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  • Take a Closer Look at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Summer Quarterly Bulletin

    Take a Closer Look at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Summer Quarterly Bulletin

    Shorter after she and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator Chris Turley organized and led Frontier Nursing University’s twelfth annual Diversity Impact Conference, Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMNHP-BC, APRN, was named the university’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. The two-day Diversity Impact Conference featured an impressive lineup of presenters, highlighted by a screening of the acclaimed documentary “Apart.” The film features formerly incarcerated mothers jailed for drug-related charges who overcome alienation and a society that labels them as “felons” to readjust to life with their families. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with three of the women featured in the documentary.

    “I am proud that FNU makes this a signature event,” Dr. Alexander-Delpech continued. “I am so proud that I am a member of a community that takes this so seriously that this is the type of event they would sponsor. I know I’m being prejudiced – nevertheless, we had a lineup of speakers that speaks volumes of how important diversity is to us. It tells us that we put value into diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s not just lip service. It is what we live, it is part of our fabric. I’m so proud to be interwoven into that fabric

    A full recap of the Diversity Impact Conference is part of the summer issue of the FNU Quarterly Bulletin, which examines the multiple diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and initiatives at the university, including the creation of student interest groups, a Bias Incident Report Advisory Council, and a Safe Space for Students.

    This issue of the Quarterly Bulletin also introduces you to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Rachel Risner, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, C-FNP, CNE. Dr. Risner, who is Choctaw and Cherokee, is active in a number of diversity-related initiatives, both within and outside the university. She was recently selected by the National League for Nursing to participate in the NLN’s Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy is a year-long program that “focuses on leadership development for nurse educators and other interprofessional colleagues to develop leadership competencies, integrate social determinants of health and social change into curricula and programs, and engage in research and scholarly activities related to social determinants of health and social change.”

    In this issue, we also share the story of Dr. Elizabeth Akinyemi, DNP, FNP, a Nigerian native who hopes to one day teach at Frontier. We also share the inspiring story of alumnus Russian-born Dr. Viktoryia Kashin, who went on a mission trip to Ukraine to help the victims of the Russian invasion.

    The many amazing accomplishments of FNU alumni, faculty, staff, and students are also celebrated, including the naming of Dr. Eileen Thrower, Ph.D., CNM, APRN, CNE, FACNM, as the Department Chair for the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health. Assistant Professor Dr. Catherine Collins-Fulea, DNP, CNM, FACNM, was also selected by the American Academy of Nursing to be inducted into the 2022 Class of Fellows. Dr. Collins-Fulea is one of 250 distinguished nursing leaders selected by the Academy who will be formally inducted into the 2022 Class of Fellows during the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, October 27-29 in Washington, D.C.

    All of this and more are included in this issue of the Summer Quarterly Bulletin. Simply click here to view or download the Summer 2022 Quarterly Bulletin today!

  • Dr. Rachel Risner Is Devoted to Helping Others

    Dr. Rachel Risner Is Devoted to Helping Others

    The National League for Nursing (NLN) recently announced that Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Rachel Risner, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, C-FNP, CNE, has been selected to participate in the NLN’s Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy, which is a year-long program, “focuses on leadership development for nurse educators and other interprofessional colleagues to develop leadership competencies, integrate social determinants of health and social change into curricula and programs, and engage in research and scholarly activities related to social determinants of health and social change.”

    That is a lot to pack into one year, particularly while her plate remains full at FNU, but Dr. Risner has never been one to shy away from hard work, particularly when that work is in service to others.

    Born and raised in Oklahoma, Dr. Risner is Choctaw and Cherokee. With money and resources in short supply growing up, she relied on the caring and generosity of others. Those are gifts that she has paid forward ever since.

    “If it wasn’t for the support from the Choctaw nation, I don’t know how I would have survived as a child,” Dr. Risner said. “There aren’t a lot of opportunities for tribal support in every state, but in Oklahoma, there is a lot of support from the tribes. I grew up in a very underserved family. I was lucky that I had my medical covered, that I could obtain a scholarship when I was going to school, and that I had support for clothing. I was able to obtain food when I needed food. They did so much for me growing up that I feel that’s why I do what I do. If I can help somebody else the way that I was helped, it’s really important to me.”

    Dr. Risner didn’t wait long to start helping others. She began working in a psychiatric facility for geriatric patients when she was 14. Then, when she was 17, she began working as a home health aid taking care of a young boy with cerebral palsy. She cared for him for seven years and even took him into her home for three years.

