Blog

Frontier Nursing University Names Dr. Eileen Thrower as Department Chair for the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has announced Eileen Thrower, Ph.D., CNM, as the Department Chair for the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health. Dr. Thrower, who joined the faculty at FNU as an assistant professor in 2016, has been serving in the role of Interim Department Chair since September of 2021. Prior to serving as the Interim Department Chair, Dr. Thrower held the position of Clinical Director for the department.

“I am grateful for Dr. Thrower’s commitment to Frontier, her creativity, and her leadership,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN. “I look forward to her future contributions to Frontier and the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health.”

Dr. Thrower has been a practicing nurse-midwife in the Atlanta area since 1990. She received her master of nursing in nurse-midwifery from Emory University in 1990, and her Ph.D. in Nursing with a nursing education focus from Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University in 2016. She is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and a certified nurse educator. She volunteers at a community clinic where she provides gynecologic care.

“We are so excited to announce Dr. Thrower as the Department Chair of the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM. “She has distinguished herself as an outstanding nurse-midwife and educator and as a leader and advocate for nursing and nurse-midwifery.”

Since March 2020, Dr. Thrower has been part of the Georgia Infant Mortality Workgroup, a collaborative effort by the Department of Public Health, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia. This statewide, multi-sector workgroup is striving to address infant mortality throughout the State of Georgia.

“I am so proud to be with Frontier Nursing University and am honored to be named the Department Chair of the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health,” Dr. Thrower said. “The work we do is incredibly impactful in the lives of women, children, and families across the country. I am so inspired by the amazing contributions our students and alumni make in their communities.”

June 2, 2022
SimIQ Makes Simulations Available to More FNU Students

The value of conducting simulated patient encounters in clinical education extends well beyond the individual student involved in the simulation. Students learn not only from their own simulations but also by observing their classmates’ experiences.

FNU Learning Center

In Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) Learning Center, the simulation rooms are designed to look like the actual spaces in which the practitioner-patient interactions occur to create a realistic environment for practicing patient encounters. The only people in the room are the student, the faculty, and the standardized patient. Even though they are not in the room, other students are able to observe these encounters in real-time thanks to a software program called SimIQ.

“SimIQ, a Zoom-integrated video conferencing platform, is a third-party application with cloud-based storage of recorded simulations that helps coordinate and capture information from different simulations,” FNU Director of IT Marc Weitlauf said. “It is used in the simulation rooms and records what happens during simulations.”

Students participating in FNU’s skills intensive Clinical Bound sessions watch each other’s simulations in real-time in nearby classrooms or remote locations via tablets or computers.

“The student’s peers observing the simulated patient interactions learn a lot from each other,” Innovation Coach and Simulation Coordinator Tia Andrighetti, DNP, APRN, CNM, CHSE-A, CNE said. “SimIQ allows us to take what is happening on campus and put it in a virtual environment to facilitate participation and learning with a broader audience.”

The recordings can be used by faculty and students when conducting debriefing sessions after the simulation. They provide the opportunity to analyze the student’s thought process and reflect on what was done well and identify areas for improvement.

“SimIQ has tremendous capabilities beyond what we are using right now during Clinical Bound sessions,” Dr. Andrighetti said. “It also allows us to deliver virtual simulations. In the future, we hope to put cameras and microphones in the room so those streamed simulations can be observed in remote locations across the country. For instance, because they can see what’s happening, we can have faculty members in their homes facilitating the simulations that are taking place on campus. SimIQ makes conducting simulations very convenient and user-friendly.”

“The student’s peers observing the simulated patient interactions learn a lot from each other. SimIQ allows us to take what is happening on campus and put it in a virtual environment to facilitate participation and learning with a broader audience.”
– Innovation Coach and Simulation Coordinator Tia Andrighetti, DNP, APRN, CNM, CHSE-A, CNE

By working collaboratively, Academic Affairs, the FNU IT department, and faculty are unlocking the potential of SimIQ and its impact on the quality and effectiveness of simulations at FNU. Click here to learn more about our innovative ways of teaching and learning at Clinical Bound.

May 31, 2022
Alumni Spotlight: Charles R. Davis, FNP, establishes 1st School-Based Health Center in the Mid-Hudson Valley Region of New York

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 Charles R. Davis, FNP has spent countless hours within the last few years to advocate for the health of underserved students in rural New York. Davis, who earned his Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from FNU in 2019 in the family nurse practitioner program, spearheaded the idea and led a committed and diverse team of individuals that established the newly-constructed Webutuck School-Based Health Center in Amenia, New York. In partnership with the Webutuck School District, the health center will be operated by Open Door Family Medical Centers of Ossining, NY. The Webutuck Central Schools District is located in the rural farming community of Northeast, Dutchess County, near the borders of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

In 2019, Davis presented an evidence-based proposal to the superintendent of the Webutuck Central School District concerning the need for and value of a school-based health center for students. He saw the need as over 60% of the population in his community meet the metric of being categorized as economically disadvantaged.

