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  • Alumni Spotlight: Joanne Burris, CNM, MSN

    Alumni Spotlight: Joanne Burris, CNM, MSN

    FNU Alumnus, CNEP Class 130

    From birthing her child with the help of a midwife to becoming a Certified Nurse-Midwife herself, Alumna Joanne Burris, CNM, is the picture of how Frontier Nursing University (FNU) provides its students with an education to match their passion.

    In her journey from patient to provider, Joanne now seeks to provide women with holistic care using her degree from Frontier.

    Suffering an uncomfortable experience with her first child’s birth, Joanne was displeased with the way her birthing decisions were dominated by the health care providers. She sought the help of nurse-midwife Melissa Courtney in the birth of her second child a few years later.

    Through Melissa’s gentle consideration, consistent reassurance, and willingness to allow Joanne to make several of her own birthing decisions, Joanne’s second birth experience was truly an enjoyable one.

    It did not take long for Joanne to feel a spiritual calling to provide the same care for other women. Within the year she began didactic classes at FNU (CNEP 130), after receiving her associate’s degree in nursing and then attending nurse-midwifery clinical training at Womankind Midwives, a practice established by Melissa.

    In 2016, she was hired at the University of Kentucky (UK) HealthCare Polk Dalton Clinic into the UK Midwife Clinic. The clinic collaborates with UK’s Obstetrics/Gynecology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, ensuring the most resourceful care possible.

    “I work in two patient population settings,” said Joanne. “Half of my clinic time is spent in a downtown clinic that serves primarily Hispanic, refugee, and low-income women. The other half of my time is spent at a midwife clinic that serves private pay patients. I enjoy working at the University of Kentucky because it allows me to serve a diverse group of women.”

    Together with Melissa and two other CNMs, Joanne is fulfilling her dream of providing care, expertise, and empowerment to other women as they journey throughout their lifespan.

    The community at FNU is thankful for Joanne’s dedication to quality health care!

    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 health care to underserved and rural populations.

    Sources:
    https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-healthcare/birth-experience-inspires-new-purpose-practicing-midwifery
    http://www.kentucky.com/living/health-and-medicine/article129447654.html

  • Staff Spotlight: Chasity Collett

    Staff Spotlight: Chasity Collett

    For some of the staff at FrontierNursing University (FNU), the connection to Frontier  has been a part of their lives for many years. For Chasity Collett, it’s been since birth.

    “I was born an FNS baby at Mary Breckinridge Hospital, and I love continuing to help the mission,” said Chasity.

    For the past seven years, Chasity has served Frontier in the admissions department. She now works as a senior admissions officer, helping new and prospective students work through their admission files. According to Chasity, it’s a great place for her to both meet prospective students and process their files so they can join the FNU community. For Chasity, the community has been the best part about working at FNU.

    “My favorite part of being a staff member is the relationships I have developed since working here,” Chasity said. “When you join Frontier you become family and over the past couple of years that has meant a lot to me.”

    Chasity enjoys spending time with her husband, Kyle, as well as their three children, son, Isaiah, and daughters, Kyla and Natalya. She also coaches cheerleading for second to eighth graders at her daughter’s school.

    Thanks, Chasity, for serving the Frontier community!

    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.

  • Courier Spotlight: Kathy Dalton

    Courier Spotlight: Kathy Dalton

    Kathy Dalton, from Lexington, Ky., grew up hearing her mother’s stories about Eastern Kentucky. While her mother was also from Lexington, her grandfather traveled frequently as a mining engineer for coal mines in Eastern Kentucky, making Kathy curious about the area. When her parents found the Courier Program at Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), now Frontier Nursing University (FNU), she decided to take the opportunity.

    The summer after her junior year in college, Kathy was with FNS for eight weeks. She remembers sitting in Anna May January’s room in the evenings and hearing about her experiences. Anna May advised Kathy to meet local people during her free time when she was assigned to an outpost clinic. Kathy took her advice to heart, and when she was assigned to Flat Creek, she focused on meeting as many people as she could.

    At Wendover, Kathy took care of horses and pigs at the Upper Shelf. On the weekends, she would go with the Couriers to a swimming hole at Hurricane Creek. When patients at FNU didn’t have transportation after they were discharged, Kathy would drive them to their homes in Thousandsticks. Some of her best memories from that time are fixing tea for the midwives at the Big House, the cooks who prepared the food in the kitchen, and daily tea and sherry hour at 4 and 5 p.m.