    “I cared for him all day long,” said Dr. Risner of the young man who sadly passed away at the age of 23. “I took him to school. I took him to prom. I walked him across the stage for graduation. We had a really close relationship. He impacted my life in so many ways. I just knew that by caring for him, I wanted to do more for people.”

    She decided a good way to do that would be to become a nurse. While working full-time as a registered nurse, she graduated from Frontier in 2010 as a family nurse practitioner (FNP). She went into family practice for the next 18 months before being recruited by Oklahoma City University to help write the curriculum for their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. She went on to earn both her DNP and a Ph.D. in nursing education from Oklahoma City University. Dr. Risner began teaching at Frontier in 2014, holding various positions, including course faculty and course coordinator, before being named the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in 2018.

    “My work at Frontier focuses on having a big-picture view of the curriculum, of all programs at the university,” Dr. Risner said. “I have an eye on accreditation, making sure that we are meeting all of our competencies and essentials with all of our accrediting bodies, that we are meeting all of our expectations, and are graduating our students to be everything that our accreditors say they need to be.”

    Ensuring these standards are met means identifying gaps in the curriculum. Doing so means that Dr. Risner works closely with many departments and individuals at FNU.

    “We strive for consensus and collaboration in Academic Affairs to make sure we are meeting the needs of everybody in every department,” Dr. Risner said. “We can then make sure that we are producing the absolute best product that we can for our students to be successful in each one of our programs so they can meet the needs of the families that they are serving in their practice.”

    “We wanted to hear from all of our stakeholders to determine what we could do better and how we could make our curriculum more diverse, more equitable, and more inclusive for our students to assist them in being better providers in all of our programs.”
    – Dr. Rachel Risner, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, C-FNP, CNE
    Frontier Nursing University Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

    The curriculum review process is an initiative of the President’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force, which was formed in January 2021. Dr. Risner and the Curriculum and Course Design Coach Audrey Perry, DNP, CNM, began by holding meetings with students, faculty, and staff.

    “We wanted to hear from all of our stakeholders to determine what we could do better and how we could make our curriculum more diverse, more equitable, and more inclusive for our students to assist them in being better providers in all of our programs,” Dr. Risner said. By the end of these sessions, she and Dr. Perry were left with hundreds of pages of information, from which they identified five themes common to the stakeholder meetings:

    • Social Determinants of Health
    • Health Equity
    • Anti-Racism
    • Cultural Safety
    • Social Justice

    “We are working on scaffolding these concepts across the curriculum in all of our programs, not only in our didactic courses but across our clinical courses as well, so our students can be well prepared to apply these concepts when they are in clinical practice working with families,” Dr. Risner said.

    The subcommittee also worked with FNU’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee to develop guidelines for course faculty and course coordinators concerning imagery in courses.

    “Being able to see it through a different lens is extremely important,” Dr. Risner said. “Having so many students from so many different backgrounds and experiences who are looking at our curriculum in different ways is just going to help us do better and make our curriculum even better.”

    Dr. Risner explains that cultural understanding and awareness are extremely important in healthcare to build trust and improve communication. One of the keys to reducing healthcare disparities and improving outcomes is a better understanding of one another’s culture.

    “The biggest challenge is just building trust with your patient,” Dr. Risner said. “If you go to a regular clinic, the provider comes in, and they talk really fast. They want to do it all in 15 minutes. You can’t do that with a native person. First, (a native person) won’t talk to you because they don’t trust you. It takes so much time to build rapport and trust before you can even begin the visit. That’s what’s so different about going to Indian Health Services here in Oklahoma. I may see 25 patients per day at a clinic that’s not Indian Health Services, but (there) they may only see 10 because they know they will have to go in and build trust and rapport. Just like any culture, you need to know the approach.”

    That is a message that Dr. Risner is trying to communicate not only to FNU students but to nurses and healthcare providers across the country. Through her work with NLN, she is part of a workgroup that developed a toolkit for faculty to mentor American Indian and Alaskan Native students. The same group is also developing a nurse mentor portal for faculty across the United States who work with American Indian and Alaskan Native students.

    “In training faculty, there is a lot of focus on unconscious bias and microaggression, on how to be a mentor, what it means to have a mentoring relationship, including the cultural aspects of what it means to work with students who have an American Indian Alaskan Native background,” said Dr. Risner.

