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 who are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.
Frontier Nursing University is proud to announce FNU alumni, Megan Ferguson, CNM, as the 2022 Spring Term Featured Preceptor! Ferguson was nominated by FNU nurse-midwifery student Megan Webb for always going above and beyond.
Before becoming Webb’s preceptor in Wasilla, Alaska, Ferguson was Webb’s provider for Women’s Health at Alpenglow Women’s Health. Ferguson is the co-owner of Alpenglow Women’s Health, where she serves the women and families of her community, supporting them through their prenatal journey, women’s health issues, and deliveries at the community hospital.
“I was hoping that I would be able to have her as my preceptor,” Webb said. “And when I asked her at my appointment, she had zero hesitation.”
Ferguson had her own difficulties finding a preceptor in Alaska when she was going to school. She had to travel into Anchorage for clinical as there are only a few hospitals in Alaska.
During this time, Ferguson has given Webb exactly what she needed: to be consistently challenged and encouraged to step outside her comfort zone.
“She has instilled confidence, encouraged education, and nurtured growth in me as I transition from nurse to nurse-midwife,” Webb said.
“Watching students grow as they start to make the transition from an RN to an APRN. It’s like watching the synapses form as they link their knowledge, differentials, and decisions,” Ferguson said.
“We need to raise these next generations of practitioners to love and grow their practice so that we can continue to listen to women and provide the care all women deserve.”
– Megan Ferguson, CNM, FNU Preceptor
Ferguson, who precepts nurse-midwifery and family nurse practitioner (FNP) students, hopes to make students comfortable with the learning process and instill a deep love for this profession, which is what drives her.
Ferguson encourages other Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to precept students.
“If we do not help grow our own, who will be left when our bodies give out and it’s time to move on?” Ferguson said. “We need to raise these next generations of practitioners to love and grow their practice so that we can continue to listen to women and provide the care all women deserve.”
Thank you, Megan Ferguson, for your dedication to serving your community and helping educate the next generation of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners.
Are you interested in becoming an FNU Preceptor? Fill out the form on this page to learn more!
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).