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  • 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.

  • Staff Spotlight: Katie Moses

    At Frontier Nursing University (FNU),the first stop for potential students is through the admissions office. Katie Moses, an FNU admissions officer, is the frontline of customer service for these applicants as they consider pursuing an advanced practice nursing degree at Frontier. She and the admissions department, fluent in all facets of Frontier’s operations, walk applicants through each step of the admissions process and often go the extra mile to explain procedures, policies and detailed aspects of campus life at FNU.

    “We literally, and figuratively, answer the call every day to grow Frontier’s influence in the nursing field,” Katie said.

    Katie, who has been in her role at FNU for seven years, enjoys working with applicants through the admissions process as they seek to further their education in their chosen field. She wants to help students accomplish their nursing dreams, no matter the size.

    “It is an honor to aid in one’s journey of self-fulfillment and betterment in any regard,” said Katie. “That is exactly why I am here.”

    When seeking a career in higher education, Katie chose FNU because of its prestige within the Leslie County community and its strong reputation. She was welcomed by the friendly faculty and staff, and the quaint campus layout made her feel immediately at home.

    Outside of the Frontier admissions office, Katie enjoys painting, sewing, reading, singing, playing upright/electric bass, and spending her time with her dachshund, Pepper, and her husband, Jeremy.

    We are proud to have staff like Katie Moses that are dedicated in their service to FNU students and the FNU community as a whole.

    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.

     

  • Alumni Spotlight: LCDR Gary Koller, BSN, RN, MSN, FNC-P

    Alumni Spotlight: LCDR Gary Koller, BSN, RN, MSN, FNC-P

    With a Family Nurse Practitioner master’s degree from Frontier Nursing University (FNU), Gary Koller, BSN, RN, MSN, FNC-P, has used his position as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Public Health Service to embrace and pursue opportunities to follow FNU’s mission and serve the underserved. Since graduating from FNU in 2012, doors have opened for Gary that he admits he never imagined.

    Working after graduation as a nurse practitioner for the Immigration Health Service Corps (IHSC), he was soon deployed over the next two years on international missions to the Netherlands, Senegal, Gabon, Cameron and Kenya, in order to assist patients with various medical complications. Assisting with a humanitarian crisis, he dealt with unaccompanied minors and families serving women and children from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. In 2015, Gary had the opportunity to present at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., with two officers that delivered care to Ebola patients in Liberia.

    Within his tour of duty with IHSC, Gary was also deployed several times to various areas of the U.S. to assist with immigration health care.

    Gary continued to represent as a Frontier alumnus when he began working at Health Resources and Services Administration in 2016. In the wake of the catastrophic Louisiana flood in August 2016, he was deployed to deliver care at the Federal Medical Center on the Louisiana Campus to patients needing complex care. He was also selected to serve in Baton Rouge at the LA Convention Center to give medical support to 1,000 families dislocated by the flood.

    During the 2017 Presidential Inauguration, Gary was selected as medical support for the general community at the ceremony. Even more recently, in April, Gary was selected as an aide-de-camp for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Tom Price, while visiting Region 4 of Health and Human Services in Atlanta, Ga.

    Gary is among many who have answered the call to serve his country using his nursing education. Thank you, Gary, for using your FNU degree to help protect, promote and advance the health and safety of our nation.

    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.

  • Frontier Nursing University Awarded $1,998,000 Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant

    Frontier Nursing University Awarded $1,998,000 Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has been awarded the Nursing Workforce Diversity grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant totals $1,998,000 in funding in support of a four-year project that will be led by FNU with assistance from several key partner organizations.

    The goal of the Nursing Workforce Diversity program is to increase access to high quality, culturally-aligned advanced practice nurses and midwives that reflect the diversity of the communities in which they serve. The grant, which provides $499,500 per year, supports a proposed project in which FNU will implement a comprehensive systems approach to implementing five evidence-based strategies to support disadvantaged advanced practice nursing students from recruitment through graduation. The social determinants of education will be used as a framework to assess student needs and guide activities throughout the course of the project.