    Dr. Risner is also involved as a group coach in the NLN Step Into Leadership Program, which is aimed at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Through coaching sessions, she helps senior undergraduate nursing students transition into leadership positions after graduation.

    Dr. Risner’s leadership and impact are felt in organizations large – such as FNU and NLN – and small, such as the Oklahoma Indigenous Nurses Association. Only about 18 months old, this organization was formed by a group of five Indigenous nurses, including Dr. Risner. It is the first Indigenous nurses association in the state.

    “There were five of us that had a like-minded goal. We’re all from different tribes, and it’s really exciting. Our Facebook page has now surpassed 100 nurses that are native here in the state,” Dr. Risner said from her home in Oklahoma City.

    The group meets monthly and has a guest speaker at each meeting. As the group has grown and word has spread, so has the demand to speak at a monthly meeting. Speakers are now being scheduled over a year in advance. The calendar is filling up, and, more importantly, so has the group’s influence.

    “We were able to provide feedback on the American Nurses Association (ANA) racial reckoning statement,” Dr. Risner said. “They took into consideration some of our feedback – not all of it, but they did listen. They have been in contact with our tiny little group and have asked us to participate in some research with the ANA because there are not a lot of indigenous nurses associations around, so we are trying to do as much as we can.”

    The group mirrors Dr. Risner, who seemingly devotes every waking minute to serving others.

    “I just try to do as much as possible to help anybody I can,” she said. “I just like helping other people.”

    To learn more about FNU’s DEI efforts, visit our website.

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Action: Frontier Nursing University to Participate in Data Equity Fellowship

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Action: Frontier Nursing University to Participate in Data Equity Fellowship

    Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has been an intentional component of Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) goals, initiatives, and planning since 2006. In 2010, the university launched PRIDE (Promoting Recruitment and Retention to Increase Diversity in Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse Practitioner Education), which has since led to the multiple DEI efforts taking place at the University today. Now known as the Diversity Impact Program, PRIDE was specifically intended to raise the level of diversity in student enrollment. In 2010, the enrollment of students of color was 9%. Today, that number has risen to over 27%, and FNU’s DEI efforts have expanded exponentially to include all members and aspects of the FNU community.

    Leading the university’s DEI efforts is Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN. Dr. Alexander-Delpech brings a great deal of expertise and experience to the CDIO position, which was created at FNU in 2017. She serves as co-chair of the President’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and co-chair of the Faculty, Staff, and Preceptor Development and Retention sub-committee of the DEI Task Force.

    Dr. Alexander-Delpech has served as the Interim CDIO since January and was named CDIO in August. She hit the ground running, ensuring all existing initiatives and programs continued to progress and working with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator Chris Turley to plan the annual Diversity Impact Conference. She has done all this while keeping an eye on the future. The university’s progress since the launch of the Diversity Impact Program is significant but far from over. To help determine the direction of the program moving forward, Dr. Alexander-Delpech is leaning on surveys and data to make informed decisions about which programs are working, which are not, and what new initiatives, if any, need to be implemented.

    “I am working diligently with the whole FNU community to determine where we want to take the university as it relates to DEI,” Dr. Alexander-Delpech said. “One of the things that will help me as we move forward is that FNU was identified as one of 50 schools to participate in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) LAMP (Leading Across Multidimensional Perspectives) survey.”

    The survey, which will be open to FNU students, faculty, and staff from November 2022 through February 2023, helps gain insight into FNU’s climate and culture.

    “I hope the assessment data collected from students, faculty, and staff will give me valuable information so I can initiate the changes, identify target areas for growth, and most importantly, help us to improve student outcomes,” Dr. Alexander-Delpech said.

    Because much of the work in DEI is qualitative rather than quantitative, evaluating the results and identifying common themes is subject to interpretation. To help make the evaluation more objective, Dr. Alexander-Delpech and FNU Director of Institutional Assessment Marilyn Lyons have been selected to participate in a year-long fellowship with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) partnership. The Data Equity Fellowship is a 12-month fellowship with expert facilitation to support the successful implementation of data-informed equity initiatives aligned with the institution’s mission and strategic plan, including sustaining and scaling DEI efforts.

    “They will teach us how to use the qualitative data and turn it into measurable outcomes to help us make informed decisions,” Dr. Alexander-Delpech said. “It’s all about informed decisions. I don’t want to fall into project-itis, just creating one project after another without understanding the impact. I want us to know how to measure and know as an institution that we are making a difference.”