    Serving as a Courier lit a fire in Kathy – it was exactly what she wanted to do. Her time at Frontier made her more aware of poverty and its effects, and deepened her commitment to service in her church and community throughout her life. The Courier Program serves a valuable purpose in helping not only defray the costs of healthcare, but it also gives the Couriers insight into what’s important in life. Young people in the Courier Program can be inspired to serve in their own communities after they return home, as Kathy was.

    Since serving as a Courier, Kathy has remained supportive of Frontier. In April 2014, she hosted a tea party to help release Unbridled Service, Frontier’s historical book about the Courier Program. The tea service was done in the traditional English style in honor of the Breckinridge-style tea service she learned at FNS.

    Kathy remains involved with the University because she sees that the mission of FNU today matches Mary Breckinridge’s original mission. FNU continues to serve a need, and Kathy is proud to be a part of something that has stayed the course over time. She is also interested in how Frontier’s mission can be met from a distance through technological advances. This success is an example of the best technology has to offer, and Kathy is delighted to be a part of a vital project that is serving the world.

    In 1928, Mary Breckinridge, founder of Frontier Nursing University established the Courier Program, recruiting young people to come work in the Kentucky Mountains and learn about service to humanity. Couriers escorted guests safely through remote terrain, delivered medical supplies to remote outpost clinics, and helped nurse-midwives during home visits and births. Frontier has benefited tremendously from the 1,600 Couriers who have served since 1928.

    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.

     

  • FNU Student Named 2017 APNA Board of Directors Student Scholar

    FNU Student Named 2017 APNA Board of Directors Student Scholar

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) graduate student Nicole Mutnansky, MSN, CNM, WHNP received high honors on July 20, 2017, as she was recognized by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) as one of 30 students in the 2017 Class of Board of Directors Student Scholars.

    Nicole was selected from a pool of applicants from schools of nursing at colleges and universities across the nation to receive this prestigious scholarship. Recipients, which include both undergraduate/prelicensure and graduate nursing students, were chosen based on their scholastic achievements and commitment to psychiatric-mental health nursing. The scholarship is comprised of one year of APNA membership and complimentary registration, travel and lodging for the APNA 31st Annual Conference this October.

    “I am honored to be a recipient of the APNA Board of Directors Student Scholarship,” said Nicole. “I am very appreciative of the APNA’s generosity to allow me to attend this year’s conference. When I heard about the scholarship, I knew immediately that I wanted to utilize this amazing opportunity to network with other providers, and to help move my practice toward a more integrated approach.”

    The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is a national professional membership organization committed to the specialty practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing and wellness promotion, prevention of mental health problems and the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disorders. Membership to the APNA is inclusive of all psychiatric mental health registered nurses and nurse scientists and academicians.

    Nicole, one of fifteen graduate scholarship recipients, is enrolled in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate program at Frontier Nursing University. She received her ADN in 2010 and BSN in 2012 from Carlow University. Mutnansky continued her education at Frontier, where she pursued a Master’s in Nurse-Midwifery and a post-master’s specialty in Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, graduating in July 2016. In November 2016, she was chosen as a featured speaker during Frontier’s virtual event, Move Your Community Toward Improved Health: Expanding Your Role, celebrating National Nurse Practitioner Week.

    “I look forward to connecting and engaging with other professionals outside of my current specialty, and continuing to build on the knowledge I have received through the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate program at FNU,” said Nicole.

  • Student Spotlight: Michele Holzman, RNC-OB

    Student Spotlight: Michele Holzman, RNC-OB

    With 25 years of experience in labor and delivery, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) nurse-midwifery student Michele Holzman “answers the call” to serve Hispanic women in the Tallahassee, Fla., area every day through the miracle of birth.

    Michele, Hispanic herself, has a particular connection to the community that she serves. She has worked for 20 years in labor, delivery, and postpartum care with Hispanic patients, bridging the gap for this community dually through language and through extensive knowledge and care for mother and baby.

    Michele embodies Frontier’s emphasis on providing care to underserved and rural populations as she works with migrant mothers and families on a daily basis. Outside of the hospital walls, Michele supplements women’s health by teaching Mighty Moms classes – fitness training classes that combine her experience as a childbirth educator and five years as a personal trainer. She uses the classes to provide mothers with a practical way to improve their overall health and to educate the women to continue the health impact at home.

    Stemming from Michele’s passion for women’s health and direct communication as it impacts outcomes throughout the birth process, she has authored two books in Spanish translation covering this area. She not only plans to publish the documents, but also to convert the text into an easy-to-use, highly accessible app.