After Davis received approval from the district’s superintendent and other leaders, including the Board of Education he secured the collaboration of Open Door Family Medical Centers to be the facility’s healthcare partner. Open Door Family Medical Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) facility. Davis then solicited and received over $150,000 in grant funding from the Foundation for Community Health in Sharon, Connecticut, and the State of New York State and secured architectural support and contractors to design and construct the facility according to the guidelines set by New York State’s Department of Education and Department of Health.

The school-based health center held it’s grand opening on May 14 with a ribbon cutting and an opportunity for the community to check out its newest healthcare resource.

The center will help families with health insurance enrollment, charge no copays, and cover the costs for the uninsured. Students who visit the center will be able to return to class immediately after their visit.

The health center removes barriers many rural students face in regards to healthcare, including accessibility to a healthcare provider, transportation, the ability for a parent/guardian to take time off from work, access to health insurance, financial obstacles in regards to covering co-payments and the loss of classroom time that results in a healthcare visit. It will be the first School-Based Health Center in the Mid-Hudson Valley Region of New York.

“Where better to pursue an MSN-FNP than Frontier Nursing University, with its significant ethos and storied history of care, including training and educating individuals to provide healthcare to the underserved?”
– Charles R. Davis, FNP

Davis will serve as a family nurse practitioner (FNP) at Webutuck School-Based Health Center.

“I chose to become a family nurse practitioner as a way to give back to communities and individuals less fortunate than me,” he said.

With early ambitions to become an FNP, Davis said he was inspired to attend FNU after learning about the school’s history as an undergraduate nursing student.

“Where better to pursue an MSN-FNP than Frontier Nursing University, with its significant ethos and storied history of care, including training and educating individuals to provide healthcare to the underserved?” Davis said.

Since graduating, Davis said he has continued to receive mentorship from the Frontier community, citing Dr. Jodie Kaufman, Dr. Joanne Keefe, Dr. Heidi Froemke and Dr. Lisa Chappell as examples of outstanding mentors.

“My Frontier network has been a source of enormous support and encouragement for my work and mission in bringing a much needed School-Based Health Clinic to my district,” Davis said.

Department Chair for the Department of Family Nursing Dr. Lisa Chappell expressed her admiration and pride for the work Davis is doing.

“Charles was an exceptional student who was a true visionary. He has always been highly motivated to live out FNU’s mission of serving all individuals, especially those in diverse, rural, and underserved communities,” Dr. Chappell said. “We are very proud of him for working hard to make his dreams and vision a reality.”

In his free time, Davis enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, exercising, bird-watching, and spending time with his pitbull.

Thank you, Charles, for your unrelenting commitment to underserved patients in your community.

Learn more about FNU’s top-ranked FNP program and what makes it stand out!

View images of the Webutuck School-Based Health Center below:

May 26, 2022
FNU Celebrates the Life of Kitty Ernst and Encourages Donations to Scholarship in Her Name

Kitty Ernst was a mentor, visionary, taskmaster, cheerleader, and dear friend to Frontier Nursing University (FNU). As we mourn the loss of this wonderful woman, educator, and pioneer for nurse-midwifery, we reflect on her life and the legacy that she leaves behind. Kitty planted the seeds for community-based midwifery and led the development and implementation of FNU’s Community-based Nurse-midwifery Education Program (CNEP) program.

To honor Kitty’s incredible impact on Frontier, we worked with Kitty to create the Kitty Ernst Scholarship Fund to support Frontier nurse-midwifery students. Just as she foresaw the need for community-based advanced practice nursing, Kitty also recognized the need to assist our students. She knew that minimizing student debt would enable graduates to focus fully on their call to serve.

Kitty was always a big proponent of giving back and paying it forward. We invite you to ‘Answer the Call’ and contribute to the scholarship fund.

Click Here to Make a Gift Online

At the American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Meeting and Exhibition, FNU debuted a special Kitty Ernst Tribute video at our FNU Alumni & Friends Reception. We invite you to watch the video and reflect on the incredible impact Kitty left on FNU and the entire midwifery community.

There is no better way to honor Kitty’s legacy and the opportunities the nurse-midwifery program provides to our students than by making a gift of your own. We are asking the FNU community to help build this fund to $500,000. Meeting our goal of $500,000 would allow us to give significant scholarships to nurse-midwifery students each year, celebrating Kitty’s commitment to the midwifery profession in perpetuity.

To learn more about the Kitty Ernst Scholarship Fund and Kitty’s life, please visit our website. Any amount that you can give to the scholarship fund is a boost for our future midwives. We thank you for your contribution to this scholarship in Kitty’s name.