    The overall aim of the program is to increase the recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Through education and training in Frontier Nursing University’s advanced nursing and midwifery programs, these students will be prepared to provide advanced practice nursing and midwifery health care services across the U.S.

    Findings from an American Association of Colleges of Nursing policy brief (2016) found that racial and ethnic minority groups accounted for 37% of the country’s population, yet minority nurses represent only 19% of the total registered nurse workforce (National Council of State Boards of Nursing Survey, 2013).  As minority population growth rises, so does the likelihood of these populations experiencing greater health disparities such as increased rates of maternal morbidity and mortality related to childbirth, infant mortality, chronic diseases, and shorter life spans compared to the majority of Americans. There is growing evidence that greater racial diversity in the health care workforce is an important intervention to reduce racial health disparities.  

    “We are extremely proud and excited to receive this grant and to be a part of such an important project,” said FNU president Dr. Susan E. Stone. “We are deeply committed to the goals of the NWD program and helping to overcome barriers that hinder the success of our underrepresented students, from recruitment through graduation.”

    The project’s primary objectives are: 1) to achieve minimum of 30 percent minority student enrollment by June 2021, the end of the project period; 2) to increase the racial and ethnic minority retention rate and 3) to graduate an average of 100 new nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners representing racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented in nursing each year of the project period.

    Grant funding will support personnel, consultants, and diversity training for faculty and staff.  Retention activities, including mentor programs and writing support will also be funded.  FNU students will also benefit from substantial scholarship support and professional development opportunities.  To achieve the goals of the program, FNU will formally partner with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Midwives of Color Committee (ACNM-MOCC), the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) and Mona Wicks, a multicultural sensitivity and diversity training expert consultant.

  • Ask the Couriers: Q & A

    Ask the Couriers: Q & A

    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.

    In 1928, Mary Breckinridge, founder of Frontier Nursing University established the Courier Program, recruiting young people to 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.

    We had the opportunity for you to ask the Couriers questions. Here’s what they had to say.

    Q:  What are past Couriers doing today? – Nadia Stovicek
    A:  Due to the age group of our most recent Couriers, many Couriers are still pursuing their undergraduate education or are pursuing graduate medical programs. For more information about former Couriers, please visit our Courier Stories page on our website, or check out our Courier Program playlist.

    Q:  Why did you choose to spend your summer at Frontier? – Dr. Susan Stone, FNU President

    A:  “I was immediately drawn to the service learning focus of the Courier program and the immersive nature of the experience. It wasn’t just a 9-5 job shadowing program on a hospital unit. I wanted to get out of the space that I knew and learn more about healthcare, and life in general, with the hope that I would develop an understanding of how I could approach health and well-being in my own community from a more holistic perspective.” – Claire Gasparovich

    “As a future CNM (certified nurse-midwife), I am inspired by the history and legacy of Mary Breckinridge. I also knew I’d be proud to walk among powerful female role models as a Courier, a program that largely began with women ages 19-25 riding horseback up hollers. I think that’s incredible.” – Zandy Stovicek

    “I chose to spend a summer at Frontier for a mix of personal and professional reasons. On a professional level, I’m interested in rural health. This part of the country is also very underserved and I think we need more young people who are familiar with it and willing to advocate for it. On a personal level both of my paternal grandparents are from not too far from where I’m working, but I’ve never been to the part of the country they grew up in. It has been eye-opening.” – Matt Hodges

    Q:  What are some stereotypes the students had about the area? What have they learned about those stereotypes? Are any of the stereotypes true? Going forward, what can they do to dispel those stereotypes to their own family/friends back home? – Jamie Wheeler, FNU Staff Member

