On Thursday, November 16, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) will join healthcare providers and organizations across the country to celebrate National Rural Health Day (NRHD). Organized by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, NRHD is an opportunity to bring awareness to the unique challenges that rural communities face and the efforts of rural healthcare providers to create positive change in these regions.
Founded in the Appalachian area of Kentucky, Frontier provides accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education to transform healthcare by preparing innovative, ethical, compassionate, and entrepreneurial leaders to work with all people with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities. Today, 75 percent of FNU students live and complete their clinics in rural areas throughout the United States.
Throughout the year, FNU shares inspiring stories on its blog about the impact alumni, students and preceptors have on the populations they serve. As we celebrate NRHD, read about these rural healthcare providers and their dedication to serving rural populations:
Student Spotlight: Tiffany Perryman determined to build a brighter future for women in rural Oklahoma as FNP
Oklahoma’s social statistics are somewhat bleak, given the state’s high rates of intimate partner violence, child neglect and abuse, teen pregnancy, high school dropout, and low rates of post-secondary education.
However, in the rural town of Warner, positive change is sweepin’ down the plains thanks to the efforts of Tiffany Perryman BSN, RN!
Perryman has served as a public health registered nurse for nine years. She provides family planning services to women in her largely indigenous and Hispanic community, which also includes a large number of Medicaid recipients.
Student Spotlight: In honor of her children, Cortni McCall pursues MSN to help others
For Cortni McCall of Atwood, Tennessee, her decision to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner was inspired by the situations that she had endured personally. McCall lost her ex-husband, a military veteran who dealt with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“My children and I lost so much, and due to the lack of professionals in my area of residence, I feel like this is needed and needs to be openly welcomed for those who desire to express concerns at their homes and in their lives, as well as treatment for those that are mentally ill and seeking help,” McCall said.
In her pursuit to earn her MSN, McCall is drawing upon her experience as a registered nurse. She currently serves as a public health nurse in a local Community Health Center, where she has worked for over three years. She has prior experience working at various rehabilitation facilities.
Student Spotlight: Andres Soto pursues FNP to improve access to care in rural Texas
As an emergency department nurse, Andres Soto of Temple, Texas, has made a few keen observations about the patients he serves. He said throughout his time in this role, he has been made aware of how many patients in his area use the emergency department as their primary care provider due to factors such as lack of insurance and the inability to see medical providers in a timely manner.
As a way to help address this issue, Soto is currently pursuing his Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Frontier Nursing University (FNU).
“I want to be part of the solution by adding to the number of medical providers so these patients don’t find themselves stuck having to wait weeks or sometimes months to be seen,” Soto said.
Alumni Spotlight: Stacey Eason’s midwifery practice focuses on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumni Stacey Eason, ARPN, CNM, PMHNP-BC, earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nurse-Midwifery in 2019. During her clinicals as a CNM student, she recognized the lack of care options for perinatal mental health. That’s when she decided to return to FNU to earn her Post-Graduate Certificate in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program.
Now, Eason uses both of these certifications from FNU in her career. A resident of Wichita, Kansas, Eason currently serves as both a CNM and a PMHNP at South Central Kansas Medical Center in Arkansas City, Kansas. She has been in this role since January 2022.
Join us in celebrating the value of rural communities and help shine a light on the health disparities facing these regions by sharing information about NRHD with your friends, colleagues, and social media followers. Visit the NRHD site to find ideas and resources.
NOSORH founded NRHD in 2011 to showcase the efforts of individuals and organizations going the extra mile to address the unique healthcare needs of rural communities. National Rural Health Day is an annual day of recognition which occurs on the third Thursday of November.
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