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Student Spotlight: Kevin Brunacini, APRN, FNP-C

Kevin Brunacini, APRN, FNP-C doesn’t have IV bags, electric beds, or machines to work with in his practice. Instead, he uses his computer, and through the screen is able to serve vulnerable and rural populations.

Kevin, a Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice student at Frontier Nursing University (FNU), owns and operates a virtual consultatory medical and nutritional practice called The Diet Doc in Northern Kentucky. The aim of the practice is to transform patients from the inside-out as they become their own best nutritionist through empowered health behaviors.

A little over three years ago, Kevin noticed a problem in several of his patients: weight maintenance. Having lost and kept off 121 pounds himself, he set out to help patients achieve the same kinds of feats without the same kind of resources or education that he had.

The Diet Doc is Kevin’s solution, a way to teach the true psychology of eating through curriculum and one-on-one appointments, so that patients can have enduring weight loss success.

Kevin is working towards his DNP so that he can better advocate for his patients.

“Ultimately, it will lead to better care delivery, improved patient outcomes and further autonomy, and strengthen the credibility of the profession,” said Kevin.

He currently serves his community, a mix of rural and urban populations, by presenting nutrition and health education seminars through local health advocacy groups. He also submits written contributions to these groups and others, and provides one-on-one nutrition consultations with especially vulnerable populations. Kevin was the recipient of the Residential Partner of the Year Award of the Life Learning Center in 2017.

He chose Frontier for its highly-regarded DNP program, as well as its history and prestige.

“Due to my unique practice focus, Frontier encouraged an entrepreneurial focus in order for me to learn about the DNP essentials and apply them towards improving my practice and clinical skills,” Kevin said.

Throughout the first half of his DNP, Kevin has already found the Frontier network to be a strong force in his education.

“It can be alienating on your own, but to be surrounded by others who have succeeded before me and believe I can succeed encourages me even more to be part of the Frontier legacy,” he said.

Thank you, Kevin, for your dedication to serving a unique and vulnerable population! We are proud to have you as an FNU student.

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

February 1, 2018
FNS: A Legacy Lives On

In 1927 in the hills of Kentucky, the Frontier Nursing Service began building a hospital. A year later, Mary Breckinridge, founder and director, saw her dream to bring exceptional healthcare to rural Kentucky come true.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) roots run deep in Appalachia. For many years, nurse-midwives have met the needs of families, focusing on not only giving women a healthy birth experience, but also knowledge of how to care for themselves and their children. Keeping Mary Breckinridge’s values in the forefront of FNU’s mission, hundreds of thousands of children have been cared for because of the knowledge passed from those who laid the foundation of the hospital in 1927.

In 1975, these values continued; rather than horses, nurse-midwives took Jeeps deep into the hills of Kentucky to deliver care to expectant mothers. In their patients’ homes, nurse-midwives had the unique ability to establish relationships with families.

Today, FNU continues the tradition with more than 57 countries welcoming the skills of nurse-midwives who have studied at FNU. For more on FNU’s rich history, watch the videos below and explore the beginning of Frontier Nursing Service, the Hyden Hospital, Mary Breckinridge’s vision, and our nurse-midwives’ continual commitment to caring for families.

View the Full Playlist

Individual Video Links:

Hyden Gets a Hospital: Part One
Hyden Gets a Hospital: Part Two
Hyden Gets a Hospital: Part Three
Frontier Nursing Service: Nurse-Midwives on Horseback
Frontier Nursing Service: Cherish the Children (Short version)
Frontier Nursing Service: Cherish the Children (Full length version)
A Day in the Life of an FNS Student in 1975
A Trip to the Kentucky Mountains
The Leslie County Contraceptive Study

January 29, 2018
Faculty Spotlight: Kim Baraona DNP, CNM

Dedicated to actively pursuing her goal of mentoring students in their journey to becoming advance practice nurses, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Course Coordinator Kim Baraona, DNP, CNM, works closely with nurse-midwifery students. Kim instructs one of their final didactic courses, helping them understand antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and newborn complications and how to collaborate with other healthcare professionals.

Kim began working at FNU over three years ago, bringing with her 23 years of midwifery experience. Her motivation for coming to FNU was simple: to share her expertise with those who would be carrying the torch into the future.

“Throughout my midwifery career I have felt it to be an honor to work with women and families during one of the most important days of their lives – I feel the same honor working with passionate, dedicated, midwifery students who will soon be embarking upon one of the most rewarding professions,” said Kim.

Kim has garnered many accolades during her tenure. Most recently, Kim and three colleagues were published in a 2017 issue of Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health with an article entitled, Tobacco Harms, Nicotine Pharmacology, and Pharmacologic Tobacco Cessation Interventions for Women.