    A:  “The biggest stereotype I had coming in was that many towns in Appalachia are dead/lost towns without the coal industry. I have been disappointed that this is true to a degree, but the culture here is incredibly rich and vibrant with some of the most amazing people. When I leave this internship to go home, I hope that the economy is able to prosper in these regions and that this area does not actually become a lost town. Going back, I plan on sharing with people that this is a forgotten frontier but there is hope for the future.” – Brie Belz

    “I had heard many negative stereotypes about the lack of literacy here and I found them incredibly false while being here. I will definitely not judge a population before getting to know them well as a result.” – Brigid Horan

    “I believe I carried many of the stereotypes that we all think of when we consider rural life in Appalachia– images driven by careless media and dramatic television, not intentionally but because it was all I had ever seen. The idea that the area is overrun with substance abuse. That I would have a hard time getting people to trust me much less share their lives with me. That people were less educated or possibly less civilized. Over the last month I have learned so much to convince me that these things are untrue, and while Appalachia certainly has its struggles, it is a culture and a community that is made up of so much more than what many would like to believe. Like any place in any area of the world, it can not be taken at face value.” – Claire Gasparovich

    Q:  What was your family’s impression of you coming to rural Eastern Kentucky for the summer? – Jamie Wheeler, FNU Staff Member

    A:  “My mom and sister were both very enthusiastic about it. My sister knew a former Courier and is a practicing FNP and so was very optimistic about this experience for me. My mom is always looking for information so she researched the Courier program pretty intensively when I applied and when I was accepted. My dad and my brother were a bit more skeptical just because they didn’t have as much of an understanding about what I would be doing while here. After spending last summer in rural Ecuador, however, I think my parents were mostly just relieved that I’d be in the country.” – Calla Michalak

    “My mom was worried, as all moms are, since she knew I would be going into an isolated area. Both of my parents drove down with me, and when they saw the town I would be in, they were comforted and pleased with it…. My family in general was supportive and excited for me because they knew that I love to travel and serve people; they thought this was a perfect opportunity for me.” – Brittany Imel

    “They were super excited because I am the second one in my family to do the program.” – Brigid Horan (Brigid is the sister of Teresa Horan who served in 2013).

    Q:  How is East KY different than you expected? – Joel Brashear, Community Member and producer of ‘Our Mountains’

    “I did not expect to love the area and the people as much as I do.” – Brigid Horan

    “I definitely didn’t expect everyone to be so welcoming to us. Everyone that I’ve met here has been very warm and receptive to meeting the Couriers and chatting with us about their experiences living here and our experiences while visiting. In some situations, I think people assume that outsiders coming into a community are just looking for problems and things to change and are therefore hesitant to open up. I think Frontier’s legacy in this area has definitely given us a chance to get to know people in the community more quickly than we otherwise might have.” – Calla Michalak

    Q:  What is an ” Easy Win” change you see for Leslie County? I.e. One impactful change with minimal effort. – Joel Brashear, community member and producer of ‘Our Mountains’

    A:  “Install little libraries in rural neighborhoods for children, and install summer programs for teenagers to teach them how to be innovative in helping people.” – Ronnie Sloan

    “I think Leslie County could benefit from transitioning to a tourist/outdoors town.” – Brittany Imel

    “Mentoring program.” – Brigid Horan

    Q:  Can you share an “A-Ha” moment with us? – Stephanie Boyd, FNU staff member

    A:  “I think my a-ha moment was born out of the realization that I can’t make an immediate change here. For the first three weeks or so, I expected to be able to come into Leslie County and make a real and immediate impact on the health of the community. One day, when I was feeling kindof down about my lack of impact, I had a conversation that changed my outlook. I don’t think the point of us being here is to make radical changes. I think the point of the Courier program is to get us here learning about some of the issues that the people here face and WHY it is that these specific issues exist here. In gaining that knowledge, we will be able to eventually carry that deeper understanding into our futures as healthcare practitioners either here in Leslie County or in other underserved areas around the world.” – Calla Michalak

