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Alumni Spotlight: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Stephanie A. Patterson Advocates for Mentally Ill Patients in Urban L.A.

February 17, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumna Dr. Stephanie A. Patterson, DNP, PMHNP-BC, obtained her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree in the summer of 2019 and is making strides in the mental healthcare field. In her urban community of Los Angeles, Calif., mental illness is a widespread problem.

“In Los Angeles, there is a high need for DNP-prepared PMHNPs like me because of the pervasiveness of mental illness in the community. Current statistics show that 63 percent of adults in California with mental illness did not receive treatment during the past year,” said Stephanie.

Stephanie currently serves as an inpatient psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), where she works with mentally ill adults. Her patients are typically admitted involuntarily after presenting themselves as a danger to themselves or others. Stephanie and her team evaluate and observe patients until they are stabilized and discharged into a lower level of care.

Stephanie is a strong advocate for medication management among patients with mental illnesses, knowing what medication regimens typically work for particular diagnoses. She takes time to listen to each patient, observe for side effects of medication and educate the patient on the importance of consistent medication and follow-up appointments.

“It is important that our patients know that they can still maintain a functional life in the community, hold jobs or stay in school, etc., despite having a mental health condition. This is why patient education is so crucial,” Stephanie said.

Improving quality for better patient outcomes is one of Stephanie’s passions, which prompted her to pursue her DNP. She recently presented her final DNP project at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Forum in Orlando, Fla., highlighting a patient-centered approach to improving appointment adherence rates in the mental health arena.

“I was very excited to present my project among like-minded professionals,” said Stephanie. “It was the culmination of my education at FNU and my commitment to the underserved in mental healthcare.”

In deciding where to enroll for her DNP, Stephanie did a lot of research and settled on FNU.

“I researched FNU’s history, plus the flexibility was really important so I was still able to work while pursuing my DNP. I’m very happy with my decision.”

Stephanie was also drawn by the renown of FNU’s faculty. “Many faculty have been in the field for 30 years or more across all different regions of the country, offering a wealth of clinical expertise and institutional knowledge,” she said.

She also benefited from receiving education from both certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and nurse practitioners (NPs), which was an important opportunity.

During her DNP studies, Stephanie picked up a major tool that she has since implemented into her practice. She uses a shared decision-making aid to engage patients and takes time to explain to her patients why keeping their appointments is so important.

“The shared decision-making model isn’t used much in the mental health community, but FNU taught me to use it and it has been an effective way to provide the patient with a foundation for making decisions based on individual values, preferences and goals for treatment,” she said.

She uses the motivational interviewing strategy during her initial consultations with patients, helping them commit to making changes to improve their health and wellbeing. She has seen this method improve mental and overall health outcomes and reduce relapses.

We are proud of Stephanie for her work with the underserved mentally ill community and her commitment to quality improvement in mental healthcare. Thank you, Stephanie!

Faculty Spotlight: Family Nurse Practitioner Diane John Works to Improve Health Outcomes in Florida Community

February 3, 2020 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) associate professor Diane John, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC understands the importance of giving back to the community.

Diane recently collaborated with several faculty and leaders to host a virtual session for National Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week. They held a panel discussion to talk about how each is involved in his/her community, and Diane shared some of the many ways she is active in her Broward County, Fla. community.

Diane sits on the board and volunteers at the local YMCA, providing education sessions and working with community health workers to improve healthcare outcomes. She frequently has speaking engagements in the community about different topics such as chronic health, the obesity epidemic, hypertension, and lifestyle behaviors’ impact on healthcare outcomes. She is also a board member of the South Florida Council For Advanced Practice Nurses, where she chairs the education and community committee. As chair, she facilitates food drives and clothing drives, most recently to collect relief items for victims of the Haiti hurricane disaster.

The Broward County population suffers high rates of hypertension, heart disease, and renal failure, all linked to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. To help combat this, Diane received funding from a national NP organization to implement a project focused on teaching healthcare providers and nursing students about motivational interviewing, a way of talking with patients so they are moved to make behavioral changes leading to better health outcomes.

“We have spent many years telling patients what to do. ‘Walk twenty minutes three times a week. Eat these foods. Stop smoking.’ We have made some advances from this direct talk, but we’re not where we need to be,” Diane explained.

“Motivational interviewing helps meet people halfway by leading them to identify behaviors and design a plan of action to implement healthier lifestyle choices.”

The grant allows her to offer motivational interviewing courses to NPs, advanced practice nurses, community health workers, and student nurses. Initially created as a tool for substance abusers, the motivational interview method is now being used across a wide span of illnesses and conditions, empowering patients to take ownership and control of their own health. Diane’s motivational interview courses also equip students with a tool to assess how likely an individual would change behaviors based on his/her conversation with the provider.