In May 2017, she gave a presentation at the 62nd American College of Nurse-Midwives convention, speaking on the topic, “Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy: Brief Intervention for a Busy Practice.” Her article, Tobacco Cessation Interventions During Pregnancy, was also featured in ADVANCE (read about it on our blog by clicking here).

Kim plans to continue educating future nurse-midwives alongside the rest of the Frontier team.

“FNU is an inspiring institution, where each day I am in contact with exceptional faculty and staff members who are dedicated to FNU’s mission,” she said.

When she is not working with the midwives of tomorrow, Kim enjoys spending time with her family, spoiling her grandchildren, gardening, running, sewing, and trying out new recipes.

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

January 25, 2018
FNU Helps Young Children Celebrate Christmas in Eastern Kentucky

On Thursday, Dec. 14, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) donated 15 toy riding vehicles, 34 books, and a Baby Learning Bee to the local LKLP Leslie County Early Head Start Program. FNU Courier Program Assistant Austyn Caudill, dressed in a historical Frontier Nursing Service nurse uniform, delivered gifts and books to the 16 children participating in the program. She also read the children a story before they enjoyed a cake and ice cream party. The event was a collaboration between the Leslie County Head Start and Frontier Nursing University.

The FNU community has a deep connection with the town of Hyden and Leslie County, Ky., where our university was founded. We were thankful to have the opportunity to host the event. The program is one of four early Head Start programs designated by the county in the Eastern Kentucky region. The daycare hosts children up to age three, providing childcare and nutrition.

“Many people helped to create, plan and donate to this wonderful cause. For this group of children, we truly made a difference,” said Austyn. “I had such a great time showing the children that Frontier cares about their well-being and their community. I will fondly remember this event, as I hope the children will, the rest of my life.”

FNU thanks its donors who have given to the Children and Christmas fund, which allows our University to serve the Leslie County community.

“With the help of our donors, we hope to continue events like these in the Hyden community,” said Austyn. “A special thank you to Leslie County Early Head Start for allowing us to partner with them for this event.”

January 18, 2018
Wendover Hosts AmeriCorps VISTA Regional Gathering

On Monday, Dec. 18, VISTA Coordinators from the Eastern Kentucky Region gathered for a lunch and professional training at FNU’s Wendover Bed & Breakfast and Retreat Center in Wendover, Ky. VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is a federal anti-poverty program administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. VISTA provides full-time volunteers (VISTAs) to support projects at nonprofit, grassroots organizations, and local government agencies that operate programs to help alleviate poverty in the United States.

The training is part of a grant agreement that sustains the AmeriCorps TASK VISTA program and its projects in the Eastern Kentucky region. FNU staff members joined the VISTA Coordinators after the professional training on a tour and group dinner. Ideas were shared, history was told and memories were made.

A special thank you to the Frontier staff that helped plan this event and to AmeriCorps for our continued partnership.

FNU welcomes all professional development organizations to host their meetings at the historic Wendover Bed & Breakfast and Retreat Center. For information on reserving space for your next event at Wendover, contact Michael Claussen at Michael.claussen@frontier.edu.

POST FROM AMERICORPS/Kentucky Campus Connect ON THE EVENT:

A couple of days ago we spent some time with our TASK VISTAs in Eastern Kentucky at Wendover Big House. We had a great time catching up and learning about how we can serve our communities together. One of those lessons came from the phenomenal Mary Breckinridge and the Couriers of Frontier Nursing University in their persistence, ingenuity and dedication to serving Eastern Kentucky. #ServeKY #Kyproud #GettingThingsDone #AmeriCorpsWorks Kentucky AmeriCorps

January 18, 2018
A Look into the FNU Student Experience

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a student at Frontier Nursing University (FNU)? The video below offers an inside look at FNU. Hear from nurse-midwife and nurse practitioner students as they describe their unique experiences. You can also read some of their comments below. Do you have a story of your own to share? Send it to us at FNUnews@frontier.edu.

Madison Huff, Nurse Practitioner Student
“The distance education has been really great because with this day and age both people in a family typically work and it’s not feasible to go and live somewhere else for a long time. So being able to do it from your home, kind of on your time, is really beneficial to families and if you have to maintain a career while you’re going to school.”

Alesia Traeye, Nurse Practitioner Student
“When you come together, you see people in the room that look very different from you or are from different geographic areas, and they have the same goals as you. It’s kind of surreal, but it’s really cool to see that live experience, and you exchange information and experiences and you learn from each other.”

Kristine Twite Lehnen, Nurse-Midwife Student
“I don’t ever feel like I’m alone even though I’m halfway across the country. I feel like I’ve still got a really tight-knit community. The professors are really great about responding to email right away, calling you if you’ve got questions or you can call them. So I feel like people are always there for you.”

Brian Webster, Graduate and Faculty Member
“When I started applying for schools and looking at schools Frontier really stood out because rural and underserved patient populations are very important to the university and important to their mission.”

Stephanie Allotey, Nurse-Midwife Student
“I feel like I’m answering the call, the same call Mary Breckinridge answered to, by choosing to attend Frontier to become a nurse-midwife in order to be able to help my home country later on in life.”

About Frontier Nursing University:

The mission of FNU is to educate nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who are leaders in the primary care of women and families with an emphasis on underserved and rural 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 17, 2018
FNU Alumni and Faculty Contribute to Textbook Awarded First Place in the 2017 AJN Book of the Year Awards in Maternal-Child Health

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is excited to announce that the book, Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes, written by several FNU faculty members and alumni, was awarded first place in the 2017 American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Awards in Maternal-Child Health.

Since 1969, AJN has published an annual list of the best in nursing publishing. The AJN Book of the Year program is a prestigious competition that garners the attention of the medical world, as well as librarians and universities.

Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes, is written for graduate students and professionals and explores freestanding birth center models in the U.S. from the 1970’s to present. It provides a thorough history of the birth center movement and serves as a resource for up-to-date evidence on clinical and cost outcomes while also covering all issues involved in implementing and operating a U.S. birth center.

The textbook is published by Springer Publishing and is the first of its kind. It was co-authored by Linda Cole, DNP, RN, CNM, Assistant Professor, Course Coordinator, Course Faculty at Frontier, and Melissa Avery, PhD, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN.

A number of Frontier-educated women, including Alumni Alisha Wilkes, DNP, CNM, ARNP and Autumn Versace Vergo, MSN, CNM, CPM, as well as alumna and current Frontier Course Faculty Jill Alliman, CNM, DNP, contributed to chapters pertaining to their medical and professional specialties.

FNU Senior Instructor Kathryn Schrag, MSN, CNM, FNP, co-authored the book’s first chapter, Organizing for Change: History, Pioneers, and the Formation of a National Organization. Diana Jolles, CNM, MSN, FACNM, PhD(c), a Frontier instructor and Course Coordinator, also made contributions to the new book. The foreword was co-written by Ruth Watson Lubic, an FNU honoree, with Kitty Ernst, CNM, FCH, FACNM, instructor and Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery at Frontier.

Writing contributions from FNU Professor Emeritus Barbara Anderson, DrPH, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, can also be found within the book’s 382 pages.

Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes was published by Springer Publishing Company in May 2017 and released at the American College of Nurse Midwives’ (ACNM) 62nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Chicago, Ill., Wednesday, May 24, in the ACNM bookstore.

For more information on AJN, click here.

Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes can be purchased at this link.

Related Content:

Frontier Alumni and Faculty Contribute to First Ever Textbook Published on U.S. Birth Centers

Springer Publishing “Book of the Year” announcement.

January 11, 2018
In Search of a Preceptor: Roxanne Lapointe Finds Beverly Wilson

Searching for a preceptor, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) 2017 graduate Roxanne LaPointe didn’t expect to find a mentor and friend through just a sweatshirt, yet that’s exactly what happened.

During her first days as an FNU student, Roxanne purchased a university sweatshirt, thinking of nothing more than supporting the school at which she’d recently enrolled. A few months later in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Roxanne took her daughter to a day surgery center to have tubes put in, wearing her sweatshirt. There, she met a woman who not only worked at the center, but who was also an FNU alumna and ended up connecting her to the local chapter of nurse practitioners.

A loyal member to the chapter, Roxanne attended meetings and paid dues, meeting fellow nurse practitioners in her area. When it came time to find a preceptor, she noticed a fellow member with a street address that matched her own. One of her neighbors was a member of the same chapter!

Roxanne consulted her husband, asking whether she should introduce herself. They decided to make the connection; Roxanne made banana bread and bravely knocked on her neighbor’s door, asking Beverly Wilson to become her preceptor.

Despite being nervous she would be turned away, Roxanne instead found that Beverly had also graduated from FNU. After working through details, Beverly became Roxanne’s preceptor and eventually one of her greatest mentors and influencers.

“I learned so much,” said Roxanne. “Beverly was kind, patient and so encouraging. She is absolutely amazing with a wealth of knowledge.”

According to Roxanne, even though FNU is an online program, it maintains a strong community dispersed all over the country.

“Frontier has a community,” she said. “You may have to dig a little to find it, but once you do, you fall in and you’re embraced wholly. I’ve never had that with any other school.”

What began with a simple sweatshirt ended in a great friendship and a rewarding preceptor-student relationship. Although FNU students, faculty, alumni and friends are spread throughout the globe, Roxanne and Beverly remind us that it truly is a tight-knit community – one that wouldn’t be the same without our extraordinary preceptors.

We’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our past and present preceptors who play an integral role in molding and inspiring tomorrow’s nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives.

Are you a health care professional with a desire to give back to students as they begin their journey? FNU is always looking for new preceptors to be teachers and role models to our students. Please visit our preceptors page for more information.

January 8, 2018

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