    Dr. Alexander-Delpech acknowledges the great strides the university has made in the past 12 years. She is committed to building upon the foundation that has been laid, making data-driven, evidence-based decisions to forge further advancement in DEI across the university landscape.

    “I want to streamline what we are doing so that it is institutional, not departmental,” Dr. Alexander-Delpech said. “We always think about DEI as it pertains to our curriculum or profession, but when people start talking about it in their personal lives, that means people are really making changes. The ripple effect is happening. At FNU, we are ahead of the game. When we talk about DEI work, FNU has surpassed a lot of other universities.”

    To learn more about FNU’s DEI initiatives, please visit our website.

  • Maternal health equity a key focus during Frontier Nursing University Virtual Event

    Maternal health equity a key focus during Frontier Nursing University Virtual Event

    FNU hosts free virtual event in honor of National Midwifery Week

    Empower 2022
    Empower 2022 Celebrating National Midwifery Week

    National Midwifery Week is the first week of October, and Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is celebrating by hosting a virtual event, Empower 2022, from Oct. 3-5. Crystal Pirtle Tyler PhD, MPH, will keynote the event on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. ET, with a session on maternal health equity. Empower 2022 is presented by Southern Cross Insurance Solutions. Those interested in participating are asked to register at Frontier.edu/MidwiferyWeek.

    Dr. Tyler has more than 15 years of experience advancing reproductive and maternal health equity. She is currently the chief health officer at Rhia Ventures. In her keynote session, she will address the complex history with race and reproduction in the U.S., which has led to negative health outcomes for women and other birthing people of color.

    FNU’s virtual event offers three sessions on the latest practices and topics influencing nurse-midwifery care and includes a continuing education opportunity:

    KEYNOTE SESSION – First Do No Harm: Advancing Reproductive and Maternal Health Equity
    Monday, Oct. 3 at 5-6 p.m. ET
    Presenter: Dr. Crystal Pirtle Tyler
    Dr. Tyler will discuss the role of reproductive and maternal health practitioners and how to grapple with historic harms whose effects still manifest today. This talk will provide historical context on reproductive oppression and discuss the practitioner’s role in advancing reproductive and maternal health equity.

    __________________________________________

    So…You Want to be a Nurse-Midwife?
    Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 6-7 p.m. ET
    Presenters: FNU faculty members Dr. Eileen Thrower, Dr. Noelle Jacobsen and Dr. Jeneen A. Lomax
    FNU’s nurse-midwifery faculty will explore the roles, experiences, joys and challenges of a career as a Certified Nurse-Midwife. The presenters will discuss the path nurses can take to advanced practice nursing and what to expect once they get there.

    __________________________________________

    FREE CE SESSION – The Sixth Vital Sign: Strategies to Integrate, Standardize and Normalize Depression Care
    Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 6-7 p.m. ET
    Presenter: FNU faculty member Dr. Ann Schaeffer
    In this interactive session, Dr. Schaeffer will explore best practices for depression screening and care, application of the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model to normalize depression screening, and holistic treatment planning for diverse individuals using a Shared Decision Making model. (This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour(s) of continuing education (which includes 0.25 hour(s) of pharmacology) by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners®. Activity ID# 22095744. This activity was planned in accordance with AANP Accreditation Standards and Policies. This activity has been approved through September 30, 2023.)

    __________________________________________

    National Midwifery Week was created by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) to celebrate and recognize midwives and midwife-led care. ACNM and its 6,500+ midwife members, physicians and women’s health organizations observe National Midwifery Week each year.

    ACNM’s theme this year is “Midwives for Justice,” because midwives are committed to equitable, ethical, accessible and quality healthcare for all. As ACNM notes, midwives are striving for justice on many fronts, from ending racial discrimination to supporting LGBTQIA+ rights and more.

    Frontier Nursing University has more than 80 years of experience in delivering graduate nursing and midwifery programs. FNU has hosted the virtual event in celebration of nurse-midwives for eight consecutive years.

  • Alumni Spotlight: Stacey Eason’s midwifery practice focuses on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

    Alumni Spotlight: Stacey Eason’s midwifery practice focuses on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

    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) alumni Stacey Eason, ARPN, CNM, PMHNP-BC, earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nurse-Midwifery in 2019. During her clinicals as a CNM student, she recognized the lack of care options for perinatal mental health. That’s when she decided to return to FNU to earn her Post-Graduate Certificate in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program, which she received earlier this year.