    Her dreams don’t stop there. Michele’s next project is to create a non-interventional birth wing in her hospital, and to provide a mobile antenatal clinic for the patients that live in the outlying counties. Her hope is to shift the medical model of childbirth to a physiologic focus and to better influence evidence-based discussions towards improvement of national statistics in maternal-infant care, all while continuing to service the Hispanic community.

    Michele, who initially began her journey at FNU via the ADN Bridge Entry Option, plans to continue on to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program after completing her MSN.

    “This is a humbling and inspirational legacy to be a part of,” Michele says. “This is such a great opportunity, and I am excited to learn everything they have to offer.”

    Thank you, Michele, for your continued excellence in serving the Hispanic community.

    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 health care to underserved and rural populations.

  • Barbara and Donald Jonas Receive Honorary Doctorates from Frontier Nursing University

    Barbara and Donald Jonas Receive Honorary Doctorates from Frontier Nursing University

    In honor of their extensive support and contributions to the advancement of nursing, Frontier Nursing University awarded honorary doctorate degrees to philanthropists Barbara and Donald Jonas. The ceremony took place on Thursday, July 27, at 11:30 a.m. in Greenwich, Conn.

    Photo Credit: Carolyn Jones

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Board Chair Dr. Michael Carter and FNU President Dr. Susan Stone presented the Jonas’ with the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

    In 2005, the Jonas’, who are noted art collectors, auctioned off 15 of their abstract expressionist artworks. That generated millions in seed money to create their own masterpiece: The Barbara and Donald Jonas Family Fund.

    As they sought the appropriate beneficiaries, Barbara, a psychiatric social worker, and Donald, a leader in retail, were drawn to the nursing shortage and its overall impact on the healthcare of individuals and communities. In early 2006, they established the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence, a first-of-its-kind philanthropic program dedicated to advancing the nursing profession. The Center’s focus is to improve healthcare through nursing leadership, scholarship and research.

    The impact of the Center has grown exponentially. In 2016, the Jonas Center celebrated its 10th anniversary reaching a milestone of 1,000 Jonas Scholars supported by the Center. As the nation’s leading philanthropic funder of graduate nursing education, the Jonas Center has grown from a New York City-focused funder to a national organization in partnership with leading schools of nursing in 50 states.

    “Over the last decade, we have brought together numerous foundations and organizations with a shared vision to support our nation’s nurses, and the results of those collaborations have far exceeded what we ever thought we could achieve,” Donald Jonas said during the anniversary.

  • Frontier Alumni and Faculty Contribute to First Ever Textbook Published on U.S. Birth Centers

    Frontier Alumni and Faculty Contribute to First Ever Textbook Published on U.S. Birth Centers

    The book, Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes, is expected to influence the future of maternal care with the most comprehensive documentation to date of the birth center model.

    Five Frontier Nursing University (FNU) faculty members and several Frontier alumni contributed to a new textbook for graduate students and professionals set for exhibition and a book signing at the American Association of Birth Centers’ (AABC) conference in October.

    The book, Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes, explores the freestanding birth center models in the U.S. from the 1970’s to present.

    According to the book release flyer, Freestanding Birth Centers, ”provides a thorough history of the birth center movement from its inception through future expansion of the model; serves as an essential resource with up-to-date evidence on clinical and cost outcomes; includes case studies linking the unique service focus of individual birth centers to the associated sections of the book; and provides practical and comprehensive coverage of all issues involved in implementing and operating a U.S. birth center.”

    Co-authored by Linda Cole, DNP, RN, CNM, Assistant Professor, Course Coordinator, Course Faculty, and Regional Clinical Faculty at Frontier, and Melissa Avery, PhD, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, the textbook is the first of its kind.

    “The first book published about birth centers in the U.S. begins with the most comprehensive documentation to date of the history of the birth center model featuring the pioneers who were behind it from the start and their unique stories,” said Cole. “Experts in the fields of midwifery, obstetrics, public health and business explore with the reader the latest research on outcomes of the birth center model.”

    A number of Frontier-educated women, including Alumni Alisha Wilkes, DNP, CNM, ARNP and Autumn Versace Vergo, MSN, CNM, CPM, as well as alumna and current Frontier Course Faculty Jill Alliman, CNM, DNP, contributed to chapters pertaining to their medical and professional specialties.

    FNU Senior Instructor Kathryn Schrag, MSN, CNM, FNP co-authored the book’s first chapter, Organizing for Change: History, Pioneers, and the Formation of a National Organization. Diana Jolles, CNM, MSN, FACNM, PhD(c), a Frontier instructor and Course Coordinator, also made contributions to the new book. The foreword was co-written by Ruth Watson Lubic, an FNU honoree, with Kitty Ernst, CNM, FCH, FACNM, instructor and Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery at Frontier.

