Frontier Nursing University (FNU) preceptor Sandi Hayes, APRN, CNP, from St. Cloud Medical Group in Clearwater, Minn., was honored as FNU’s “Featured Preceptor” for the spring 2018 term. Sandi was nominated by recent DNP graduate Kelly Papesh.
Sandi has been practicing Family Medicine at Clearwater Clinic in rural Minnesota since 2012. Through her practice at Clearwater, an outpatient family practice clinic, she upholds the values of Mary Breckinridge by serving a rural community and giving access to populations who might not otherwise have healthcare. In the clinic, Sandi serves a wide range of patients across their lifespan. The majority of Sandi’s patients are adults and geriatrics, whom she treats for chronic and acute conditions.
As a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), Sandi also works with all the diabetic patients at the clinic. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) as well as a public health nurse.

Sandi Hayes with preceptee Kelly Papesh
Sandi completed her FNP at Frontier in 2012. She began precepting her nominator, Kelly, for a family practice rotation as Kelly was finishing up her FNP in 2016. Though it was just her first time precepting, Sandi’s attentiveness and open approach to precepting was hugely beneficial to Kelly.
Kelly included the following statement in her nomination:
“I learned so much from her and she worked with me so patiently to give me the best learning opportunity. Sandi is compassionate, thorough, and she cares deeply about her patients as evidenced by the relationships she has established. I so appreciate all of her time and commitment to helping build the nurse practitioner community.”
Sandi will continue precepting for FNU, and has another student slated to begin with her in the summer.
She will receive a Starbucks gift card as a small token of our appreciation for her being a great preceptor. Thank you, Sandi, for your investment in our FNU students!
Go here to read more on previously recognized preceptors, or to nominate a preceptor.
At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.