    Now, Eason uses both of these certifications from FNU in her career. A resident of Wichita, Kansas, Eason currently serves as both a CNM and a PMHNP at South Central Kansas Medical Center in Arkansas City, Kansas. She has been in this role since January.

    “Family medicine providers have really done the best they can to care for the mental health needs of this community,” she said. “Many of the providers have expressed gratitude to have a psych-specialized provider available to care for the patients in this community.”

    As a CNM, Eason works with two fellow FNU graduates, Tarena Sisk and Jamie Harrington. Much of Eason’s midwifery practice has been focused on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

    Eason said her experience in midwifery has been beneficial when it comes to providing psychiatric care.

    “As midwives, we see people at their most vulnerable place, and lift them into one of their greatest accomplishments,” she said. “Caring for people in dark mental health spaces is similar. They come to me at their most vulnerable, and as we work together, they are able to experience accomplishments they didn’t think possible.”

    “As midwives, we see people at their most vulnerable place, and lift them into one of their greatest accomplishments…Providing compassionate, non-judgmental care allows people to feel safe in seeking care for both mental health needs and substance use needs.”
    – Stacey Eason, ARPN, CNM, PMHNP-BC, FNU Alumnus

    Eason’s patient population is largely rural and lower-income, with a prevalence of substance abuse in the community.

    “Providing compassionate, non-judgmental care allows people to feel safe in seeking care for both mental health needs and substance use needs,” she said.

    Eason was initially inspired to earn her MSN from FNU because a co-worker was attending the university. She said though she had the option to earn her MSN locally, FNU appealed to her because of the emphasis on out-of-hospital births in the program.

    “I decided then, that if I ever made it to the point of being able to pursue my midwifery dreams, it would be with FNU,” she said. “It was the only school I applied to, and I was originally waitlisted. What a relief, with just four short weeks before Frontier Bound, to be offered a seat in class 163!”

    Though Eason initially was only interested in becoming a CNM, she said she was inspired to pursue a degree in psych upon recognizing the need for mental health services among women during her Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program clinicals.

    “Way back in that first nursing program I attended, I swore I’d never do psych nursing,” she said. “And here I am, living in that rare place where I am passionate and fulfilled by my career.”

    In addition to her work as a CNM and a PMHNP, Eason also serves as president of the Kansas Chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. She also is a preceptor for current FNU students.

    Thank you, Stacey, for using your knowledge as both a CNM and a PMHNP to provide compassionate care for underserved patients in your community. We are proud that you chose to study at FNU on two occasions throughout your journey.

    Become a Preceptor

    Eason has seven children and four grandchildren. She enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and listening to audiobooks. She particularly seeks out authors of color, in particular, women and nonbinary authors. She describes herself as actively anti-racist and a strong advocate for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC rights and for reductions in health disparities.

    Learn more about FNU’s Nurse-Midwifery and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs.

  • Governor Andy Beshear Speaks at Frontier Nursing University Ribbon Cutting and Land Acknowledgment Ceremony

    Governor Andy Beshear Speaks at Frontier Nursing University Ribbon Cutting and Land Acknowledgment Ceremony

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) celebrated the official opening of its new location on the beautiful, newly renovated Versailles Campus with a ribbon cutting and land acknowledgment ceremony on Friday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Approximately 100 people attended the ceremony, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who praised the impact of FNU in preparing more nurses to address the nursing shortage in the state and country.

    “Congratulations to Frontier Nursing University on this incredible new campus that will serve their students, who in turn will serve our people throughout their careers,” Governor Beshear said. “With help from schools like Frontier Nursing University, I know we can help train the next generation of health care heroes, building a better Kentucky for all of our families.”


    FNU celebrated the official opening of its Versailles Campus with a ribbon cutting and land acknowledgment ceremony.

    Governor Andy Beshear speaks at FNU ribbon cutting and land acknowledgment ceremony.

    FNU is one of the largest not-for-profit universities offering advanced nursing and midwifery education. In October 2017, FNU finalized the purchase of the 217-acre Versailles property previously occupied by The United Methodist Children’s Home to serve its students better and to continue its longstanding commitment to its mission. Renovation and construction for FNU’s new campus and the move from Hyden began in 2018. The opening of the Versailles campus to students was delayed by the pandemic until the Fall of 2021.

