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 healthcare to underserved and rural populations.
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Preceptor Meg Ferguson, CNM, was honored as FNU’s “Featured Preceptor” for the winter term. Meg, who graduated from FNU in 2016 (Bridge Class 111), was nominated by Stephanie Brooker (CNEP Class 154), who graduated with her MSN in February.
For over five years, Meg has served patients in Alaska at Women’s Health Specialist as a Certified Nurse-Midwife. While some of her patients are from urban areas, she also serves clients from distant Alaskan regions.
Many women from remote areas can only make it for visits a few times over the course of their pregnancies. Meg is always very understanding of their situations. She makes sure to work around their schedules so they can make it to appointments and that she can have time to counsel them. She goes above and beyond to bring care to these women in underserved areas of Alaska.
Stephanie Brooker with Preceptor Megan Ferguson
Not only is she flexible and understanding, but Meg is also very highly regarded in her community for her personable bedside manner and down-to-earth attitude. She easily connects with patients and families to make them feel valued and well-cared for.
“I don’t know how she does it but she has this knack for remembering personal details about each patient and making each mom feel like they are special,” said Stephanie.
Another quality Stephanie appreciates about Meg is her honesty. Meg doesn’t hesitate to tell her students that they will face many challenges as nurse-midwives, but she also shares about how rewarding her career is.
“Some people would be too prideful to share the good, the bad, the ugly, but she shares the realities of this new career; she knows it has its challenges, as well as its joys,” said Stephanie.
To Stephanie, Meg is more than just a teacher, but a friend and counselor. Meg’s honesty helps Stephanie feel that she can come to her with any worries about her work.
“I feel like I can talk with her about the struggles and fears that I’m experiencing. She gives me her shoulder to cry on advice that keeps me going,” said Stephanie.
Stephanie is so grateful to Meg for her guidance and support. Not only did she gain confidence, but she received valuable feedback that will help her grow into an excellent nurse-midwife, just like Meg.
“I am one of the luckiest Midwifery students. I am so grateful that Meg agreed to take on another job training me to be the future of midwifery!” Stephanie said.
Thank you, Meg, for being such an excellent example to our students as they enter their careers!
Go here to read more on previously recognized preceptors, or to nominate a preceptor.
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).