Click Here to Make a Gift Online

May 25, 2022
The 2021 FNU President’s Annual Report: Return to Campus Highlights a Busy Year at Frontier

After nearly two years of being shut down by the pandemic, Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) new Versailles, Ky. campus welcomed its first students last fall. Other than Commencement, which is the signature event every year, the resumption of student activities on campus was the highlight of 2021. Fittingly, the return to campus is featured prominently in the 2021 President’s Annual Report, which once again reviews the past year at Frontier through the lens of the 2021 strategic plan objectives. The efforts to achieve those strategic objectives resulted in many successes and lessons learned for the members of the Frontier community.

The first student activity held on campus was Clinical Bound, one of the central components of every FNU student’s program. Clinical Bound is a five-day on-campus event during which students learn and practice clinical skills via simulations before they put them into practice at their clinical sites. In the President’s Annual Report, the first Clinical Bounds held on the Versailles campus are detailed from both student and faculty perspectives. Additionally, the Report details the technical components of Clinical Bound and the role of the Information Technology personnel in assuring successful student experiences on campus.

Even though 2021 saw a gradual emergence from the pandemic, COVID-19 continued to be a dominant story throughout the year. It once again forced major events like Commencement and the Diversity Impact Conference to be held virtually for the second consecutive year. Dr. LaTonya J. Trotter, acclaimed author and Associate Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington, gave a powerful keynote address at Commencement. Dr. Trotter urged the graduates to go forth and continue to serve and lead their communities. Commencement, which celebrated over 900 graduates, also included the announcement of the Annual Leadership Awards and the Excellence in Teaching Awards. The recipients of these awards as well as the Annual Service Awards are also recognized in the Annual Report.

The 11th annual Diversity Impact Conference was also a great success despite being held virtually. The theme of the event was “Dismantling Systemic Racism and Discrimination in Healthcare: Our Roles and Responsibilities.” The overarching goal of the three-day conference was to explore the history and role of healthcare systems as a vehicle for promoting racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression. A total of 112 students, faculty, and staff attended the free, three-day conference, which was held in June.

More big news came in June when the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded FNU two grants totaling $4,140,000. The HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant totals $1,920,000, and the Nursing Workforce Diversity grant totals $2,220,000. HRSA, which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will award the funding for both grants in annual installments over four years.

Awards and achievements were a common theme throughout the year. The university was named a recipient of the prestigious INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award for the fourth consecutive year. FNU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives also were recognized by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), and the Diverse Organizational Impact and Transformation (DOIT) Certification Program. A leader in distance learning since 1989, Frontier also received an International Distance Learning Award, presented by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). Additionally, the university was recognized as “A Great College to Work For” by the Great Colleges to Work For® program.

In addition to these important events and stories, the 2021 President’s Annual Report also includes data and information on university enrollment, diversity, retention, precepting, and more. The 2021 President’s Annual Report is available to read online or download here.

May 18, 2022
Student Spotlight: Deanna Hercik receives inspiration from family in pursuit of PMHNP degree

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 healthcare to underserved and rural populations.

Deanna Hercik, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student, has been a nurse for over two decades. She is now attaining her Master of Science in Nursing and is set to graduate later this year.

With a focus on lifetime care for individuals, PMHNPs are committed to promoting mental health through assessment, diagnosis and treatment of behavioral problems, mental disorders and comorbid conditions.

A resident of Springfield, Virginia, Hercik has served as an Infection Preventionist for the past 10 years. Through her role, she provides surveillance for healthcare-acquired infections for a health system with over 700 beds. She is responsible for submitting healthcare-associated infections to the Center for Disease Control’s National Healthcare Safety Network and tracks catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line bloodstream infections, surgical site infections and healthcare-associated clostridioides difficile infections. She has earned her Certification in Infection Prevention and Control, or CIC, credential.

Hercik’s decision to transition to mental health was influenced by her adopted 10-year-old son, who lives with mental health disorders and requires therapy and pharmacological treatment.

“It has been extremely difficult to find mental health care practitioners who understand his situation and know how to treat it,” Hercik said. “This has led me to have an interest in transitioning to mental health and becoming a compassionate and excellent provider.”

Hercik said she was attracted to FNU because of the selective admissions process and online program. She said she has enjoyed leveraging the Frontier network, and has been able to reach out to graduates who live in her area to ask advice or inquire about clinical sites. In fact, Hercik said one of her preceptors is an FNU alumnus.