    FNU’s distance education format allows students to pursue their advanced degrees while continuing to serve the communities in which they live. During their time at FNU, students travel to campus on two separate occasions for 4-5 day learning sessions. The new campus offers convenient access to Bluegrass Airport and major thoroughfares, provides more lodging for visiting students and faculty, and increases classroom and simulation instruction capacity. It also provides greater opportunities for community engagement and events, such as collaborating with the Woodford County Health Department to serve as a COVID vaccination site in 2021.

    The university’s current enrollment of 2,500 students hails from across the country. In the last decade, a total of 561 Kentucky residents have graduated from FNU, and the spring term enrollment included 82 Kentucky residents. FNU has nearly 250 employees.

    “This is the type of advancement we need across Kentucky,” Governor Beshear said. “What this university is doing is going to be a part of a transformational moment here in Kentucky, and I can’t wait to see the special ways that it helps all of us move forward and become the leaders and not the followers in this country that we’ve always known Kentucky should be.”

    “We have had a number of landmark days since we were founded in 1939, and we are so happy to be able to share this momentous occasion with all of you,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN. “Beginning with our founding by Mary Breckinridge in Leslie County, Frontier has always been striving to meet the health care needs of rural and underserved communities.”

    The ceremony also included remarks from Woodford County Judge Executive James Kay and Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift. Versailles City Clerk and Treasurer Elizabeth Reynolds delivered a proclamation from Woodford County Mayor Brian Traugott, declaring September 9, 2022, as Frontier Nursing University Day.

    Immediately following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a land acknowledgment ceremony was held, acknowledging the land as the original home of the Shawnee and Cherokee people.

    FNU Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMNHP-BC, APRN, introduced Native American elders Helen Danser and Venus Evans, who read the land acknowledgment statement: “Frontier Nursing University wants to acknowledge that Versailles, Kentucky is the traditional territory of the Shawnee and Cherokee people. Frontier Nursing University acknowledges this legacy and finds inspiration from this land. We honor the land itself and those who remain stewards of this land throughout the generations. Territory or land acknowledgment is our way of recognizing the Indigenous presence in our everyday life.”


    FNU Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMNHP-BC, APRN, with Native American elders Helen Danser and Venus Evans.

    This statement will be engraved on a sign that will be placed at the trailhead of FNU’s 5K walking path will inform visitors of the land’s history.

    Land acknowledgments recognize Indigenous Peoples who are the original stewards of the lands we now occupy. It is a time to acknowledge the past and present, and reflect on the history of the land.

  • Russian-Born Viktoriya Kashin’s Mission to Aid Ukrainians

    Russian-Born Viktoriya Kashin’s Mission to Aid Ukrainians

    When Russia began its attack on Ukraine in February, the images were shocking and terrifying. The heartbreaking scenes of devastation and destruction impacted everyone, but it was all particularly impactful to Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumna Viktoriya Kashin, DNP, FNP, who was born in Russia. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1994 when she was 8. She traveled to Russia and Ukraine several times, staying connected to her homeland through friends and family. As the war began and casualties mounted, she knew she had to find a way to help. As a family nurse practitioner, Dr. Kashin, of course, is uniquely qualified to provide medical aid, and her knowledge and experience were needed in the war-torn country.

    “The reason I became a nurse was because of my high school teacher,” said Dr. Kashin, who attended high school in Tennessee. “I was a senior in high school and didn’t know what I was going to do. I took a health science class. It was just basic things – taking blood pressure and learning about the human body. One day my teacher said, ‘You would make a great nurse.’ Two of my friends wanted to be nurses, and my mom also encouraged me to go into the medical field. She was sick a lot off and on, and she passed away while I was in nursing school. This devastated me, but she inspired me to live for others. Seeing her care at the hospital and the difference nurses made motivated me to become a nurse, and then later a nurse practitioner.”

    Dr. Kashin, who completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, realized that she had the potential to do more for her patients but that she would need to expand her training and education to do so.

    “I felt I was restricted as a nurse because my knowledge base was limited,” Dr. Kashin said. “In 2014, my dad had a pulmonary embolism. Being in a room with him and unable to help him felt horrible, so I decided to go back to school, and I applied to Frontier.”

    “I loved Frontier,” said Dr. Kashin, who now works in maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) at the University of Florida Health Hospital in Gainesville, Florida. “Going back to school as an adult is a completely different experience. I wanted to learn, and I really loved it. The Frontier faculty and staff were extremely invested in my success and very supportive. I struggled in undergrad so much that I never thought I could do well in a doctorate program, but I graduated with a 4.0. Frontier had a lot of emphasis on rural medicine and helping underserved people. This lines up exactly with my life’s vision. I was always interested in working with the marginalized and poor. I think it is because I know what it is like to live on the other side of the railroad tracks and have very little. Even now, I work with a population that does not have regular access to medical care, many do not have insurance unless they are pregnant. Frontier helped frame my thinking and opened my eyes to many health care disparities, and is why I did not go into private practice.”

