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.
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) student Crystal Iddings, CNM, aspires to earn the highest degree in her field: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). She is currently on track to achieve this goal next year as she earns her DNP from FNU.
Currently serving as a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Iddings plans to continue working in this capacity after graduation with the goal of eventually teaching nurse-midwifery to others. Iddings said as someone who originates from a lower socioeconomic background, achieving the highest degree in her field was an important goal. She said she is the first person in her family to earn a graduate degree and will be the first to earn a doctoral degree.
“I hope that my children and cousins see me make it, so they know they can too,” she said.
Before attending FNU, Iddings earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Tyler. She went on to complete her Master of Science in Midwifery from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Iddings said she chose to study at FNU because the university has a “reputation of gold.”
While studying at FNU, Iddings serves patients in her town of Ames, Iowa, a community located north of Des Moines with a population of just over 66,000.
“ I chose to study at FNU because the university has a reputation of gold…As a CNM, I am able to provide quality, safe care to those I serve.”
– Crystal Iddings, CNM, DNP Student
Iddings has worked for over a decade as a Labor and Delivery Nurse and has served as a CNM for the past year. She works at McFarland Clinic in Ames, a healthcare clinic that has locations throughout central Iowa. Some services Iddings provides include annual exams, STI testing, problem gynecology treatment, contraceptive counseling and prescriptions, prenatal care, labor and delivery support, and post-delivery support. At her clinic, Iddings serves patients in the surrounding rural communities to provide safe and accessible health care.
At the clinic, Iddings’ patient population is diverse, ranging in sexual orientation, culture, race, religion and socioecomic status.
“As a CNM, I am able to provide quality, safe care to those I serve,” she said.
Outside of her commitments as a CNM and student, Iddings and her wife have four children, all of whom were adopted through the foster care system. She and her wife plan to host a foreign exchange student this year. Iddings enjoys kayaking, swimming, traveling, dancing, singing, and sports.
Thank you, Crystal, for choosing FNU to achieve your goal of earning a DNP. We are proud to have you as a student and are excited to see how you will continue to impact the healthcare of your community and the patients you serve.
Learn more about FNU’s online doctor of nursing practice program.
