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From birth to childhood to nursing school, Wendy Church and Madi Townsend are not your typical mother-daughter duo! Church, an ER licensed practical nurse at Mercy Stoddard, and Townsend, a med surg licensed practical nurse at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, are both studying together to become registered nurses at Mercy’s Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Cape Girardeau.
The timing just worked out for the mother-daughter team to complete nursing school together, they said. Currently in the Accelerated LPN-RN Bridge program, they are working toward earning an Associate of Applied Science in Registered Nursing.
“We live in the same house but we’re opposites,” Church said. “I arrive early everywhere. She doesn’t. But it’s nice because we’ll bounce ideas off each other and we can have that reassurance we’re understanding these complex subjects.”
They got their start together when Church was providing home health care for a disabled pediatric patient. That experience of helping her mom wherever she could, and witnessing her grandfather’s illness, sparked Townsend to be like her mom and start a career in health care.
“Seeing your family sick is awful,” Townsend said. “It made me realize I wanted to be like her. She’s always guided me in the right direction.”
Both said they chose the College of Nursing and Health Sciences for its small class sizes, open availability and deeper relationships with faculty and staff, and extensive time in “real-life” situations.
“It’s an experience we’ll be able to pass down to our family,” Townsend said.
Mercy’s Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences is accepting applications for the August 2025 RN program. Learn more at www.sehcollege.edu