    “The Frontier faculty and staff were extremely invested in my success and very supportive…Frontier had a lot of emphasis on rural medicine and helping underserved people. This lines up exactly with my life’s vision…Frontier helped frame my thinking and opened my eyes to many health care disparities, and is why I did not go into private practice.”
    – Viktoriya Kashin, DNP, FNP, FNU Alumnus

    In her first three years in MFM, Dr. Kashin worked outpatient, but a year ago, she switched to inpatient care. Among the conditions that she helps treat are patients with premature rupture of membranes (PROM). These patients’ water ruptures early, and they are hospitalized to help prevent them from delivering too early. The MFM team also treats preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure during pregnancy. Those with severe cases of preeclampsia are hospitalized and treated to help them remain pregnant as long as possible while preventing seizures or other complications. Other conditions treated include diabetes, multiple gestations, fetal anomalies, and infections.

    The high-risk and labor halls are all closely connected, as is the tight-knit staff. A typical shift consists of 12 nurses and three residents, including a general attending, an MFM attending, a nurse practitioner, or a certified nurse-midwife.

    “We share a workspace and often help each other out,” Dr. Kashin said.

    That level of support came into full view when Dr. Kashin answered the call to go on a mission trip to help the people of Ukraine. Her hospital was no stranger to the nursing shortage prevalent throughout the country, yet her request was met with nothing but support.

    “I told my boss I needed 3 weeks off, and he said, ‘What can I say? It’s for humanity,’” said Dr. Kashin, who created a fundraiser to help pay for the mission trip. “Many people had to step up and cover for me at work. My co-workers even organized a bake sale, collecting thousands of dollars. They also put out a department-wide email with my fundraiser links, and many donations came from the faculty and staff at the University of Florida. They were immeasurably kind and supportive.”

    Dr. Kashin had always thought about going on a medical mission. She just didn’t think it would be such a personal trip.

    “When the war broke out, I really wanted to help but didn’t know how. A few days after the war started, my childhood friend Natasha sent me a message stating that they need Russian-speaking female medical professionals (because most of the refugees were women),” Dr. Kashin said. “All that matched up with me. It was like an answer to prayer. At that point, I knew I had to go.”

    Along with her coworkers, Dr. Kashin received tremendous support from her community, who supported her GoFundMe campaign. Her brother, Oleg, also went on the trip, and her church paid for their tickets to and from Ukraine. Overall, they raised over $20,000, which they were able to give to people in Ukraine to help with food and other supplies.

    Her mission trip, which lasted 20 days and was organized through Crisis Response International, began by flying into Krakow, Poland, and then driving to Ukraine.

    “We stayed in a small city an hour away from Poland,” Dr. Kashin said. “It was an old hospital that was only functioning on the first floor. The other levels were empty for decades, and that is where the refugees moved in. Our team, however, rented a couple of rooms in a gym and stayed on the top floor. We just had two rooms – one for the guys, one for the girls. We didn’t always have hot water. The heat wasn’t working. There wasn’t a stove or kitchen. We were definitely roughing it.”

    Dr. Viktoriya Kashin with her brother, Oleg, outside of the refugee center.

    The refugee center was organized by a husband and wife who had a long-standing connection to local orphanages. The husband himself was an orphan growing up, and the couple had also adopted two orphans.

    “They got in touch with the orphanages and brought the orphans from all over Ukraine to the refugee center,” Dr. Kashin said. “From there, the orphans were sent to Austria and Germany. Every day there would be a bus full of kids leaving and going elsewhere. That’s how they started the refugee center. They had a chef that was a refugee herself who volunteered her services. They would cook three meals every day. There was a little office that we made into a clinic. It was easier just to show up with a stethoscope around your neck than to make appointments. The refugees would just stop you in the hall and tell you whatever ailed them, often inviting us into their rooms. Every day I would go in and see patients. I had a couple of pregnant patients and a couple of newborn babies. We also went to train stations and gave out goodie bags full of supplies. One day we met a pregnant woman that didn’t have anywhere to go. She and her family were able to come to the refugee center that same night to have a place to stay.”

