emergency room, he was petrified during his first consultations with a physician specialists. It was something the UF College of Nursing clinical associate professor had never practiced in school.

To help future graduates avoid similar experiences, Bumbach began working with artificial intelligence to simulate consultations in a controlled classroom setting. He has been perfecting an AI-powered system — complete with emergency room simulations and clinician avatars — that students can use at UF to build interdisciplinary collaboration skills for the future.

“I remember when I was a brand-new nurse practitioner. It was nerve-racking. It’s intimidating to call the specialist with years of experience, and here I was, a newbie,” Bumbach said. “So, if we can increase [students’] confidence through this simulation, that interaction is a little bit easier. It’s a little smoother, resulting in better patient outcomes.”

The project — a partnership between the College of Nursing, the College of Dentistry, the Office of Interprofessional Education and the Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering — uses a combination of AI, virtual reality and simulation technology to enhance how students communicate with patients, collaborate with colleagues and develop critical skills essential to clinical practice.

The program is in use by students at UF, and the team continues to refine and improve the experience to make it more realistic.

“We’ve been working on this for maybe four years now,” Bumbach said. “The goal is to streamline education with technology; if we can do that, we can build the next level of nursing education.”

In January, the UF College of Nursing’s Jacksonville campus partnered with Dreams Come True, a local nonprofit serving children with life-threatening illnesses.

For UF Professor Michael Aull, MSN, RN, CEN, CNEcl, the goal of the partnership was to allow nursing students the opportunity to give back to the community while gaining exposure to the human side of health care.

Since the start of the year, nursing students have helped Dreams Come True with everything from stuffing thousands of Easter eggs to delivering bikes to children, assembling Valentine’s Day boxes and participating in birthday “dream” reveals. Each interaction offers a glimpse at the realities families face while caring for children with chronic or terminal illnesses.

“This is about more than clinical care,” Aull said. “It’s about empathy, compassion and understanding how health care impacts families in everyday life.”

Students have logged hundreds of hours with the organization, far exceeding expectations. One student, Gabriella Delgado, completed 44 hours, more than five times the suggested amount.

“Seeing the joy they bring to these children and their families was so moving that it has never felt like volunteer hours. I just want to keep going back and help in any way I can,” Delgado said.

The partnership emphasizes professionalism, community connection and whole-person care.

“This experience taught me so much about compassion and the immense impact that can be made with simple and thoughtful actions. It’s something I’ll carry with me throughout my career,” she said.

Participation has grown quickly, and organizers plan to strengthen and expand the relationship in the future.

“It’s not about checking a box,” Aull said. “It’s about being part of something that matters.”

This evolving partnership reflects UF’s commitment to lasting community engagement and professional development, giving students the chance to make dreams come true.

For decades, Leslie Parker, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN, FANNP, UF College of Nursing professor and associate dean for research, has focused her research on optimizing lactation in mothers of preterm infants and infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Parker and several other researchers from across the country, including fellow UF Nursing faculty members Marion Bendixen, PhD MSN, RN, and Qinglin Pei, PhD, came together to focus on the growing number of mothers who struggle to provide exclusive breast milk feedings to their infants.

Their work was recently published in a special edition of Breastfeeding Medicine, featuring eight articles aimed at advancing the biological, social and systemic factors that impact breastfeeding. Parker was co-editor of the special issue.

More than half of breastfeeding mothers — about 55% — are not able to successfully provide exclusive breast milk feedings to their babies for the first three months, according to past research, which is far below recommendations by international and national health organizations.

“Supporting mothers who struggle to provide enough milk to meet their infants’ nutritional needs is essential. Even providing a small amount of mother’s milk to infants makes a difference in improving health,” Parker said.

Each of the articles in the special edition of the journal focuses on different aspects of lactation challenges. The consortium’s ultimate vision is to make breastfeeding and lactation care more personalized. They hope biomarkers, particularly sodium levels in breast milk, can result in more personalized lactation care, especially for mothers at risk for lactation problems.

The special edition was a first step in addressing the growing breastfeeding issue by serving as a foundation where others can build upon and eventually develop personalized interventions that can increase the amount of breast milk mothers produce.

The researchers plan on meeting again in September to continue the search for innovations in advancing lactation for all mothers.

These stories are a few examples of what the college works toward every day. Guided by the Elevate 2029 strategic plan, Gator Nurses are expanding the scope of what nursing can achieve. They are not waiting for the future; they are shaping it now.