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FNU Receives HEED Award for Second Consecutive Year

October 21, 2019 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) received the 2019 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. This is the second consecutive year that FNU has received this prestigious award.

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.

“The Health Professions HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees and best practices for both; continued leadership support for diversity; and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, co-publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

“As we continue to see a record number of Health Professions HEED Award applicants each year, nearly every school tells us they use the application itself as a tool to create new programs and to benchmark their accomplishments across campus. The process allows them to reflect on their successes and also determine where more work needs to be done. We also continue to raise the standards in selecting Health Professions HEED institutions.”

FNU’s commitment to emphasizing and valuing diversity and inclusion was formally instituted with the creation of the Diversity Impact Program in 2010. The following year, FNU held its first annual Diversity Impact Conference. Held each summer, 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.

In 2017, FNU established the position of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO), which sits on the President’s Cabinet. Today, the Diversity and Inclusion Office has grown to include Interim CDIO Dr. Erin Tenney, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Chris Turley, and Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion Devon Peterika.

FNU’s 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 nine percent. In 2019, it has grown to 23 percent.

“We are incredibly proud to receive the prestigious HEED Award again this year,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone. “To receive this award two years in a row is a wonderful honor. Our graduates serve people of all races and cultures and are increasingly coming from diverse backgrounds. It is imperative that our students, faculty, and staff have cultural awareness and competency in order to effectively advance our mission. The HEED Award confirms the value of our efforts and validates our continued emphasis on diversity and inclusion within the culture of FNU.”

Alumni Spotlight: Leslie McCormack

September 30, 2019 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumna Leslie McCormack, CNM (Class 70), is passionate about serving vulnerable populations—and teaching her students to do the same.

An Arkansas native, Leslie knew she wanted to serve the vulnerable and saw the many opportunities nurse-midwifery offers. Originally, she intended to travel overseas and do mission work. The distance education offered by FNU as well as the ability to work full-time were big factors in her decision to attend, but above all, she loved Frontier’s mission. “It really aligned with my vision of working with vulnerable populations,” she said.

After obtaining her nurse-midwifery degree from FNU, Leslie worked at a birthing center. As her own family grew, she transitioned from a clinical position to an adjunct teaching position while her husband was finishing up medical school in Fayetteville. After he graduated and was placed in Little Rock, she applied to teach at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and has been teaching undergraduate classes for four years. She is also an academic coach.

Teaching has given Leslie a unique opportunity to impact students to improve healthcare systems. Her background in nurse-midwifery allows hers to bring her students a different perspective.

“I really get to empower my students and introduce them to vulnerable populations, especially here in the state of Arkansas where the population is largely rural,” she said.

Leslie’s current home, Little Rock, has a high population of homeless people due to its central location in a predominantly rural state. Knowing this, aid organizations focus on Little Rock to provide assistance and resources for the homeless. Leslie and her UAMS team partnered with Campus Community Church (CCC) to provide the homeless in their community a meal and a movie every Wednesday night.

The Wednesday night service led to the creation of a clinic of sorts. UA’s College of Medicine and College of Nursing see homeless patients in an informal, less intimidating setting and provide preventative care. The program is led by students; upperclassmen serve leadership roles and mentor their underclassmen classmates.

“It’s really cool to see the two colleges working together and to see students in leadership roles, washing the feet of the homeless,” said Leslie.

UAMS and CCC implemented a mental health night once a month. They also started a ladies’ night which has turned into a reproductive health night, one for men and one for women each semester.

Recently, Leslie has devoted a lot of time to resource development in the area of homeless prenatal care.

“We know that we send a lot of babies home from the NICU to a homeless or housing insecure environment,” she said.

Leslie and her team received a grant to create a curriculum from the March of Dimes Becoming a Mom program, specifically tailored for the homeless population.

“I’m finally getting back to my roots in nurse-midwifery, and it’s been a lot of fun,” she said.

We are proud of Leslie for her work with the homeless in Little Rock and for empowering her students to serve the vulnerable.

Alaska Spotlight: Kristina Amundson

September 19, 2019 By frontieredu

Since its foundation in 1939, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has adopted a mission of reaching rural, diverse and underserved populations. This mission is still being lived out today, where more than 80 FNU alumni are answering the call in Alaska. In the coming months, we will be highlighting several of these alumni who serve in our country’s most remote and unforgiving state.

Kristina Amundson, DNP, CNM, remembers vividly her days at FNU. Specifically, she recalls Kitty Ernst’s directive to the class: “Go forth and be a change.”

“At the time, I thought, ‘I’m just one person, how can I be a change?’” Amundson recalls. “But it’s just one step at a time. That’s my attitude in providing excellent healthcare. You have the ability to make a difference, so go do it.”

Amundson has indeed gone forth and made a change. Originally from Traverse City, Michigan, Amundson was working as a traveling labor nurse when she met the man who would become her husband in Alaska. The year was 2009, and she’s been there ever since, working first as a labor and delivery nurse and then as a nurse-midwife at Interior Women’s Health in Fairbanks. She also has privileges at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

In her decade in Alaska, Amundson has come to realize that education is one of the biggest hurdles to healthcare for many people in the area.

“I find that women need increased access to evidence-based care, and the options in this community are sparse,” Amundson says. “The lack of knowledge of the available healthcare options results in a lack of self-advocacy to receive the best care. That’s the biggest thing, and I’m trying to address that.”

To address that gap, Amundson became an Evidence-Based Birth Instructor, offering her first class in January 2019. The six-week, evidence-based course teaches families what to expect during pregnancy and childbirth. Early interest came largely from her own patients, but she hopes to expand it to a much wider audience, including fellow healthcare professionals in the Fairbanks area.

Amundson attends 60-70 births per year and estimates she has a patient population of 40-50 pregnant women in her care at any given time, in addition to providing other women’s health care. Her goal to increase the exposure of her course might well be aided by a network of other FNU graduates who also work in Fairbanks. There are six other FNU graduates working as nurse-midwives in Fairbanks, including her sister-in-law, Courtney Amundson, MSN, CNM, Class 139, and Margaret Rader, MSN, CNM, Class 43, who was also one of Amundson’s preceptors.

“I think FNU has touched this community in a positive way,” Amundson says. “We have more midwives than obstetricians. If we didn’t have the ability to go to FNU and have extended learning, that wouldn’t be the case here.”

While Fairbanks is not rural, Amundson notes that many of her patients are from rural areas and have to go to great lengths to see her, some driving from as far as four hours away.

“There is a high native population here,” Amundson says. “They generally have poor access to healthcare because many live in villages with no clinics or they are closed in on an island.”

There is also limited access to specialists in Fairbanks. For example, the only access to a child cardiologist is once a month when a child cardiologist visits from Seattle. In some cases, patients have to travel to Anchorage or Seattle to find the specialists they need to see, which, Amundson notes, “can put an extreme financial hardship on a family.”

Another form of specialized care lacking in availability is appropriate mental health care. Amundson says that patients who are not suicidal and have no insurance are often unable to find help, and patients on Medicaid are put on a waiting list of up to a year.

“It is nearly impossible to find a place that will accept Medicaid insurance and even harder to find counseling for those who are not suicidal with Medicaid,” she says. “The patients that I see who are most affected by this are women suffering from perinatal or postpartum depression. In Alaska, I find that our incidence for this is a bit higher than the national prevalence. When I was doing my Doctor of Nursing Practice project, I surveyed and screened those seen in my clinic and 49% of women had some form (mild, moderate, severe) of depression in pregnancy or postpartum. I find that I am often prescribing for women who can’t seek care elsewhere. I am always encouraging counseling but the limited access is very problematic.”

To help address such gaps in access to mental healthcare across the country, FNU launched the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner degree path in 2017. Meanwhile, Amundson continues to be a champion for the quality of healthcare being provided in Fairbanks.

“People here advocate for change,” she says, noting that the cesarean rate is much lower than the national average. “I feel very positive about our community and how we are addressing healthcare issues.”

Indeed, Amundson and her fellow FNU nurse-midwives of Fairbanks are going forth and making a change.

FNU Alumni Answer the Call in Alaska

September 10, 2019 By frontieredu

Since its foundation in 1939, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has adopted a mission of reaching rural, diverse and underserved populations. This mission is still being lived out today, where more than 80 FNU alumni are answering the call in our country’s most remote and unforgiving state: Alaska.

According to the World Population Review, Alaska’s terrain includes 17 of the United States’ 20 highest mountain peaks, as well as 70 volcanoes, more than 3 million lakes, and 3,000 rivers. Many communities are isolated from hospitals and clinics located in bigger cities, and most are inaccessible by road. Mary Breckinridge faced similar challenges when she founded the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in 1925 in the eastern Kentucky Appalachian Mountains. She overcame the lack of roads by traveling on horseback to reach residents who previously had no access to healthcare.

Just as in the Appalachians, the remote populations of Alaska were historically only accessible on foot or by dogsled, steamship or train. Today, small aircraft and all-terrain vehicles have allowed the Department of Health and Social Services to set up health centers in 22 communities, which in turn provide itinerant safety net services to 280 small communities and villages. These services include immunizations, education on disease prevention, and promotion of injury prevention and healthy living.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), most of Alaska’s geographic area is designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) based on the lack of primary care physicians, dentists and psychiatrists. 96 percent of Alaska’s landmass and 39 percent of its population falls under this category.

The HRSA has also designated a significant portion of Alaska as Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUAs/MUPs), characterized by too few primary care physicians, high infant mortality, high poverty or a high elderly population. 95 percent of Alaska’s landmass are MUAs and 78 percent of its population are MUPs.

Alaska is home to more than a third of all Native American tribes in the United States. These 229 tribes typically live in villages situated along rural rivers or coastline. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) has created a network of primary care providers that reach over 170 of these remote villages.

Alaska state practice and licensure laws allow for all nurse practitioners to have full rights, a vital freedom in many areas where residents have no access to hospitals and traditional physicians.

FNU’s emphasis on community-based education allows nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives to train in the same communities where they live and practice. More than 80 FNU alumni practice in Alaska, and their presence has a major impact on its rural and underserved population.

Be on the lookout in the coming months as we will highlight several FNU alumni serving in Alaska!

Alaska Spotlight: Kristina Amundson

Alaska Spotlight: David Moore

Alaska Spotlight: Holly Fisk

Faculty Spotlight: Erin Tenney

August 26, 2019 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) faculty member Erin Tenney (DNP, WHNP, CNM) is passionate about working with rural and Indigenous underserved populations in her northern Wisconsin community.

Erin began working at FNU in 2016 and served in both didactic and clinical faculty roles. Soon after, she made the transition to full-time regional clinical faculty for the Upper Midwest for the Nurse-Midwifery and Women’s Health programs.

In her rural northern Wisconsin community, Erin works in a tribal healthcare system where she has served for over 17 years. She practices at several tribal health centers within the tribal healthcare system, making the three-hour commute to her remote clinical site weekly.

The Indigenous populations Erin serves in the tribal healthcare system face the traditional challenges to rural and underserved populations: limited access to healthcare, poverty and transportation issues. Additionally, Indigenous people often grapple with intergenerational trauma and the on-going negative effects of colonization.

In her doctorate work at FNU, Erin unearthed some research that has become a focal point in her work. A Maori nurse researcher from New Zealand developed the Theory of Cultural Safety. She examined the history of colonization and how it has led to health inequities in Indigenous populations that are still present today.

The theory encourages non-Indigenous healthcare providers within Indigenous communities to be self-reflective and sensitive to their position in society, privilege, and the dynamics between the cultures. The patient should be allowed to define what culturally safe care means to them.

Erin has taken the principles she learned from this theory to heart.

“I have really made an effort to learn the history, practice self-reflection, and listen to my patients to ensure I’m including any personal and spiritual-cultural aspects that are important to them into their care,” she said. “I also do a lot of work on myself, to know where I come from and who I am in the interaction. I believe this helps ensure that the care I give is respectful.”

When she was deciding where to pursue her degree, Erin read FNU’s mission on the website and she was sold.

“I read the description and it deeply resonated with me,” said Erin. “FNU’s focus on the underserved and rural communities continues to resonate with me today.”

In her faculty role at FNU, Erin has been heavily involved in the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. She is chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Curriculum sub-committee and has focused much of her energy on the FNU mission of building a diverse and inclusive university culture that translates into improved healthcare for underserved populations around the country.

Erin also presented on cultural safety and Indigenous health as a part of FNU’s 2017 Virtual Event celebrating National Midwifery Week. You can watch her presentation on FNU’s YouTube page.

Thank you, Erin, for your hard work in your own community as well as at FNU!

Diversity Impact Conference 2019

July 1, 2019 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) continued its initiative for fostering a more diverse, culturally-conscious health care workforce through the 9th annual Diversity Impact Student Conference, held from June 6-9, 2019.

The conference, hosted by FNU’s Diversity Impact Program, had over 60 attendees and was open to any FNU students, alumni, faculty or staff who want to make a difference in providing care to rural, diverse and underserved communities.

The theme for Diversity Impact 2019, Every Voice, Every Story: 80 Years and Beyond, coincides with the “$.80 for 80” campaign celebrating 80 years of service FNU graduates have provided to mothers, babies, and families across the globe.

The four-day program was designed with workshops and activities to help attendees explore how to fully experience, live and create meaningful connections within diverse communities.

Presenters at this year’s conference spoke on positive marginality, psychiatric-mental health, LGBTQI, Hawaiian culture, expression and storytelling through creative movement, intersectionality/diversity, and indigenous/Native American midwives.

This year’s Diversity Impact Event was highlighted by an inspiring lineup of speakers:

FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FAAN, FACNM
Keynote Speaker Nicolle L. Gonzales, BSN, RN, MSN, CNM
Premier Speaker Dr. Heather Shlosser, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC
Dr. Sheri Sesay-Tuffour, CEO of American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)
Jane F. Houston, FACNM, DNP, CNM
Nena R. Harris, Ph.D., FNP-BC, CNM, CNE
Kalena Lanuza, DNP, FNP-C
Devon Peterika, MS, BA
Ralph Newell and Sydnee Reese, Diversity in Higher Education Workshop

The conference programming also included interactive learning opportunities for attendees. On the second day of the conference, Trance4mation Games, LLC & Diverse: Issues in Higher Education facilitated an activity that engaged attendees to open up and speak their truth in civil discourse to one another, while also understanding the importance of expressing empathy towards others.

During this session, attendees participated in The Keep It Real RX game where they were challenged to go beyond ordinary conversation into deeper understanding of one another. The Keep It Real RX game facilitated meaningful dialogue, spontaneity, relaxation, bonding, a full range of communication, and mutual enjoyment. In a fun and entertaining way, participants were able to explore their imaginations, express emotion, overcome shyness, develop creativity, reflect on and share their beliefs and experiences, take risks and loosen inhibitions. They heard different points of view and ways of handling things which gave them new perspectives and helped them to gain confidence in speaking in front of a group, while having a great time listening and sharing with one another.

Another group activity promoted a cultural excursion allowing attendees to “Discover the Gift of Aloha”! In this session, participants were taken on a journey into the art of creating Hawaiian leis while exploring the cultural history of Hawaii and its origins in Polynesian culture.

New at this year’s conference was an on-site counselor for one-on-one interaction with students and group debriefing sessions, which was very beneficial and very well received.

To wrap up the conference, students engaged in a collaborative activity by using storytelling through creative movement. Groups presented a role and created a skit to show expression and storytelling through dance.

To learn more about FNU’s Diversity Impact program, visit Frontier.edu/Diversity.

: 2019 DI Weekend Group Photo

: Keeping It Real

: Keeping It Real

: Kalena Kaluza at DI Weekend

: Keep It Real Game

: Diversity Rocks at DI Weekend

: Honoring President Stone for all her DI initiatives

: Dr. Valentin-Welch Kicking Off the Event

: Honoring Wilvena for Her Years of Service

: Lifting spirits

: Circling Up

: Honoring Our Diversity Counselor Ms. Daisy Brown

: Expression Dance

: Expression Unity Dance

: Expression Dance Activity

: Leis

: Hawaiian Leis Group

: Honoring Memories of Loved Ones

: Honoring the Memories of Our Loved Ones

2019 Case Day and Panel on Birth Justice and Equity

June 27, 2019 By frontieredu

After the rousing success of last year’s Case Day and Panel on Birth Justice and Equity, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Director Jane Houston and Regional Clinical Faculty Tanya Belcheff knew the event would be recreated at the 2019 ACNM Conference.

The panel brought faculty, staff, alumni and students together for an open conversation about justice and equality in birth outcomes. Three students, Sarah Logan, Stacy Hepner and Deanna Hart, presented cases to kickstart the panel.

Keisha Edwards, the panel’s facilitator, created an environment of kindness that allowed students to bring forth discussions on race and justice that were moving and meaningful to everyone in the room.

“I thought the discussion was powerful! Everyone fully showed up and the ‘real talk’ about health equity was beyond awesome. So needed!” Edwards said.

Edwards’ sister Venay Uecke, a Nurse-Midwife with Indian Health Services, was one of the panel’s presenters, as were long-time FNU preceptors Kathryn Carr and Mandesa Smith. FNU faculty member Nena Harris and FNU alumna Stephanie Martinez also presented at the panel.

The importance of a space at the ACNM Conference that encourages engaging discussion on birth justice and cases is not missed by Houston.

“It is essential that any student present has an opportunity to dialog with providers of color about issues including equity, birth justice and systemic racism within our health systems in a safe and inclusive space,” she said.

FNU is proud of our presenters, facilitators and students for engaging in difficult conversations about relevant issues in order to effect positive change in the healthcare system.

2018 Year in Review

January 2, 2019 By frontieredu

2018 is wrapping up at Frontier Nursing University (FNU)! From individual student accomplishments to the Versailles campus acquisition, it was truly an exciting year to be part of the FNU community. Below are some of our highlights from 2018. Be sure to watch the “2018 FNU Year in Review” video at the bottom of the post as well.

Excellence in Teaching

Frontier’s MSN and PGC programs received continued accreditation from the Board of Commissioners of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). ACEN granted the accreditation of each of the specialties offered in FNU’s master of science in nursing and post-graduate certificate programs, and the new psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) specialty, through 2025. The first PMHNP students graduated in March.

In July, FNU was awarded the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant totals $1,376,800 in funding from 2018-2020, including $600,000 in student scholarships.

First Students Graduate from FNU’s Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program

Frontier Nursing University Awarded $1.3 Million HRSA Program Grant

Diversity and Inclusion

June held FNU’s eighth-annual Diversity Impact Student Conference. With workshops and activities revolving around the theme, “We Are One: Uniting Dreamers with Diverse Voices,” the four-day event helped attendees explore how to create meaningful connections within diverse communities. FNU was honored to receive the 2018 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education in October.

FNU Diversity Impact Celebrates 8 Years

A New Frontier: Versailles Campus

FNU is creating a new, accessible campus in Versailles, Ky. In September, FNU secured a contractor and began the renovations to several buildings and plots on the property. With expected completion tentatively set for 2020, you can stay up to date on the progress by subscribing for email updates or visiting Frontier.edu/versailles-kentucky-campus.

Read more:

FNU to Begin Work on Versailles Campus

Successful FNU Programs

From June to August, three Couriers served a vast number of Appalachian community members through their work in clinics and nonprofits. FNU also hosted its annual virtual events for National Midwifery Week (Sept. 30- Oct. 6) and National Nurse Practitioner Week (Nov. 11-18). Themed “Answer the Call to Service,” the free online sessions and continuing education opportunities provided participants with fuel to improve their leadership in the field.

Explore Sessions from This Year’s National Midwifery Week Virtual Event

What to Expect for FNU’s National Nurse Practitioner Week Virtual Event

Faculty & Staff Accomplishments

A couple of new staff and faculty members joined the FNU team in 2018. Debra Turner was brought on as the new Wendover operations manager, and Dr. Joan Slager was named dean of nursing. FNU President Dr. Susan Stone also received professional accolades when she was inducted as president of ACNM and elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Several faculty members and alumni contributed to the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) book of the year. “Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes,” written by several FNU faculty members and alumni, was awarded first place in the 2017 AJN Book of the Year Awards in Maternal-Child Health.

Meet FNU’s New Dean of Nursing, Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM

FNU President Dr. Susan Stone Inducted as President of ACNM

Frontier Nursing University President Dr. Susan Stone Elected to National Academy of Medicine

FNU Alumni and Faculty Contribute to Textbook Awarded First Place in the 2017 AJN Book of the Year Awards in Maternal-Child Health

Student & Alumni Achievements

On October 26, more than 800 nurse-midwife and nurse practitioner graduates received their degrees at commencement. We wish each the best in their careers!

Alumni from 2017 showed the effectiveness of a properly-structured, affordable distance education nursing program as test-takers surpassed the national board examination averages. Graduates exceeded national averages in each of the CNM, WHNP, FNP, MSN and PGC examinations.

FNU Awards Degrees to Over 800 Nurse-Midwife and Nurse Practitioner Graduates

We are so proud of our accomplishments in the FNU Community in 2018. The support from our friends, alumni, faculty, students, staff, and Couriers has been invaluable to our growth and success. We welcome 2019 with open arms!