    Dr. Kashin explained that drivers would take vans into the ravaged areas and pick people up and get them out. Some of the money that Dr. Kashin and her brother raised helped repair the vans and protect the drivers, who were frequently under fire.

    Even in the relative safety of the refugee center, however, there was an element of constant threat and danger.

    “Every day, the bomb sirens would go off,” Dr. Kashin said. “Many people at the refugee center had PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Every time a door slammed, they would jump.”

    Despite the constant reminders of the violence all around them, the volunteers did their best to make the refugee center as comfortable and welcoming as they could. In addition to the meals, room to sleep, and access to medical care, a hairstylist gave haircuts, and other women offered massages. Often, the refugees just wanted someone to talk to.


    A new father feeds his baby in the hospital where Dr. Kashin and her mission group delivered medical supplies.

    Dr. Kashin stands in front of the refugee center’s makeshift medicine cabinet.

    “They just wanted to tell you where they came from, their pets they left behind, their husband or brother or father who is fighting,” Dr. Kashin said. “We just sat with them and listened and offered encouragement and tried to give them any help we could. I held back a lot of tears.”

    In addition to the supplies they brought with them, the refugee center regularly received shipments of humanitarian aid from the U.S. and other European countries, including diapers and formula (before the formula shortage), warm clothes, and medications.

    “The airline didn’t charge us for extra bags because it was humanitarian aid,” Dr. Kashin said. “It was really neat to see how the U.S. and the whole world responded to Ukraine.”

    After 20 days, Dr. Kashin returned to the U.S., but her brother remained in Ukraine, continuing to forge relationships and deliver supplies.

    “It was hard coming back. I had a little bit of survivor’s guilt,” Dr. Kashin said. “This is pretty much home country. If I didn’t come to the U.S. as a child, what would my life be? I could be one of those women that were raped and killed. It is horrendous to think about.”


    Activities for the refugee children included making arts and crafts.

    She intends to return to Ukraine at some point. In the meantime, she continues to raise funds for supplies and remains in contact with many of the people she met there. More difficult, however, is communicating with her Russian family. The topic of “war” is completely off-limits.

    Beyond a return trip to Ukraine, Dr. Kashin’s plans are wide open, thanks to MFM being such a large field. She can continue or perhaps select something new.

    “I really love women’s health she said. “There is so much to learn in this field. I would like to do more medical mission work in the future. For now, I am happy where I’m at.”

    One thing she does know is that the people of Ukraine will persevere.

    “They are running out of gas, and they have nothing to fight with. But they are a very resilient people,” she said. “Even though the war is still going, certain parts of Ukraine are being rebuilt already. I’m very thankful for everyone who has shown support with money, encouragement, and prayer.”

  • Frontier Nursing University Named a “Great College to Work For” for the Second Consecutive Year

    Frontier Nursing University Named a “Great College to Work For” for the Second Consecutive Year

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has been named one of the best colleges in the nation to work for according to the Great Colleges to Work For® program for the second consecutive year.

    The results were released today at GreatCollegesList.com. The results will also be distributed on September 16, 2022, via a special insert of The Chronicle of Higher Education. The results are based on a survey of 212 colleges and universities. In all, 68 of those institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported for small, medium, and large institutions, with FNU included among the small universities with 500 to 2,999 students.

    As was the case in 2021, Frontier was identified as a workplace that excels in all ten categories:

    • Job Satisfaction & Support
    • Compensation & Benefits
    • Professional Development
    • Mission & Pride
    • Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness
    • Confidence in Senior Leadership
    • Faculty & Staff Well-being
    • Shared Governance
    • Faculty Experience
    • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

    By excelling in all 10 categories, FNU, which has over 250 employees, was also named to the Great Colleges Honor Roll. The Honor Roll status is granted to the 42 colleges each year that are highlighted most across the recognition categories.

    “It is a tremendous honor to be named a Great College to Work For again this year,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone. “This matters to us not because of the award itself but because of what it says about our university. We pride ourselves on creating and maintaining a culture of caring in which all employees are valued and respected. We want our employees to be proud of the work they do and to be empowered to use their talents to serve our students and advance our mission.”

    The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captured employment data and workplace policies from each institution and a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was employee feedback.

    The Great Colleges to Work For® program is one of the largest and most respected workplace recognition programs in the country. For more information and to view all current and previously recognized institutions, visit the Great Colleges program website at GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com. ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm, administered the survey and analyzed the results.

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