    “I think my biggest “A-Ha” moment was when I realized the lack of communication in the county. Many people do not even realize that there is now a pediatrician, and that is due to no internet and the isolation.” – Brittany Imel

    “There was one day at the Health Wagon when I was calling patients and trying to schedule follow-up appointments with them. I remember one woman specifically talked on the phone with me for nearly 45 minutes, sharing nearly every detail of her medical history over the last 15. At first I thought, “simple enough, come into the clinic and we will get you some answers.” That’s when she told me that not only did she live nearly 4 hours away, but she didn’t have a car. I felt pretty helpless and really stupid at that point. Even a completely free, full-service health clinic can’t be the perfect solution.” – Claire Gasparovich

    Q:  If you could summarize your courier experience with one hashtag what would it be? – Stephanie Boyd, FNU Staff Member

    A:  #slowdownstepup – Zandy Stovicek

    #foreverlearner #grateful – Ronnie Sloan

    #lifechanging – Brittany Imel

    #tryingsomuchfood – Brigid Horan

    Q:  What advice do you have for future Couriers? – Joel Brashear, community member and producer of ‘Our Mountains’

    A:  “Think about your intentions going into this program. You only get out of it what you put in; to get to know the community, you will have to leave Wendover, say hi to strangers, go to community events. To do shadowing and other work at your clinical sites you will have to keep asking nurses if you can follow them, keep giving your boss ideas for projects, keep finding new programs to check out. If you can do that with a smile on your face, this is the program for you :)” – Zandy Stovicek

    “I would say be open to the possibilities. As a person who would not be in the medical field, I learned the connection of healthcare of people in the community should be taken into account when I build and transform a city. I learned that being an urban planner is more than building a pretty city. It is about joining with others to build a more effective city that people can be proud of and thrive in.” – Ronnie Sloan

  • FNU Launches New Innovation Center​

    Anne Cockerham

    by Anne Z. Cockerham, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE
    Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of History

    Building on FNU’s long-standing commitments to teaching excellence and innovation, we launched the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) in early 2017. CITL is a collaborative effort between Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Anne Cockerham; Innovation Coach, Tia Andrighetti; our two instructional designers, Laura Orsetti and Ally Williams; and many faculty, staff, and administrators across the university.

    The Center’s two major goals are to: (1) vigorously promote innovation as an iterative process of exploration, evaluation, and sharing, to improve student learning outcomes; and (2) safeguard student-centered, evidence-based teaching and learning as a vital task of the university.

    The first major project for CITL is the development, implementation, and evaluation of a curriculum-wide program of simulations delivered at a distance. We chose this as the first CITL project because FNU faculty members are constantly seeking ways to enhance our students’ application of clinical knowledge, critical thinking, and diagnostic reasoning skills. We decided to begin incorporating distance-delivered simulations in online didactic courses in order for students to be able to engage in the content through the applications of concepts. An important goal is that the preceptors and clinical sites who host our students will benefit from students whose didactic courses prior to their clinical practica included extensive application of knowledge and skills to realistic patient situations. Ultimately, the clients served by our students and graduates will benefit from the intense preparation for clinical practice that our students will receive through simulation.

    Our distance-delivered simulations will be aligned with the objectives and needs of each course and we’re using a variety of technologies and approaches. A few examples include: web conferencing software, standardized patients, student peer-interaction activities, branching case scenario software, guided reflection, student self-evaluation, varying assessment types, and debriefing.

