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  • Frontier Nursing University Faculty’s Published Works of 2020

    Frontier Nursing University Faculty’s Published Works of 2020

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU), is built up of passionate and forward thinking faculty members who work hard to educate others and improve the quality of health care across the country. 

    Below we are featuring the published work our faculty produced throughout the past year. Thank you to all of you who are helping to make a difference in the lives of others through your writing!

    FNU Faculty Author Textbook Chapter 

    FNU Associate Professors Dr. Diane John, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, and Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP co-authored Chapter 8 in Health Promotion, a textbook written for nurse practitioners and advanced practitioners. Published in December by F.A. Davis, the book is described as “Step-by-step, a who’s who of educators, researchers, and practitioners explore the models and skills you need to help your patients, including those with multiple comorbidities while evaluating medical evidence that changes rapidly, or that may be unclear.”

    (book cover, Diane John and Vicky Stone-Gale)

    FNU Faculty Contribute to “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health”

    FNU faculty members recently contributed to the 6th Edition of “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health”, published by Jones & Bartlett. Assistant Professors Nena Harris, CNM, FNP-BC, CNE, Ph.D., and Linda McDaniel, CNM, RNFA, DNP, are assistant editors for the book, and Associate Professor Dr. Laura Manns-James, Ph.D., CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, is an associate editor. FNU Instructor Angela Mitchell, FNP-BC, DNP, was a reviewer for the cardiovascular chapter, and FNU student Katharine Heaney, RN, BSN, CLC, SNM, was a contributor to the Group B streptococcus colonization chapter. The book is described as “an accessible and easy-to-use quick reference guide for midwives and women’s healthcare providers. Thoroughly updated and revised to reflect the changing clinical environment, it offers current evidence-based practice, updated approaches, and opportunities for midwifery leadership in every practice setting.”

    (book cover, Nena Harris, Linda McDaniel, Laura Manns-James, Angela Mitchell, Katharine Heaney)

    Faculty Published Articles and Chapters:

    Following is a list of articles and chapters recently published by FNU faculty members: 

    Assistant Professor Kendra Faucett, CNM, DNP:

    Faucett, K, & Kennedy, H.P. (2020) Accuracy in reporting Kentucky certified nurse midwives as attendants in birth registration data. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13111 (Publication date, issue pending) (May 11, 2020)

    Assistant Professor Rebecca Fay, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, FACNM:Yount, S.M., Fay, R.A., Kissler, K.J. (2020). Prenatal and postpartum experience, knowledge and engagement with kegels: A longitudinal, prospective, multisite study. Journal of Women’s Health, 00(00), DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2019.8185. [Epub ahead of print]. 

    Associate Professor Debra Hunt, Ph.D., FNP-BC, GNP-BC, CNE:

    Hunt, D. A., Keefe, J., Whitehead, T., & Littlefield, A. (2020). Understanding Cannabis. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. https://doiorg.frontier.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.07.007 

    Associate Professor Dr. Diane John, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC, CNE:

    Stone-Gale, V. & John, D. (2021). Health Screening and Counseling: Adult and Older Adult In M. Frenn & D. Whitehead (Eds.), Health Promotion: Translating Evidence to Practice pp. 134-160. FA Davis. 

    Assistant Professor JoAnne Keefe DNP, MPH, FNP-C, CNE:

    Hunt, D. A., Keefe, J., Whitehead, T., & Littlefield, A. (2020). Understanding Cannabis. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. https://doiorg.frontier.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.07.007

    Associate Professor Laura Manns-James, Ph.D., CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE:

    Manns-James, L. Anthony, M.K. & Neal-Barnett, A. (2020) Racial discrimination, racial identity, and obesity in collegiate African American Women. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. (Online publication date 10/7/2020; not yet in print). doi: 10.1007/s40615-020-00880-x 

    Course Coordinator Charlotte Swint, DNP, MPH:

    Fay, R., Swint, C., Thrower, E. J. B. (2020, June 26). Development of an intraprofessional scholarship workgroup: Systematic process for creating and disseminating nursing knowledge. Nurse Educator, Publish Ahead of Print _doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000880

  • Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Sherman Works with Her Community to Heal Racial Injustice

    Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Sherman Works with Her Community to Heal Racial Injustice

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumni Rachel Sherman spent last year working as a nurse practitioner in her community, earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and advocating for racial justice in her hometown of Prince George’s County, Md. As a result of her tireless efforts to bring awareness to her community, Sherman was honored with the Rosa Parks Award for Excellence in Community Activism at the District 9 Day of Service Awards this year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

    The award came as a result of her actions last year when a black man was kicked out of a local restaurant in Prince George’s County, Maryland for wearing an “I can’t breathe” T-shirt. Already known throughout her community as someone who stands up for equality, Sherman was one of the first to know about and respond to the event. 

