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FNU to host 9th Annual Diversity Impact Student Conference
FNU has always focused on providing care to rural communities and underserved populations. This mission and the University’s focus on diversity and inclusion will be the foundation for FNU’s 9th annual Diversity Impact Conference. This exciting, collaborative event will bring FNU students, alumni, faculty and staff together to brainstorm the best ways to improve healthcare for all patients, regardless of their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or physical location.

When: June 6-9, 2019

What: This four day conference hosted by FNU’s Diversity Impact Program focuses on enhancing care for minorities, marginalized people groups, and underserved communities. Participants will have the opportunity to:
- Attend sessions hosted by nationally recognized nursing leaders and field experts
- Participate in inclusive team-building exercises, and cultural awareness sessions
- Network with FNU students, faculty, and staff to strengthen collaborative discussions
- Engage in nurse-leadership strategies and cross-cultural activities and much more!
Who: This event is open to FNU students, alumni, faculty and staff who desire to improve minority health among underrepresented and marginalized groups. FNU students, Alumni, Faculty, and Staff can attend this event for FREE!

Where: The conference will take place at Frontier =Nursing University in beautiful Hyden, Kentucky. Between sessions, you can enjoy the scenic mountain views that surround the campus while you participate in outdoor activities such as hiking Mary Breckinridge’s nature trails!

How to Register: Click here to register for the 2019 Diversity Impact Student Conference. All attendees (students/alumni) will be responsible for arranging their mode of transportation to and from campus (i.e- flight, rental car, etc.). Seating reservations, campus room and board will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis until the conference has reached maximum capacity.

Additional Information: Travel assistance is available to students who have registered for the Diversity Impact 2019 event and are based on first-come, first-serve until the conference has reached maximum capacity. Please note that Frontier Nursing University is providing students with a travel stipend to attend the FNU Diversity Impact conference. Stipend amounts range from $0 – $500 for FNU students and are based on need and the distance the attendee has to travel.

Seats will go fast, so register today and stay updated on the conference by following the Facebook event page!
February 25, 2019
FNU Announces Recent Changes with Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is excited to announce recent changes to accommodate our Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, a plan to help diversify the nursing workforce in primary care to provide better health outcomes for women and families across the nation.

The university has added a Diversity and Inclusion Office, directed by Dr. Maria Valentin-Welch, DNP, CNM, MPH, CDP, FACNM. The office is currently staffed by three positions: Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator.

Dr. Maria Valentin-Welch

Dr. Valentin-Welch is working alongside Wilvena Bernard, whose title has changed from PRIDE Coordinator to Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, better reflecting her expanded responsibilities to serve all of FNU. The newest position, Assistant Director of DI, is now filled by Ms. Devon Peterika, who will continue expanding Frontier’s DI mission and vision, working out of the Versailles office.

FNU’s PRIDE Program (Promoting Recruitment and Retention to Increase Diversity in Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse Practitioner Education) has relocated to reside within the DI office. The goal is to expand the reach of the programming to impact the entire Frontier community. The DI Office will continue to work closely with all other offices, departments and committees.

Additionally, the PRIDE Program is being rebranded as FNU’s “Diversity Impact Program”. The new name embodies the importance of a diverse and inclusive environment that values and supports all members of the university’s community. To learn more about the Diversity Impact program click here.

Wilvena Bernard

A key element of the PRIDE Program for the last eight years has been the annual Diversity Impact Weekend, a conference encouraging diversity in healthcare. Under the direction of the Diversity Impact Program, Diversity Impact Weekend will continue to open the door for nurses to foster and strengthen collaborative discussions to address health disparities to improve minority health among underrepresented and marginalized groups.

For anyone interested in learning more about the program, there will be a Diversity Impact meeting on February 25 at @ 6:30pm (EST) & Wednesday Feb.27 @ 1:00p (EST). Multiple door prizes will be given throughout the session, so you don’t want to miss this!

Ms. Devon Peterika

To join the meeting, follow these instructions:

1) Use this link to log-in: http://frontier.blindsidenetworks.net/frontier/

2) Scroll down and select room “Diversity & Inclusion”

3) Use Password: welcome

To join this meeting by phone, dial:

(1-855-215-5935 toll free)

Then enter 23338 as the conference pin number.

It is also important to note that Pride Monthly Meetings are changing to quarterly DI Training Meetings for all students, faculty, staff, and preceptors. There will be two sessions (one day and one evening) to accommodate more live participation. Anyone unable to make it to a live meeting and wishing to know more about the Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives at FNU, will be able to watch a recording.