“After researching schools with a PMHNP program, FNU pulled ahead of its competitors. I liked that admission was selective, the program was online, and there were programs to assist students in completing their degree. I liked the idea of both Frontier Bound and Clinical Bound to provide opportunities to connect with faculty and other students.”
– Deanna Hercik, PMHNP Student

“After researching schools with a PMHNP program, FNU pulled ahead of its competitors,” she said. “I liked that admission was selective, the program was online, and there were programs to assist students in completing their degree. I liked the idea of both Frontier Bound and Clinical Bound to provide opportunities to connect with faculty and other students.”

Thank you, Deanna, for taking this big step toward becoming a PMHNP.

If you are interested in pursuing your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC) in psychiatric-mental health at a top-ranked online university, visit our website to learn more about our PMHNP program.

May 17, 2022
Student Spotlight: Carrie Baker uses nursing experience to advocate for public health

At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) student Carrie Baker, MSN, FNP, PMHNP, is utilizing her experience as a nurse practitioner to advocate for the health of her community. Baker is pursuing a Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at FNU (Class 40) and is set to graduate this year.

A former U.S. Army officer, Baker lives on a Marine Corps housing installation in Hawaii with her two children and her spouse, who is an active member of the U.S. military. There, she serves as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) for a local nurse practitioner-owned telepsychiatry practice and as a Periodic Health Assessment provider.

Baker’s patient base is wide-ranging, including urban and rural, male and female and local and military. By completing psychological evaluations and medical management via telehealth, Baker is able to reach patients through most of Hawaii’s chain of islands.

Recently, Baker has served as an advocate for the public health and safety of her community. On Nov. 20, 2021, 14,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a military storage facility in Hawaii that is operated by the U.S. Navy. As a result, the Navy’s water distribution system, which Baker’s community uses, became contaminated. Soon, residents began complaining of a visible oil sheen on the water, odor and a variety of illnesses.

Seeking accountability and solutions from local leaders, Baker co-organized a community town hall meeting.

“Due to a lack of acknowledgement, validation and communication, our community has taken a stand to be heard,” Baker said. “Somehow, I have found myself at the forefront of this.”

Several key stakeholders were invited to the meeting, including the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Hawaii, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, local housing leadership, local water board personnel and members of the media. During the meeting, community members were given the opportunity to ask questions to leadership personnel.

Baker said some key takeaways from the meeting included increased communication, further water testing, flushing of the community water system, entitlements (such as funds for hotel lodging until the issue is resolved) and continued water points on the installation for retrieval of clean water.

“We are far from having this situation resolved, but we now have the attention of those leaders who matter,” Baker said. “There is still some discord between the community and the leadership in that we still have not been acknowledged as affected.”

Baker said her experience as a nurse practitioner gave her the confidence to advocate for the health of her community. To that end, she said she has decided to earn her DNP to gain confidence in being a leader and advocate for her patients and the community. She said FNU was the right choice in her pursuit of this goal.

“I decided to become a DNP to gain confidence in being a leader and advocate for my patients and community.”
– Carrie Baker, MSN, FNP, PMHNP

“I decided to become a DNP to gain confidence in being a leader and advocate for my patients and community,” Baker said.

Thank you, Carrie, for exemplifying FNU’s Culture of Caring, both in your professional endeavors and in your community activism.

To learn more about FNU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice, click here.

May 12, 2022
FNU Celebrates National Nurses Week

Each year, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) looks forward to May when we join with the American Nurses Association (ANA) in celebrating National Nurses Week May 6-12.

In 2021, the ANA officially recognized the entire month of May as National Nurses Month. This year’s theme is Nurses Make a Difference, honoring the varying roles nurses play and the positive impact they have on our lives. Nurses have an immense impact on health care and the well-being of our communities and are trusted advocates who ensure patients and their families receive quality care.

Here is a message to all nurses, especially our FNU students, alumni, and preceptors, from FNU President, Dr. Susan Stone:

National Nurses Week, which is recognized annually from May 6-12, is a yearly reminder to acknowledge and express gratitude for nurses across the United States. At Frontier Nursing University, we are acutely aware of the important roles that the more than 8,000 nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives who have earned advanced practice degrees from FNU hold in their communities, large and small. Though we are particularly proud of our alumni, our respect, admiration, and appreciation extend to all members of the nursing profession. Nursing, regardless of the specialty or type of practice, requires personal sacrifice, support from friends and family, and years of education and training. It can be exhausting, both physically and mentally, but the results are worth it. The reward comes in service to others. Across all of the nursing specialties and professions, one constant is the call to serve. It is a call that nurses are proud to answer, and one that is deserving of our gratitude not only during National Nurses Week but every day. Thank you to all the nurses across the country for your caring, expertise, and dedication. We are so proud of you.
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/eINpHNviBGw” /]
We thank you for your time and dedication to this profession. As a nurse, you are always caring for others. It’s important, especially this month, to prioritize self-care so you can continue making a difference in health care. Here are some self-care tips.

May 6, 2022

Request Information Apply Give Now