    Despite working 10-12 hour shifts each day at Prince George’s Hospital Center, Sherman organized and took to the streets, protesting the restaurant seven days a week for three months. During this time, dozens of community members and local organizations joined Sherman in the protests. The story was also covered by the Washington Post. 

    However, this was not the first time Sherman’s activism had gained national attention. Sherman first became an equal rights advocate in her community in 2017 when she went with her younger brother on a routine car inspection to a local BP gas station (such routines are mandatory in Maryland for all vehicles). When the inspector attempted to overcharge her brother, Sherman stepped in, at which point she was berated by racist remarks. Rather than leaving or spewing similar hate, Sherman leaned into the platform that has brought increasing racial awareness in recent years- social media. 

    “I posted the video on Facebook and woke up in the morning to over 300,000 views,” Sherman said, “and that is how I became involved with grassroots activism.”

    As the event with her brother spread across social media, individuals and politicians throughout the community reached out, and Sherman began to organize peaceful protests.

    “After watching the video, many people were angry, but I always insisted that our protests remain peaceful. I believe that our words and actions can be much stronger weapons than violence.”

    And it worked. BP flew in an executive to personally apologize to her and her brother on the evening news. Additionally, the inspector who harassed them was terminated and had his license revoked. The company also now makes a point of hiring community members in Prince George’s County. 

    “These protests were never about closing places down; they were about recognizing a problem and getting the change this community deserves,” Sherman said.

    “Prince George’s County is a community where African Americans are thriving. We have the highest median income, education rate, and homeownership numbers for African Americans in this country. So why is it that we have a substandard education system and archaic hospitals?” Sherman asked.

    Due to the history of inequality in the area, many minorities are hesitant to trust healthcare providers. Sherman is working to change that. For her DNP project, Sherman enacted a virtual community-based advance care planning program. Of Sherman’s participants, 85 percent completed the process, leading to 81 community members equipped with confidence in the future of their medical care and a personalized advance directive. 

    “What was most important to me about my DNP project is that it raised awareness and built trust. The participants were all encouraged to share the information they learned with their loved ones, and I have since been asked to speak on advance care planning in front of many local congregations. I’m really pleased that I have been able to get this information out into the community,” Sherman said.

    Following her graduation from FNU, Sherman has joined Frontier as a faculty member in hopes of continuing to move healthcare in a more equitable direction.

    “I was extremely impressed with the stance FNU took on social injustice over the past year. Doctor Stone’s statement on Breonna Taylor and George Floyd made me feel like this was the organization for me. The FNU community shows an understanding of how the lack of social justice impacts minority students and the future of this country. They have proven that they intend to help move healthcare in a more equitable direction and are an organization I am proud to be a part of.”

    Thank you, Rachel, for working hard to expand equality, justice, and healthcare services. We are proud to have you as an alumni member and delighted that you have chosen to continue your FNU journey. We can’t wait to see what big things you do next!

  • Telehealth Offers Solutions to Precepting During the Pandemic

    Telehealth Offers Solutions to Precepting During the Pandemic

    Jeff Anderson, DNP, MS, PMHNP-BC, began his role as Regional Clinical Faculty (RCF) in the PMHNP program at FNU in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 Pandemic became widespread throughout the United States. Just like the other RCFs and students, Anderson had to adjust quickly to a new way of work.

    As clinics began to shut down or reduce on-site personnel due to the pandemic, many students were faced with the prospect of losing their clinical sites.

    “There have been several instances where either the preceptor or the clinic stopped taking students as the COVID numbers went up,” said Anderson, who resides in Idaho and works with students primarily in the northwestern part of the country. “In those cases, we had to suspend the preceptor relationship because the student was no longer allowed in the clinic. We have had students who, because a clinical site shut down, had to go on academic hiatus.” 