FNU is proud to work in a community that prioritizes diversity in the health care workforce and is excited to continue building the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. If you have any questions regarding the initiative or changes, please send an email to diversity-inclusion@frontier.edu.

February 21, 2019
DNP 10th Anniversary Contest Winner

In 2018, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) celebrated its 10th anniversary of the Doctor of Nursing Program (DNP). To honor the milestone, FNU held a contest, challenging DNP students and graduates to submit posters or videos demonstrating the importance of obtaining a DNP. We are proud to announce FNU graduate, Lisa Kiser, DNP, CNM, WHNP (Class 26) as the winner, who authored a poem titled “No Sufre Doble” [Don’t Suffer Twice].

Lisa works in Tucson, Ariz. which is nestled near the border of Mexico. In her poem, Lisa provides glimpses into the lives of those who work in the clinic as well as those who come seeking care. One element of the poems shines out above all else: Lisa’s love not only for the work she does, but for the people she serves.

Because of the clinic’s proximity to the border, Lisa sees many patients who have crossed into the U.S. seeking asylum.

“Large groups of people are being taken into custody then released into our community,” said Lisa. “We see anywhere from 20-90 patients a day, many of whom are children. With this huge number of asylum-seekers, the needs in the clinic are rising rapidly.”

In her poem, Lisa expresses the challenges and joys of working with refugees who are seeking healthcare “in a culture and a language that [are] not always their own.” According to Lisa, the refugees often have a spirit of thankfulness and perseverance.

“I have been going to temporary shelters to help with translation and medical assessment. The spirit of “no sufre doble” is very present. Their gratitude for care is so very moving,” said Lisa.

Lisa serves as a great role model for other Frontier students and graduates. She is truly living out the mission of FNU by serving the vulnerable in her community through quality healthcare. Her poem brings beauty to the mundane and shines a light on the important work nurses are doing in their communities all across the nation.

“I am proud to be a Frontier graduate and grateful to have the legacy of this organization to carry me forward in this work,” Lisa said.

Lisa will receive a $100 gift card to the FNU book store as a prize for her winning submission.

FNU is proud of DNP students and graduates like Lisa who make a difference in their communities. Thank you, Lisa, for your service to those in Tucson, especially to the refugees who seek quality healthcare and a new place to call home.

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No sufre doble

An End-of Term Poem

By: Lisa Kiser

Irma’s advice carried me this term:

NO SUFRE DOBLE

Don’t suffer twice

So I learned:

don’t wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the project

breathe—BREATHE—into the data—

hold it like the hand of a quiet, introverted friend

who will open to you if you are calm and patient.

Observe, don’t just see:

the parts left blank on a too-long form

the recalcitrant staff member

who enrolled twice the number of patients than others

the volunteer who blossomed

while talking to patients

in the waiting room.

No sufre doble:

What are you waiting for?

This never was about perfection

but appreciation:

the provider who handed out patient engagement tools

to help keep numbers up

the staff who patiently filled out the team engagement survey

multiple times

the patients who deeply listened and chose

to be enrolled in a program and screened for cervical cancer

in a culture and a language that was not always their own.

Perhaps we should not call this process Quality Improvement (QI).

Switch to Spanish:

Iniciativo Querido (IQ):

the beloved initiative

for that which is done in love

requires an intelligence

for which we can and do suffer

but never twice.

February 14, 2019
Alumni Spotlight: Aubre Tompkins BSN, RN, MSN, CNM

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumna Aubre Tompkins, BSN, RN, MSN, CNM is a self-proclaimed “midwife on the path,” a path which has positively impacted many mothers and fellow women’s health providers in her Colorado community.

Aubre, who graduated CNEP (Class 54) in 2009, is a nurse-midwife at Women’s Health Group in Thornton, Colo. She is newly on Faculty at the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) and meanwhile, is also spearheading the construction and design of a brand-new birth center in Thornton.

It’s safe to say Aubre has a passion for birth centers and holistic women’s health care.

“I want to bring more birth centers to the community and to areas that really need them,” she said.

This wasn’t always the case for Aubre. It wasn’t until she was pregnant with her son that she began on the path to midwifery. Once her nurse-midwives helped Aubre deliver vaginally after her son’s posterior positioning and complicated labor, Aubre knew she wanted to empower women to do the same as a nurse-midwife herself.

She received her BSN from University of Colorado, but searched for a more holistic approach that focused on birth center care for her CNM. She followed that path to FNU, especially after her experience at the Frontier Bound orientation.

“I had an excellent experience at Frontier,” said Aubre. “When I went to Frontier Bound, my daughter came with me because she was still breastfeeding. Everyone was so accommodating, supporting me as a breastfeeding mother. For me, that cemented that I was in the right place.”

Aubre was hired on at Mountain Midwifery Center in Englewood, Colo., where she served as a nurse until she completed FNU’s distance education and came back as a nurse-midwife alongside a fellow FNU alumna. She continued climbing the ladder, eventually becoming Clinical Director for the final five years of her tenure. During that time, Aubre took another step along her path that would have a positive impact around the entire state.

As the oldest freestanding birth center in the state, the Mountain Midwifery staff became frustrated that the current Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) regulations and licensing for birth centers were outdated and not in line with current evidence-based practice.

Aubre, the MMC team and three other Colorado birth centers formed the Colorado Birth Center Coalition, hiring attorney Indra Lucero to file a petition for the CDPHE to open up the regulations.

The CDPHE complied, and Aubre met monthly with the Coalition members, CDPHE representatives and other community entities to rewrite the regulations, line by line.

On July 19, 2017, the new regulations were signed into law. They no longer require birth centers to have a licensed physician on call, and have loosened rigid clinical care instructions to allow for evidence-based scope of practice from health providers.

“It was a grueling, eye-opening process,” said Aubre. “I will always be proud of that as I look back on my career. It significantly changed the landscape of birth centers here in Colorado, and it’s had a positive impact on the community as more have opened.”

Around that time, Women’s Health Group reached out to Aubre to offer her an opportunity that would change her life. The project was to design, build and open a brand-new birth center. Aubre jumped at the chance to create a center that clearly reflected her own family-centered health care model and holistic values.

Throughout the development of Seasons Midwifery Center, Aubre cultivated relationships with several local health care providers. One of her biggest goals was to integrate the midwifery care with hospital care. The nurse-midwives at Seasons will have full admitting privileges – meaning, if necessary, the midwives can go with their clients to the hospital and continue to manage their care while there.

“One of the amazing things about this model is that it eliminates the trauma for clients who have to leave their midwives, and vice versa. It’s good for both the clients and the midwives,” said Aubre.

In 2018, she became Faculty for the AABC’s “How to Start a Birth Center” Workshops. Through her role, she educates students that would like to open up birth centers around the country by providing resources, training and guidance.

Even Aubre’s free time is spent thinking about midwifery. Her creative outlet is her blog, A Midwife on the Path, which she has been writing in since 2010. Her Facebook page of the same name has reached over 3,000 followers.

“I started writing a blog back when I first became a midwife to document my journey,” Aubre said. “Many midwives write memoirs at the end of their careers. What would it be like to have that insight for someone on the beginning of their path?”

In her “Poem for New Midwives” Aubre gives new midwives this advice:

Remember that you are not alone.

There is a history of ancestral knowledge behind you.

There is a circle of support around you in the now.

There is a place for you at the table in the future…and the view is glorious!

While Aubre loves her job, she encourages young midwives to strive for a healthy balance as they journey on.

“Make sure that midwifery is not the only thing in your life,” said Aubre. “The best provider is fulfilled, healthy, and has a well-rounded life.“

Aubre finds her balance through nature, photography, writing and reading. She also spends time with her husband and three kids.

In the meantime, Seasons Midwifery is finally open for business. Midwives will be available to attend births in March 2019.

We are excited for your hard work to begin its impact on your community, Aubre! Congratulations on your accomplishments, and thank you for representing the FNU community so well!

February 11, 2019
FNU Grads Revolutionizing Maternity Care through Strong Start Initiative

A strong network of Frontier Nursing University (FNU) students, graduates and preceptors are spearheading a maternity revolution in the United States through their work at birth centers.

Birth centers (BCs) are health care facilities for childbirth where care is provided in the midwifery and wellness model. BCs are not hospitals, but rather freestanding entities integrated into the health care system and guided by principles of prevention, sensitivity, safety, appropriate medical intervention and cost-effectiveness.

The network of FNU students, graduates and preceptors working in BCs are supported through the Strong Start Initiative for Mothers and Newborns.

The American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) created Strong Start in order to support mothers throughout their pregnancies and postpartum. In it, each participant receives the direction and support she needs during her pregnancy to feel safe, secure and prepared to meet her healthy new baby.

According to a November 2018 report by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), women who received prenatal care in Strong Start BCs had better birth outcomes and lower costs relative to similar Medicaid beneficiaries not enrolled in Strong Start.

“In particular, rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, and cesarean section were lower among birth center participants, and costs were more than $2,000 lower per mother-infant pair during birth and the following year,” the report stated. “These promising birth center results may be useful to state Medicaid programs seeking to improve the health outcomes of their covered populations.”

The findings are evidence that BC maternity care has a larger potential impact on the reduction of preterm birth risk than any other recent medical or public health intervention, a sentiment that FNU closely echoes with its own holistic birth care values.

El Rio Birth & Women’s Health Center in Tucson, Ariz. has brought eight FNU CNM alumni onto staff. El Rio, situated on the U.S.-Mexico border, serves a varied and sometimes vulnerable population.

Director of Midwifery Services, Greta Gill, CNM, MSN, says El Rio’s community-based care model is what attracts so many like-minded FNU alumni.

“We are all mindful of the original mission of the Frontier Nursing Service,” she said. “We carry forth the tradition of compassionate and excellent care for the most vulnerable among us. Our outcomes are excellent and our patients love their care.”

El Rio nurse-midwife and FNU course faculty, Diana Jolles, CNM, PhD is responsible for creating opportunities for even more students and preceptors from the FNU community to participate in the care model at El Rio.

“FNU alumni are united by a shared vision and create community around that sisterhood,” said Greta. “Only another midwife can relate to the lifestyle, intense passion and huge fulfillment we get from this work.”

El Rio is just one of the 182 BCs participating in the Strong Start Initiative around the country.

“The Strong Start data has been affirming,” said Greta. “We now hope to see it drive decision-making at the health care policy level. Every woman deserves a midwife, and we want to expand access to our model of care.”

While the Strong Start Initiative has ended, the research shows that midwifery led care is important to the welfare of mothers across the nation. FNU encourages students to learn more about public healthcare models similar to the Strong Start Initiative through professional organizations such as American Association of Birth Centers or American College of Nurse Midwives.

“FNU students should leverage the network of alumni, preceptors, and graduates who are working in public healthcare models nationwide,” Dr. Jolles said.

As Frontier Nursing University strives to improve maternal health, we support the vast network of alumni, preceptors, graduates and students who are working in birth centers around the country. Together, they are impacting communities by bringing high-quality prenatal, birth and postpartum care to mothers and families. To learn more about the birth center model or find a birth center near you, visit BirthCenters.org.

February 7, 2019
Board Member Spotlight: Peter Schwartz, MD

One of two obstetricians on the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Board, Peter Schwartz, MD brings a unique perspective to Frontier.

Peter has assisted in over 4,000 births, but believes that the future of excellence in women’s health care requires more reliance on nurse-midwives. FNU has a reputation for promoting cohesive interactions between nurse-midwives and physicians, and Peter supports that goal with his decisions on the Board.

“The future of obstetrics and gynecology dictates the need for a greater prominence of midwifery,” he said. “It also extols the virtue of training nurse-midwives and obstetrical residents together where suitable for both disciplines.”

Peter also has a passion to improve women’s health globally and has made several trips to Ethiopia, where he is helping the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists create their first code of medical ethics.

Stateside, Peter is one of eight physicians on the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. This unit is responsible for maintaining and creating AMA’s Code of Ethics. During his seven-year appointment, Peter and his colleagues will work on opinions on issues such as physician-assisted suicide and global health ethics.

Peter has enjoyed his time on the FNU board and the talented group of people with whom he has served. He appreciates how the Board’s diversity in professional backgrounds, gender, ethnicity and age creates a cauldron of varying and stimulating opinions.

“My work has been very gratifying,” he said. “Every time I think I may be giving back, I realize that I am getting more than I am giving.”

Thank you for your dedicated service, Peter!

February 4, 2019
Give a Gift from the Heart: Become a Preceptor at FNU

Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) unique distance education model allows its students to complete required experiences in clinical sites in their own communities. Clinical preceptors make this model possible by serving as teachers, role models and mentors to our students across the country.

Preceptors truly give meaningful gifts: their time, expertise and unwavering care.

The FNU community is incredibly grateful for the thousands of preceptors who have guided its students. With that said, even more willing preceptors are needed to give their time and commitment to help the growing number of students succeed.

FNU is excited to announce its “Gifts From the Heart” preceptor recruitment campaign, launching in February! We are calling on our incredible and widespread base of alumni to give the gift of precepting.

Story after story pours in from our students, detailing how their preceptors have impacted their education and personal lives. Just two of the many examples are below:

Alumna Swayzee Ramage and her newborn daughter with preceptor and nurse-midwife, Beth Carter

First as a preceptor, then as her nurse-midwife, Beth Carter, CNM, changed the life of then-student Swayzee Ramage, FNP-C.

Swayzee, in the DNP program (Class 31), completed her clinical rotation with Beth, a fellow FNU alumna, in 2018. She learned and grew as a nurse practitioner with Beth as her preceptor, but didn’t expect for their paths to cross again after the rotation was over.

In September, Swayzee was nearly full-term with a pregnancy, and she called on Beth’s clinic for her midwifery care when the time came. Beth was set to change jobs in October, but Swayzee’s labor began five weeks before her due date. Beth’s last midwifery job was delivering Swayzee’s healthy baby girl!

Beth acts as Swayzee’s nurse-midwife as she gives birth

“Two worlds, two degrees and three lives all collide because of Frontier Nursing University,” said Swayzee.

“What a wonderful experience to be able to be cared for by a fellow preceptor, a fellow graduate of the school I have come to love, and also an amazing midwife. I will cherish this memory forever,” she said.

In another heartwarming account, preceptor Sonja Furse, DNP, PMHNP developed skills and confidence in student Jo-Ann Mars that prepared the student for the next step in her journey as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Through Sonja’s tutelage, Jo-Ann, RN, MS, MSN, EdD, FNP-BC, CNE, PMHS, PMHNP (Class 155), gained a desire to learn more about complex patients in order to provide better evidence-based care.

“Sonja was both my critic and support system at the same time,” said Jo-Ann. “She pushed me when I needed pushing, but was always there to guide and encourage me if I needed help.”

Sonja was honored as a “Featured Preceptor” for the Fall 2018 term. Thanks to Sonja, Jo-Ann is beginning her journey as part of the next generation of nurse practitioner success stories.

Preceptors are in the business of turning students’ dreams into reality. As these inspiring graduates become preceptors themselves, it is a gift that truly keeps on giving.

If you would like more information on the gift of precepting, visit Frontier.edu/GiftFromTheHeart. We thank you for considering giving a gift from your heart!

January 31, 2019
FNU Names Jess Calohan, DNP, PMHNP-BC as New PMHNP Program Director

Hyden, Ky. – Jess Calohan, DNP, PMHNP-BC, has been named the new director of Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program.

Calohan comes to FNU from George Washington University School of Nursing, where he was an assistant professor. He also is the owner and PMHNP at ClincWorksConsulting, a Telepsychiatry Company, in Potomac Falls, Va. and has served on the Distance Education and Accreditation Council in Washington, D.C., since 2013.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Calohan as the new director of our Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program,” said FNU President Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACM, FAAN. “He brings a wealth of experience that will allow the program to proceed on the path of excellence as it continues to develop, grow and ultimately provide clinicians who will serve those most in need of mental health services.”

Jess Calohan, DNP, PMHNP-BC

A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, Calohan served the military in a variety of medical positions for 20 years. Most recently, he was the Program Chair and Assistant Professor of the PMHNP program in the Graduate School of Nursing at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., from 2013-2017. His distinguished military record includes a long list of awards, including a Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, and eight Army Commendation Medals.

Calohan’s professional activities include memberships in the American Association for Men in Nursing, the American Psychiatric Nurses’ Association, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. He is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of American Psychiatric Nurses’ Association.

“I am honored to accept the PMHNP director position at FNU,” Dr. Calohan said. “I have long been impressed by FNU’s organizational values, model, and the success of its programs. I am excited to lead this program and continue FNU’s legacy of preparing outstanding students to provide excellent healthcare in their communities.”

Irma Jordan, DNP, APRN, FNP/PMHNP-BC, FAANP

FNU’s PMHNP program is further strengthened by the naming of Irma Jordan, DNP, APRN, FNP/PMHNP-BC, FAANP, as the permanent PMHNP Clinical Director effective in the 2019 spring term. Jordan has been serving a dual role as both the PMHNP Clinical Director and the Family Nurse Practitioner program Clinical Director, but will focus her attention entirely on the rapidly-growing PMHNP program moving forward.

FNU’s PMHNP program launched in January 2017. A PMHNP is an advanced practice nurse that seeks to improve mental health care and the overall health status of communities. 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.

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About Frontier Nursing University:

The mission of FNU is to provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education to prepare competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate leaders in primary care to serve all individuals with an emphasis on women and families in diverse, rural, and underserved populations. FNU offers graduate Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse-Practitioner distance education programs that can be pursued full- or part-time with the student’s home community serving as the classroom. Degrees and options offered include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Post-Graduate Certificates. To learn more about FNU and the programs and degrees offered, please visit Frontier.edu.

January 25, 2019

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