    Writing contributions from FNU Professor Emeritus Barbara Anderson, DrPH, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, can also be found within the book’s 382 pages.

    Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes was published by Springer Publishing Company in May 2017 and released at the American College of Nurse Midwives’ (ACNM) 62nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Chicago, Ill., Wednesday, May 24, in the ACNM bookstore.

    The textbook will next hit the Exhibit Hall at the 11th Annual AABC Birth Institute in Anchorage, Alaska, from October 5-8, 2017. AABC will host a book-signing and a promotional event for the book on Saturday, October 7, at 10:15-11:00 a.m., where conference attendees can meet and network with the book’s contributors. There will also be books available for sale at AABC registration.

  • 2017 Couriers Leave a Lasting Impact in the Communities They Served

    The 2017 Courier Program is coming to an end! While they were only here for a mere 8 weeks, the Couriers were able to accomplish and experience many things! Couriers spent an average of 35-40 hours a week at their clinical sites and community partners. Spanning across Leslie, Perry, and Clay Counties in Kentucky and Wise County, Virginia, Couriers worked with 12 organizations!

    Prior to starting their experiences, seven Couriers had the opportunity to attend FNU’s annual Diversity Impact. They learned about diversity in healthcare and also attended a session about the history of Appalachia. You watch the session here. Outside of their sites, Couriers have also had the opportunity to have meals with Dr. Julie Marfell, the Dean of FNU, and Jean Fee, a pioneer graduate and former nurse on horseback with FNS and Mary Breckinridge. In July, 7 Couriers assisted with Red Bird Mission’s annual health fair. They also spent a weekend in Wise, VA at the largest Remote Area Medical (RAM) event in the country. In addition to all of this service,Couriers also assisted with six student dinners at the Big House.

    As part of their site work, Couriers have led a special project created for their site. These special projects can widely vary. Some are more administrative such as Ronnie Sloan and Brigid Horan, who worked on the Red Bed Health Fair organizing, contacting vendors, and making food vouchers for upcoming micro clinics. Brigid also worked with her supervisor at Red Bird to provide leftover food from the camp she led to families struggling with food insecurity. Others projects were more direct, such as Calla Michalak working to acquire pedometers for patients at Hometown Clinic. Brie Belz worked on informative literature dispelling myths about needle exchange programs, and Matt Hodges who worked working introducing Narcan® into local clinics.

    Each Courier is listed below with all of the sites they have served at within their 8 weeks and a description of their special project:

    • Brie Belz: Served with Mary Breckinridge ARH Hospital, Kentucky River District Health Department, and The Well with Big Creek Missions. She worked on informative literature dispelling myths about needle exchange programs for members of the public.
    • Claire Gasparovich: Served with Health Wagon and Camp Bethel in Wise, VA. She created systems to provide more efficient development for next year’s interns working on Health Wagon’s Remote Area Medical (RAM) event.
    • Matt Hodges: Served with Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance Little Flower Clinic and The Well with Big Creek Missions. He established a partnership between Little Flower and the homeless shelter in Perry County to increase patient registration.
    • Brigid Horan: Served with Red Bird Mission. She worked to provide leftover food from the summer camp at Red Bird to families struggling with food insecurity and created food vouches for upcoming micro clinics.
    • Brittany Imel: Served with Mary Breckinridge ARH Hospital, the Leslie County Public Library, and the Stinnett Community Center. She worked with Dr. Haas, the hospital’s new pediatrician, to create and present health programming for youth attending Big Creek Missions’ summer camp.
    • Calla Michalak: Served with Hometown Clinic and Bluegrass Care Navigators. She worked to provide pedometers to all diabetic patients at Hometown Clinic.
    • Ronnie Sloan: Served with Red Bird Mission, Cumberland Valley District Health Department, and Pathfinders of Perry County. She worked with the Red Bird Health Fair by organizing fair activities and contacting vendors.
    • Zandy Stovicek: Served with Kentucky River District Health Department, Stinnett Community Center, and Bluegrass Care Navigators. She worked with the health department to revamp prenatal care within Leslie County.

    The Couriers have been kept very busy the summer serving others, but they have also taken part in an experience that provide a view into what it is like to work as a healthcare provider in rural and underserved communities. We enjoyed having our eight Couriers this summer, and we will be sad to see them leave! Their last day is July 29.

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