    Anderson himself faced hurdles connecting with preceptors. Instead of meeting with preceptors face to face, as is the norm, the meetings have largely been held via video. 

    “In the time I’ve been with Frontier, I’ve only traveled once to meet with a preceptor face to face,” Anderson said. “It’s kind of the way business is done now.”

    Not only has video conferencing enabled Anderson to meet with preceptors, but it has also enabled many of his psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students to continue to progress at their clinical sites. Anderson said that most of the roughly 30 students he has had over the past few terms have transitioned to at least some level of telehealth with their preceptors. 

    “For the students who have found a good situation with a preceptor, it has really been convenient for them to do telehealth from their own home,” he said. “We have had students do clinicals in which they stay at home and they log in to a Zoom type meeting with the patient and the preceptor. We have also have the situation where the preceptor is still going to their office and the student meets them in their office, so the student and preceptor are both in the office but the patient joins via telehealth.”

    Though there are some drawbacks such as not being able to see a patient’s body language, Anderson said that telehealth provides a viable option, particularly for PMHNP students. 

     “Mental health is unique compared to the other specialties at Frontier because mental health treatment really lends itself to telehealth,” he said. “I don’t see a big drop in the quality with telehealth versus face to face. In my own practice, when I see patients, it’s 100 percent telehealth now. Because of the jumpstart provided by COVID, telehealth is going to be significantly more prevalent in the future. It is a very important part of the students’ education to participate in and understand telehealth because it may be a big piece of their practices going forward.”

    Anderson said that even post-pandemic, telehealth might prove to be the preferred option for many patients who otherwise might have difficulty attending an appointment. In mental health care, virtual visits have not often been an option as insurance companies have been resistant to pay for telehealth. 

     “It is hard to say there’s anything positive coming from the pandemic, but if there was it would be that insurance companies that have in the past have been somewhat reluctant to pay for telehealth now will have a year’s worth of data showing that it is just as effective,” Anderson said. “In some ways, I think telehealth might be more effective because the no-show rates go down. Mental health patients can telehealth right from their home where they are more comfortable.”

    Most of the PMHNP students who have been able to have face-to-face visits with patients have done so where the patients are admitted and living on-site. Other students have found telehealth to be a tool to acquire clinical hours with preceptors in other states. 

    “Telehealth actually opened some doors for precepting in that a lot of states are compact states where an RN license from one state is valid in the other state,” Anderson said. “What that allows is that, if we have a student in Colorado who can’t find any sites in their state, they can reach out to any other compact state and look for a provider that’s doing telehealth and willing to take on a student. They’re really not limited to their state anymore. I’ve actually had some students who have obtained an RN license in a non-compact state because they had a willing telehealth preceptor in that state.”

    While an end to the pandemic will surely result in a significant return to in-person healthcare, Anderson said that the past year has shown that telehealth is here to stay.

    “This is a real-world experience,” he said of the widespread adjustment to and implementation of telehealth. “Telehealth is definitely an important aspect of the psychiatric mental health NP student’s education at this point and moving forward.”

  • FNU’s Student Emergency Fund Helping in Times of Need

    FNU’s Student Emergency Fund Helping in Times of Need

    Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, nurses have been coping with a lack of necessary medical supplies, a high volume of patients, and less time at home to spend with their families. At Frontier Nursing University (FNU), the majority of students are registered nurses facing these challenges while simultaneously completing advanced practice degrees.

    It is with situations like this in mind that Frontier created their Student Emergency Fund. This fund provides grants to students experiencing unexpected financial situations that threaten their ability to continue their studies.

    The Student Emergency Fund is not a scholarship to cover tuition or the routine costs of attending FNU. These grants meet significant loss in true emergencies such as fire, natural disaster, catastrophic medical injuries, illness, and now, pandemics. All gifts made to this fund are given directly to students. Since its creation, the Student Emergency Fund has brought aid to more than 200 students. 

    Here are some testimonials from FNU students who have received these grants:

    “I want to say thank you so much to the donors of the emergency fund for Frontier. This grant was truly a blessing for me, and I am very grateful for the generous donations. I know many people are facing hard times with COVID-19, and I am so grateful there are resources out there to help those in need, such as myself. I am very appreciative and do not take this opportunity for granted one bit. Thank you again!” – Simone Curd

    “I would like to give my thanks and show my gratitude for the emergency funding I received; it will be put to good use. It has lessened a huge burden for me as a student. 2020 has been very difficult for everyone, including myself. On top of the pandemic, I experienced many unexpected changes this year that put me in a challenging financial position. I truly appreciate the financial assistance during these hardships; it is helping me reach my goal of graduation.” – Madeline Fernandez 

    “I just wanted to reach out to the donors who donated to the emergency fund at Frontier and express my gratitude. I experienced significant financial stress from an emergency department visit and missed days of work. This grant will be a great help, and my family is extremely grateful for your kindness.”

    “My family and I cannot thank you enough for your incredible generosity. The emergency scholarship fund has been a huge blessing to our family during this time. We are grateful and honored to be considered for this scholarship. It’s a true testament to your servant’s hearts. My husband and I were blessed with our second baby girl. We are so thankful that she and I are okay, but the birth was very traumatic for all of us. I ended up requiring an emergency c-section and had a large postpartum hemorrhage. As a result, we have several extra medical costs and require housing away from home (I am in my clinical rotation location) a bit longer. Your generosity will help to ease the financial burden we are feeling right now. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” – Anonymous

    “I sincerely thank you for the scholarship provided to me to continue my education at Frontier Nursing University. I hope to be able to contribute to scholarships in the future. Thank you for assisting me with a scholarship during this difficult time.” – Anonymous

    ___________________________________________________________________________

    FNU leadership believes strongly in working together to improve access to healthcare. In order to meet this goal, we need new nurses out in the field actively working to improve healthcare disparities. Every gift FNU receives for the Student Emergency Fund helps students cope with financial burdens so they can continue their education, and we can continue to revolutionize care across the country.

    If you would be interested in helping FNU bring assistance to students facing extreme economic fallout from the pandemic or a similar unlikely situation, please visit Frontier’s donation page.

    If you or a student you know is facing unexpected financial hardships, the Student Emergency Fund application can be found here. Applications will receive a response within two-weeks. The Financial Aid Office is also available to answer questions and provide assistance with general financial support needs.

  • FNU Personnel Elected to Prominent Leadership Roles on AABC Board of Directors

    In the summer of 2020, the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) held elections for the AABC Board of Directors. The membership elected the following to serve:

    President-Elect: Aubre Tompkins, MSN, CNM, Class 54 – Director of midwifery and nurse-midwife at Seasons Midwifery & Birth Center in Thornton, Colorado.


    Quote from Aubre: “The Midwifery Model of Care and Birth Centers have always been two of my biggest passions. I believe that all birthing people deserve midwifery care and that birth centers are the natural home for midwives. My career in maternity care has spanned well over a decade and a half, most of that working to provide care in birth centers here in CO. Being elected to the presidency of the American Association of Birth Centers is an immense honor for me. I look forward to advocating for all birth centers, educating the public and policy makers on the care we provide and supporting developing centers around the country.”

    Director: FNU Assistant Professor Judy Butler, DNP, CNM, WHNP, Class 9 – Nurse-midwife at The Midwifery Center for Women (Tucson, Arizona).

    Quote from Judy: “I truly love working with a diverse set of intelligent, caring, dedicated people who are courageous enough to look at themselves and their organization critically, facilitating best practices and improving our weaknesses, in an honest effort to provide families with warm, caring, evidence-based options for birth.”

     

     

     

    Director: Ebony Marcelle, MSN, CNM, FACNM, DNP, Class 40 – Director of midwifery and nurse-midwife at Community of Hope/Family Health and Birth Center (Washington, D.C.).

  • Alumni Spotlight: Megan Simenc Carries on FNU Legacy at Boise VA Medical Center

    Alumni Spotlight: Megan Simenc Carries on FNU Legacy at Boise VA Medical Center

    As we all learned in high school, whether it’s good or bad, reputation matters. Within the Boise VA Medical Center, it’s safe to say Frontier Nursing University has a good reputation. In recent years, four FNU graduates have been nurse practitioner residents at the medical center.

    “The director of the Boise VA Medical Center nurse practitioner residency said she is consistently impressed with the FNU graduates who have come to our residency program,” said Megan Simenc, MSN, FNP-C, Class 155. “I was the third FNU graduate in the residency and one of the current residents, Elizabeth Ballweg (FNP, Class 158) is also a proud FNU alumnus. Liz and Megan Fitzmaurice (FNP, DNP, Class 20) are the reason I found the program and I owe a lot of my success to them.”

    Simenc completed a one-year nurse practitioner residency in primary care at the Boise VA Medical Center in July prior to moving into her current role providing primary care and nurse practitioner residency leadership at the Boise VA Medical Center and the Caldwell VA Community Clinic.

    “Thanks to the cohesive, collaborative interdisciplinary model at the VA, primary care providers like myself take on more care of complex conditions than I originally expected from my education and clinical experience,” Simenc said. “Since I work so closely with specialists at the VA, I am managing more complex conditions with the specialists’ input, and referring out less, which is a great learning experience.”

    She passes that knowledge on to the current participants in the residency program. “I serve as a mentor for this year’s residents, set up didactic learning opportunities, do some teaching, and will be taking on the scheduling of specialty rotations,” Simenc said.

    The Boise VA Medical Center receives patients from across Idaho and eastern Oregon, many of whom live in rural, isolated areas. According to Simenc, the majority of veterans seeking care at the Center are older white males with complex and overlapping medical conditions, including socio-economic and mental health conditions. Common challenges include low health literacy, very low income, complex comorbidities, mental health conditions, and geographic barriers to care.

    Simenc relates to her patients by drawing on her own rural upbringing in the small town of Dillon, Montana. She also credits FNU for helping prepare her for the challenging patient population and the added complications brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

    “I think FNU attracts some of the best future nurse practitioners and our education helps us blossom into strong, thoughtful, dedicated patient advocates and independent providers,” Simenc said. “I am constantly amazed at how well I was prepared to enter the workforce as a brand new nurse practitioner, thanks to my FNU education. Not only did FNU build up my clinical knowledge, but my education taught me to look further and not discount  the critically important piece of socio-economics in our delivery of healthcare.”

    Understanding a patient’s perspective is an important part of connecting and communicating with them while administering care. Simenc noted that her patients have been split regarding the pandemic, most being aware of the risks and the importance of safe practices, but many are skeptical of the seriousness or even legitimacy of the pandemic. Rather than engaging in a debate or trying to convince patients they are wrong, Simenc takes a more tactful approach.

    “In these situations, I try to avoid judgment and instead elicit their perspectives, their concerns, and highlight that, regardless of their beliefs or their mistrust of the science presented to them, the outcome of taking these recommended precautions is helping protect other veterans around them,” she said. “This usually goes over quite well because our veterans have a very strong sense of pride and are almost always happy to help another vet.”

    Simenc said she now only sees about 25 percent of her patients in person during the pandemic, with the remainder of the appointments taking place via secure video or phone calls. Many days she works from home to limit the number of people in the clinic.

    “These changes have greatly impacted residency programs like our NP residency,” she said. “We are working on ways to maximize learning opportunities for our residents by holding didactics via video, and seeking unique opportunities to still get safe, face-to-face patient care experience like working in episodic and urgent care more often.”

    There are many lessons to be learned, and Simenc is hopeful they will carry over after the pandemic is over.

    “This global pandemic is highlighting the critical need for our country to recognize and support our frontline and essential workers – especially our nation’s healthcare workers like nurses, cleaning services, food services, clerical staff, and primary care providers,” she said. “I hope that our nation will learn that we need to support these essential workers not only in times of crisis, but to nurture these dedicated workers in good times as well.”

    Note: For more information about the Boise VA Medical Center nurse practitioner residency program, visit vaboisenpresidency.com.

  • Dr. Geraldine Young Highlighted Among 25 Outstanding Women by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

    Dr. Geraldine Young Highlighted Among 25 Outstanding Women by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Geraldine Young, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CDCES, FAANP is being recognized as a Leading Woman in Higher Education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. This is the 10th consecutive year that Diverse has published this annual special report annually recognizing 25 women and their contributions to higher education. The issue will be published on March 4, 2021, in honor of Women’s History Month. According to a press release by Diverse, the March issue “highlights women who have made a difference in the academy by tackling some of higher education’s toughest challenges, exhibiting extraordinary leadership skills and making a positive difference in their respective communities.”

    Dr. Geraldine Young
    Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

    “I am incredibly honored and humbled to be recognized on this special list of women,” Dr. Young said. “I am thankful to have led the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at FNU over the past year. As we strengthen our own environment, we have the opportunity to set an example and standard for other institutions to follow. I thank Diverse magazine for this honor and for giving us this platform to inspire others.”

    Dr. Young, whose service in the nursing profession spans over 20 years, joined FNU in the fall of 2019. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2010), an MSN from Alcorn State University (2005), and a BSN from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (2001). She is also a board-certified family nurse practitioner (FNP) (2005) and a certified diabetes care and education specialist (2011).

    Dr. Young is a National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Leadership Fellow and Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP). She has been deemed a content expert for one of the leading credentialing bodies for NPs, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). She serves on an array of national committees to advance nurse practitioner education, including the NONPF Curricular Leadership Committee and Conference Committee. She is also a member of the NONPF Board of Directors and a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials Task Force.

    As a member of the Essentials Task Force and NONPF Board of Directors, Dr. Young is ensuring cultural diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of nursing education to address the health disparities and inequalities that exist in our nation. She has effectively delivered models of clinical practice to improve the outcomes of underserved and minority populations with diabetes in conjunction with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

    “We are so proud to have Dr. Geraldine Young at Frontier Nursing University,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM. “Her experience and expertise as an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion provide vital leadership to the entire FNU community. With the guidance of Dr. Young and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we are building upon the progress we have made and we will continue to make diversity, equity, and inclusion a top priority at all levels of the university.”

    In each of the past three years, FNU has received the prestigious Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The Health Professions HEED Award is the only national honor recognizing U.S. medical, dental, pharmacy, osteopathic, nursing, veterinary, allied health, and other health schools and centers that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion across their campuses.

    FNU’s commitment to emphasizing and valuing diversity and inclusion was formally instituted in 2006 when the university began intense efforts to recruit minority students in an effort to diversify the advanced practice nursing and midwifery workforce. FNU’s initial efforts were funded through the support of an Advanced Nurse Education grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). In 2010, FNU held its first annual Diversity Impact Conference. Held each summer since then, the Diversity Impact Conference opens the door for nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students plus faculty and staff to foster collaborative discussions, address health disparities, and find proactive solutions to improve minority health among underrepresented and marginalized groups. Today, the goal of a diverse health care workforce continues with efforts to recruit and educate faculty, staff, students, and preceptors and integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts throughout all of FNU operations with a goal that it should be fully integrated into the university’s culture. FNU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are currently funded with a Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant from the HRSA.

    These diversity initiatives span all facets of the university, but one of the most telling and important data points is the percentage of students of color enrolled at FNU. In 2009, that number was 9 percent. Starting in 2010 with the HRSA funding, FNU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have resulted in the percentage of students of color enrolled growing to 25 percent today.

  • Frontier Nursing University Versailles Campus Becomes COVID-19 Vaccination Site

    Frontier Nursing University Versailles Campus Becomes COVID-19 Vaccination Site

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) and the Woodford County Health Department are partnering to offer COVID-19 vaccinations at FNU’s recently completed campus in Versailles. The County administered second doses of the vaccines to Woodford County first responders and first doses to school personnel this week. The vaccination process starts with a primary dose, followed by a booster dose 28 days later. The Health Department expects to continue to utilize FNU’s campus as a vaccination site one to two days per week, depending on the number of vaccines received and when they are available. 

    “We are focused on completing all school employees, grades K through 12,” said Barrett Schoeck, Environmental Health Director at the Woodford County Health Department. “We appreciate Frontier’s help. The facilities are wonderful.”

    The vaccine distribution is being held in the auditorium inside FNU’s Community Center. Despite the completion of nearly all renovation and construction on the new FNU campus, the property has seen little use since the beginning of the pandemic. On-campus student sessions and events have been held virtually since last March, and the majority of the staff have worked from home since the pandemic began.

    “While we are eager to be able to welcome students, faculty, and staff back to campus as soon as possible, we are very happy that we are able to put our beautiful campus to great use through this collaboration with the Woodford County Health Department,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “We appreciate the important work the Health Department does for the community and are honored to assist in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

    FNU’s campus is located at 2050 Lexington Road in Versailles. For more information about the Woodford County COVID-19 vaccinations, please visit the Woodford County Health Department Facebook page or website.

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