    Here are a few examples of distance-delivered simulations:

    1. A breastfeeding phone triage simulation. A standardized patient plays the role of a new mother and speaks with each student by phone. The experience simulates after-hours patient phone calls. Following the simulation, the standardized patient provides feedback to each student about how they made her feel as a patient and then the student writes and submits a clinical SOAP note (subjective, objective, assessment, plan).
    2. A health history, standardized patient/provider encounter. Students meet with a standardized patient in BigBlueButton (web conferencing software integrated in the learning management system/Canvas) for a face-to-face, one-on-one interview to elicit a basic health history. Session is recorded. SP provides feedback after interview then students submit a reflection and SOAP note
    3. An interactive, branching case study using Twine. Students work through patient histories by reading a case study and answering questions about what information to solicit from the patient. Then they perform a physical exam listening to recorded segments of heart and lung sounds and decide what other data is needed. Students then form an assessment and plan based on their findings. Students assess their knowledge using a pre and post test and more information is available if they need more practice with the didactic content.

    CITL is facilitating extensive support, coaching, and feedback loops to promote this initiative. Cohorts of four course coordinators per term will design and implement distance-delivered simulations in their courses by working through a formal training and simulation-development course: Innovation 101: From Imagination to Simulation. Additional faculty development support includes: in-depth debriefing training, a Simulation Resource Center, course faculty-specific simulation training, and ongoing support from the CITL staff. Members of a  special subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee, Simulations Across the Curriculum, perform valuable service to the simulation initiative by serving as a simulation advisory group, providing ongoing support of quality assurance for simulations, addressing faculty development needs related to simulation, and offering a faculty Simulation Journal Club. Faculty that work closely with students in clinical practicum are providing feedback about clinical students’ knowledge and skills that could benefit from enhanced focus and application via distance-delivered simulations during earlier didactic courses. We are exploring ways for clinical preceptors to provide feedback to inform the simulation program.

    According to CITL director and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Anne Cockerham, “Students are at the center of our teaching and learning activities and we keep that as a guiding principle of our simulation initiative, beginning with the planning stages of a simulation and continuing until after the simulation is over. We’re ensuring that students are well-prepared for their simulation experience, from technology- and content standpoints. We have an extensive evaluation process to gather feedback from students about their experiences, including how well the simulations contributed to their learning, whether they experienced any technological or logistical problems, and how the simulations affected their self-confidence in the content and skills associated with the simulations.”

    We are excited about this new initiative and, especially, about partnering with students to deepen their understanding of course content and skills. If you have ideas or feedback, please contact Anne Cockerham at anne.cockerham@frontier.edu.

  • Couriers: Midterm Recap

    Couriers: Midterm Recap

    The FNU Courier Program held Midterm from Thursday, June 29 – Saturday, July 1, 2017. Midterm is the midway point during the Courier Program where all Couriers come back to Wendover to attend sessions and present community health profiles about the community in which they are serving. This year’s Midterm was special in many ways. The Courier Program welcomed back two former Couriers from 2016, May Congdon and Anthony Douglas II. For the first time, the Couriers also hosted a Community Dinner and Tea with almost 40 attendees on June 29!

    The Community Dinner and Tea was hosted at the Big House on Thursday, June 29 with attendees from Kentucky River District Health Department, Bluegrass Care Navigators, Cumberland Valley District Health Department, and a FNU alum. Many Couriers spoke with guests about their experiences as citizens of Leslie or Perry County. After dinner, Couriers assisted in clean up and served tea and cookies to the site partners.

    On Friday morning, Couriers had a discussion with James Wooten about substance abuse in Leslie County.  Afterward, Couriers began their community health profile presentations at the Livery. Every Courier is required to present on the community they are serving by completing a public health profile and sharing other aspects of that community. In the afternoon, May Congdon and Anthony Douglas II spoke with the Couriers about their own experiences as Couriers. The group also discussed how they were feeling about their experience at this point and how the program can translate to their future career goals.

    On Saturday morning, Couriers finished presenting their community health profiles and learned about servant leadership and emotional intelligence from Angela Bailey, Associate Director of Development and Alumni Relations. Midterm concluded by the Couriers attending a lunch with Frontier supporters at the Big House.

    If you are curious to hear more from our Couriers about Midterms, you can view this short video with some Courier reflections now.

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