Jeffers had previously served as interim associate dean and director of master’s/doctoral programs and research at Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University in Normal. She received her doctoral degree in nursing with a concentration in research methodology from St. Louis University and her master’s and bachelor’s in nursing from University of Illinois Chicago, College of Nursing. She received an associate’s degree in nursing from Lincoln Land Community College.

St. John’s College, Department of Nursing offers an upper division nursing program for students who have completed the prerequisite liberal arts and science courses. The college is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission and works with other organizations throughout central Illinois to provide a wide range of clinical experiences for students.

It is the oldest Catholic hospital school of nursing in the United States and is sponsored by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis.