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FNU Sponsors the 2020 Virtual International Day of the Midwife May 4 – 5

April 28, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is proud to sponsor this year’s Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM)! In the spirit of the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO), VIDM is a 24-hour free online conference taking place on Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5, 2020, for nurse-midwives and anyone interested in childbirth.

This year, expect to hear from several fantastic keynote speakers and student speakers during the online virtual conference. The live link will appear on the VIDM website closer to its date.

This year’s celebration will kick off on Monday, May 4, with two special pre-conference sessions led by WHO associates:

WHO Chief Nurse and Midwife Elizabeth Iro and WHO Midwifery Advisor Fran McConville will discuss the organization’s guidance on maternal and newborn health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mary Renfrew will discuss sustainability in nurse-midwifery care in a pandemic, on behalf of a group of global colleagues.

The Virtual International Day of the Midwife will feature several informative sessions covering a wide range of subjects for 24 hours on Tuesday, May 5. The free virtual event, which uses online conferencing software, brings all interested in childbirth matters together irrespective of international geographic borders.

FNU’s Jane F. Houston, DNP, CNM, MSN, FACNM will serve as Master Facilitator of this year’s sessions. Dr. Houston has served on the committee for many years and has also participated as a speaker and facilitator. She isn’t the first of the FNU community to participate – in 2018, FNU president and certified nurse-midwife Dr. Susan Stone served as one of five keynote speakers, speaking on the importance of a diverse nurse-midwifery workforce.

This year’s keynote speakers are Sheena Byrom, who will begin the conference, Dr. Vijaya Krishnan, Saraswathi Vedam, and Susan Crowther. See the full schedule of events here.

VIDM is a fantastic learning opportunity and offers a great chance to hear from some of the brightest minds in midwifery. Students, faculty, alumni and the public can tune in for free to the 2020 VIDM on www.vidm.org.

To learn more about FNU’s distance education degrees and specialty tracks, please visit our website.

2020: Year of the Nurse and the Midwife

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is proud to support and join the World Health Organization’s international campaign designating 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.” In recognizing the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, FNU joins the efforts to raise awareness of healthcare shortages in the U.S. and abroad; demonstrate the need for more nurses and nurse-midwives; educate the public of the value of nurses and nurse-midwives in their communities and advocate for access to quality healthcare for every individual.

FNU to Host 10th Annual Diversity Impact Conference as Virtual Event

April 24, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

The Diversity and Inclusion Office at Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is hosting its 10th annual Diversity Impact Conference as a virtual event, June 11-13, 2020. While this is the first year the event is being hosted online, it marks a decade of bringing together national thought-leaders and speakers to engage with the FNU community on important topics facing the nursing and midwifery workforce.

The event opens the door for nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students to join FNU faculty and staff in collaborative discussions, address health disparities, and find proactive solutions to improve minority health among underrepresented and marginalized groups.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020: Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” going hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization’s designation of 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife was established to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, highlight the challenging conditions they often face and advocate for increased investments in the nursing and midwifery workforce.

“The nurse and the midwife roles have morphed, diversified, and elevated to innovative heights over the centuries with cutting edge research, education, practice, and policy on the trajectory of caring for those who are unable to care for themselves and continue to evolve for the cause,” said FNU’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Geraldine Young, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CDE, FAANP.

“We believe in the benefits of a diverse university and the positive impacts our diverse graduates can make in communities across the country,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. “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 of servant leadership.”

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the keys to the future success of the health care delivery system,” said Dr. Young.

The annual Diversity Impact Conference is open to FNU students, alumni, faculty, and staff who want to become part of FNU’s legacy of providing care to rural and underserved communities. Those that participate will engage in cross-cultural activities and intercultural workshops, along with nurse-leadership strategies on how to effectively care for diverse populations within their communities.

In years past, the Diversity Impact Conference themes have included celebrating 80 years of FNU’s legacy and exploring how to create meaningful connections in diverse communities.

This year’s three-day virtual event is expected to unite more than 100 FNU students, alumni, faculty, staff and community leaders, and will include:

Sessions hosted by nationally recognized nursing leaders
Cross-cultural activities and intercultural workshops
Team-building exercises, cultural competency awareness training, and open dialogues
Virtual networking with FNU students, alumni, faculty, and staff to strengthen collaborative discussions
Nurse-leadership strategies and much more!

FNU students, alumni, faculty, and staff can find out more about and sign up to attend the Diversity Impact Conference at Frontier.edu/Diversity.

2020: Year of the Nurse and the Midwife

Frontier Embraces Its Culture Of Caring During Crisis: Frontier Bound Event Turns Virtual

April 20, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) commitment to fostering a culture of caring has never been more evident than in our country’s current time of crisis.

In recent days, organizations across the U.S. have been forced to make urgent decisions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. To protect students and faculty, FNU transitioned its most recent Frontier Bound event, a multi-day orientation that normally takes place on campus in Kentucky, into a fully virtual event for incoming students.

Using video webinar technology, Frontier Bound attendees were able to see and talk to one another in real-time, share information and nurture dreams.

FNU associate dean of midwifery Dr. Tonya Nicholson said, “As presenters, we could share our screens in order to have the incoming students ‘see’ and get to know us as faculty, learn how to utilize the technology and connect face-to-face with fellow incoming students.”

Students exiting the Frontier Bound experience left feeling connected to one another and the university, inspired in their career choice and ready to start their FNU journey.

A Culture Of Caring

Everything we do at FNU is built on a foundation that embraces a culture of caring, recognizing that every individual has value and worth. The ripple effect of this culture of caring spreads far beyond FNU community members to the wider healthcare system, with the goal to improve patient outcomes all over the country and the world.

The five elements of FNU’s culture of caring include:

- Professionalism (Excellence, responsibility, transparency, consistency)
- Inclusivity (Equality, awareness, sensitivity, humility)
- Respect (Importance, uniqueness, friendliness, genuine interest)
- Positive Communication (Understanding, thoughtfulness, openness)
- Mutual Support (Helpfulness, awareness, patience, concern, kindness)

Frontier Bound Goes Virtual

To kick off their virtual Frontier Bound experience, students met together for a general welcome and a glimpse into the rich history and heritage of FNU. They saw pictures and heard stories from the early days of Frontier Nursing Service (FNS). Students enjoyed learning about the nurses who served the rural population of eastern Kentucky on horseback and were amazed at the fortitude and ingenuity of the early FNS nurses.

Nurse-midwifery (CNEP), Family nurse practitioner (FNP) and women’s healthcare nurse practitioner (WHNP) students met together in small groups to review their curricula, learn about their roles, and develop mission statements for their future practices. Groups came up with inspiring mission statements such as these:

We will be a present force that empowers and educates through service. We will educate families to change and enhance their dynamic for generations to come.

Our mission is to provide holistic quality, evidence-based care, while empowering and educating women and their families across the lifespan. We will create a feeling of community and be fully present during moments of joy and grief, while continuing to remember the mission, values, and legacy of the midwives before us.

One of the most valued sessions was with FNU’s Mary Breckinridge Chair, Kitty Ernst, as she shared the history of the distance education program and highlighted the importance of the three Rs: Relationships, Resilience, and Reflection.

Each day of Frontier Bound began with acknowledgments of the stress and anxiety surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and strategies for coping positively. Faculty actively engaged in supporting and meeting students’ needs by allowing extra time to resolve IT issues and offering frequent Q&A sessions. A sense of community was instilled through team-building activities and students left the experience having made friends for life!

Much like they would have at an on-campus Frontier Bound, students concluded their time with reflection and the ringing of a virtual bell signifying the achievement of the first step in their graduate education journey. The bell-ringing echoes Frontier’s history, recalling FNS nurses who were called to action when the bell outside their nursing center was rung.

Initial anxieties expressed by many students were quelled by the time the virtual Frontier Bound wrapped up, and at the conclusion, students reported that they felt the culture of caring in action.

One student said, “Frontier Bound was terrific! The staff and faculty were so engaged and helpful. I was anxious when I heard we were not coming to campus, but you all did a great job of easing our stress and answering all our questions; thank you.”

Another commented, “The staff was great, and most importantly, they expressed their willingness to support us throughout this program. I can honestly say, after this experience, any doubt I may have had is out the window! I can’t wait to become a fantastic nurse-midwife.”

FNU’s commitment to maintaining a culture of caring despite unexpected challenges was proven in the transition to a fully virtual Frontier Bound, and we can’t wait to continue to support students along every step of their journeys. FNU also plans to hold upcoming orientation sessions virtually through June.

The Importance of the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife

February 26, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

By FNU President Dr. Susan E. Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

In 2019, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed that the year 2020 be designated the “Year of the Nurse and the Midwife” in honor of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The designation, which was approved by the World Health Assembly, was made to bring awareness of the importance of nurses and midwives in providing healthcare to populations across the globe.

Why is this important? The reasons are many but begin with worldwide shortages in nurses and midwives. The WHO recognizes the important work of both nurses and midwives in improving healthcare and estimates that the world needs nine million more nurses and midwives if it is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

At Frontier Nursing University (FNU), we are very excited by the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife because it provides an opportunity to explicate the role of both nurses and midwives in improving health. In the United States, we have significant health challenges. In many cases, these are getting worse, not better. The maternal mortality rate has risen from seven per 100,000 in 1987 to a current rate estimated at 26 per 100,000. The numbers are even worse for women of color, who die from pregnancy-related illness at three times the rate of white women. Mental health issues plague our country as well. Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the United States; more than 130 people die each day from opioid-related illness.

Lack of access to primary healthcare, maternal healthcare, and psychiatric mental healthcare persists throughout the U.S., particularly in rural areas. Improving the health of our population begins with an increase in healthcare providers who are well prepared to provide culturally competent primary preventive care as well as the ongoing care of chronic disease. Accessible and high-quality maternity care is critical. The Centers for Disease Control reports that nearly half of maternal mortality deaths are preventable. Changing this picture will take a team of health care providers and that team must include nurses and midwives. A recent study from Johns Hopkins University found that more 250,000 Americans die every year because of healthcare mistakes. The FNU Doctor of Nursing Practice program focuses on improving health care quality. Together we can make a change.

While the bad news is ample, the good news is that we can improve. At Frontier Nursing University we are educating nurses and midwives with the primary goal of assuring that they are well prepared to serve in rural and underserved areas. We must create a diverse healthcare workforce, a workforce that can competently serve persons and families from many different cultures that are representative of our United States. We can do this!

The designation of 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife provides an opportunity for us to showcase the role of nurses and midwives. We must educate the public, our legislators, and our colleagues about the scope of practice and qualifications of nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives. We need to assure that nurses and midwives are at the tables when decisions about healthcare are being made. We know that we must change and improve the current healthcare system. We have to be sure that every family and every individual has access to healthcare. We have to be able to provide healthcare in the community, in the home, in birthing centers, in family clinics, wherever it is that families are accessing healthcare.

Throughout the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, we will be promoting the role of the nurse and the midwife and the role of nurse practitioners. We hope that you will view the stories about the impactful work of our graduates, students, and faculty. Join us in promoting midwifery and nursing across the United States throughout the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

FNU Joins the Celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife

February 6, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

In addition to the significance of Florence Nightingale’s birthday anniversary, the designation was made to help bring awareness of the importance of nurses and midwives in the health and care of populations across the globe. According to the WHO, the world needs nine million more nurses and midwives if it is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is excited to support and participate in this international campaign and to spread awareness of the specific need for more nurses and nurse-midwives in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 700 women die annually in the United States as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications, 67 percent of which were determined to be preventable. More than five million U.S. women live in counties that have no hospital offering obstetric care and no obstetric providers.

The need for nurses and nurse-midwives is also seen beyond the gaps in maternity care. Rural areas are impacted most significantly by the healthcare shortages, with the number of physicians per 10,000 people averaging 33 in urban areas versus just 13 in rural communities. A shortage of psychiatric mental health care providers has resulted in 96 million Americans having to wait longer than a week for mental health treatment and 46 percent of those seeking this care having to drive more than an hour round-trip for treatment.

For 80 years, FNU has been educating and preparing many of these much-needed providers to serve the communities in which they live and work. FNU’s mission 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.

During the first 50 years of its history, FNU was rooted in its birthplace in the rural mountains of southeastern Kentucky. In 1989, FNU launched its distance-learning model, which enabled FNU to expand its reach across the country. Today, 73 percent of FNU’s 2,300 enrolled students live in a Healthcare Provider Shortage Area (HPSA) as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“Our distance learning model allows students to continue their education in the same communities in which they live and work,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, said, noting that FNU has students and graduates in every state. “Students can remain in their local communities and continue to work while attending classes on a flexible schedule.”

Not only has FNU’s reach expanded significantly but so has its range of programs. FNU offers the master of science in nursing degree, doctor of nursing practice degree and post-graduate certificates with specialties including nurse-midwife, family nurse practitioner, women’s health care nurse practitioner and psychiatric-mental health care nurse practitioner. In 2018, FNU produced approximately 39 percent of the certified nurse-midwifery graduates in the U.S.

Certified nurse-midwives are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) backed by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. To become a CNM, registered nurses must graduate from a master’s or higher-level nurse-midwifery education program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) and pass the national Certified Nurse-Midwife Examination through the American Midwifery Certification Board. All CNMs must hold state licensure. Certified midwives (CM), by comparison, are not required to have a nursing background.

“One of the important objectives for us this year is to define the role of the certified nurse-midwife and the certified midwife so the public understands the broad scope of services these professionals provide,” Dr. Stone said.

In recognizing the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, FNU joins the efforts to raise awareness of healthcare shortages in the U.S. and abroad; demonstrate the need for more nurses and nurse-midwives; educate the public of the value of nurses and nurse-midwives in their communities and advocate for access to quality healthcare for every individual.

“We are very excited to share the message of the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife,” Dr. Stone said. “Greater awareness of our healthcare disparities and identification of the potential solutions are essential steps in improving the reach and access to healthcare in this country.”

To find out more about FNU’s program offerings, visit Frontier.edu/Degrees.

2019: Year In Review

December 26, 2019 By frontieredu

2019 is drawing to a close at Frontier Nursing University! Below are some of our highlights from a truly wonderful 2019. Be sure to watch the “Year in Review 2019” video at the bottom of the post as well.

Commencement

FNU celebrated its 80th anniversary this year! Commencement took place in Lexington, Ky. for the first time, where 265 graduates attended with their families and friends. We welcomed keynote speaker Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the second woman and the first African American to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. FNU awarded 852 total degrees in 2019.

Conferences

Students and alumni represented FNU at a multitude of conferences in 2019, including the 64th Annual ACNM Meeting, the AANP National Conference and the NBNA Conference and Exhibit among many others.

FNU also hosted its 9th annual Diversity Impact conference in June. Students engaged in open dialogue and participated in interactive activities including storytelling through dance and an exploration of Polynesian culture through creating an extended lei to honor the land.

Faculty & Staff Accomplishments

FNU President Dr. Susan Stone was formally inducted into the National Academy of Medicine. She was one of only two nurses inducted and the only inductee from the state of Kentucky.

To help meet the needs of students searching for quality clinical sites and preceptors, the Clinical Outreach and Placement Unit was created.

Several faculty and staff were awarded and honored for their efforts as leaders in nurse-midwifery at this year’s ACNM Conference.

For the second consecutive year, FNU received the 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award honoring its outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Programs & Events

FNU hosted virtual events for National Midwifery Week and Nurse Practitioner Week. Faculty members and alumni gave informative sessions on a variety of relevant topics, and many sessions offered continuing education credit for viewers.

FNU also hosted a one-day virtual event for National Rural Health Day with four sessions on all things impacting rural and underserved communities.

The 2019 Couriers left their mark on rural and underserved communities during their summer of service, earning recognition from the Kentucky Office of Rural Health, one of the state offices of the National Rural Health Association.

We recognize and honor the past 80 years of impact and growth as we head towards an exciting future for FNU and our community. Here is to a 2019 full of memories and a successful 2020. We’re 80 years down and 80 (and many more) to go!

FNU President Dr. Susan Stone Inducted to National Academy of Medicine

October 28, 2019 By frontieredu

We are proud to announce that Frontier Nursing University (FNU) president Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Class of 2018 at the organization’s annual meeting on October 19, 2019, in Washington, D.C.

Of the 85 new inductees, Dr. Stone is one of only two nurses in the NAM Class of 2018 and is the only inductee from Kentucky in the class.

Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. A diversity of talent among NAM’s membership is assured by its Articles of Organization, which stipulates that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from fields outside the health professions — for example, from such fields as law, engineering, social sciences, and the humanities. NAM’s total membership is more than 2,200, with only three members being from Kentucky, including Dr. Stone.

The election of Dr. Stone into the NAM membership was based on facts that she has reached distinguished professional achievement in the field of medicine and health, has demonstrated and continues her involvement with issues in healthcare, disease prevention, education and research, along with showcasing skills and resources likely to contribute to the Academy’s mission and finally, has proven a willingness to actively participate in the work of the Academy.

“The National Academy of Medicine offers an incredible opportunity to work collaboratively with leaders from a wide range of medical professions and disciplines,” Dr. Stone said. “It is a tremendous honor to join this organization which is so deeply committed to improving health care.”

The election to NAM recognizes Dr. Stone’s achievements that have opened the door for more than 6,000 nurses to achieve graduate education and positively impact the accessibility of quality health care for rural families across the United States.

Dr. Stone is a leader in the development of strategies to increase the quality and capacity of midwifery and advanced practice nursing workforces with the specific goal of improving health care for families. Since she was appointed president of FNU in 2001, she has led the transition from a community-based school of nurse-midwifery offering a basic certificate program with 200 students enrolled to an accredited university offering masters and doctoral degrees to nurses seeking graduate degrees. Today the University has more than 2,300 graduate nursing students enrolled from every state in the United States.

Dr. Stone currently also serves as the President of the American College of Nurse-Midwives where her agenda includes increasing the midwifery workforce through educational quality and capacity strategies; advocacy, especially related to the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis; and increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce. She believes working with other health care professionals is essential to achieve the goal of improving the health of women and families.

Congratulations, Dr. Stone, on your honorable induction into NAM, and thank you for being a worthy leader of FNU!

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.”