Diane has been a member of the FNU team since 2012. She currently serves in the academic affairs division as a curriculum and course design coach.

Diane’s favorite thing about being part of the FNU team is collaboration and effective communication across departments, programs and individuals.

“I have worked in brick and mortar academic organizations in the past, and communicating was always an issue, but at FNU, a lot of effort is put into communication and transparency,” she said.

Diane would like to thank FNU Department Chair of Family Nursing Dr. Lisa Chappell and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Rachel Mack for recognizing all the individual things that faculty do that align with the nursing profession, particularly outside of the FNU organization. “They are truly interested in what we do beyond our work at Frontier,” said Diane.

In addition to her faculty position and community work, Diane is a family nurse practitioner (FNP) whose practice works closely with veterans and the geriatric population.

Thank you, Diane, for the many ways you serve your communities, both at FNU and in Broward County!

Fall Term Circle of Caring Winners

January 23, 2020 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is pleased to announce the 2019 Fall Term Circle of Caring Award Winners: staff member Lonnie Brown and faculty member Judith Butler.

The Circle of Caring Award is given each term as a recognition for faculty and staff who go above and beyond their job duties and strive to uphold FNU’s mission and Culture of Caring every day.

Award winners are anonymously nominated by fellow FNU faculty and staff. Nominations are voted upon by a committee based on the following Culture of Caring characteristics: professionalism, mutual support, respect, positive communication and inclusivity.

Staff Winner: Lonnie Brown

Lonnie, a long-time member of FNU’s maintenance staff, exhibits a strong work ethic and a constant smile. He is known to go above and beyond to help students, faculty and staff on campus. His nominations cited several instances of Lonnie embodying FNU’s culture of caring.

“While we were preparing for the faculty meeting recently, a reception was set up in the wrong location due to a miscommunication. Between the end of dinner service and the event, Lonnie and the housekeeping/kitchen staff moved the entire event–including large numbers of crystal glasses and wine bottles–to the correct location, so the event could begin seamlessly.”

Another nomination stated, “A student had a flat tire and was instructed by her rental car company to bring the car back to trade it in, a task that couldn’t be accomplished without a drive to Hazard. Lonnie took the tire to a local Hyden repair place while the student was in her CB classes, had it fixed, and reinstalled it so she didn’t have to make the trip.”

“We had a lovely snow the second day of Bridge Bound,” said another nomination. “The next morning, Lonnie cleaned the snow off all the cars! He displayed amazing inclusivity and respect for students, faculty and staff this morning and it was greatly appreciated.”

Faculty Winner: Judith Butler, DNP, CNM, WHNP, CNE

Judith is an assistant professor and course coordinator at FNU. She also practices at a hospital midwifery unit in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz. Judith obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from FNU in 2015 and has served in hospitals and birth centers for more than 20 years.

She was nominated by a colleague after helping in a recent time of need. “Judy stepped up and carried the entire DNP clinical leadership load for a full week while we all dealt with very serious life emergencies (including stroke, loss of a grandparent, and two out for surgery). Judy picked up the pieces, carried the weight that all four of us manage together, and did it gracefully and without complaint. She went out of her way to care for us, even while her own plate must have been overflowing.”

Judith credits the culture of caring she and her colleagues put into practice daily.

“I am sincerely grateful for this award but would like to include my amazing DNP team, who upon learning of the need to step up, jumped in and covered everything without hesitation,” she said. “FNU has instilled a culture of caring among us all. It’s not just words – we all walk the walk.”

Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations. To submit your nomination for the winter term Circle of Caring Award, click here!

Courier Spotlight: Eric Lakomek

January 16, 2020 By frontieredu

A Frontier Nursing University (FNU) 2019 summer Courier was recently featured in a Wabash Global Health tweet after his presentation detailing his experience in the program. Wabash Global Health is an initiative of Wabash College, located in Crawfordsville, Ind., with the goal of impacting the lives of students and communities through education, investigation and service.

Eric Lakomek is a junior at Wabash where he is studying psychology with minors in chemistry and global health. He is on track to graduate in May 2021 and then plans to attend medical school.

Eric first learned about the Courier program from Wabash alum Matt Hodges, who participated in the program in the summer of 2016 and encouraged Eric to apply. The Courier program is an eight week, rural and public health, service-learning program with a rich and adventuresome history. The program targets college students with an interest in public health, health care or a related field. The sites are often remote, located in culturally-unique communities throughout Appalachia and elsewhere.

“I was interested in learning about rural public health, particularly the opioid epidemic, and I knew in Appalachia I would experience it firsthand,” Eric said.

For the first several weeks of his summer in Hazard, Ky., he visited each medical provider in the Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, including dental, primary care and behavioral health centers. He chose to focus on the primary care center at the Little Flower Clinic for the remainder of the summer. At the clinic, he shadowed the nurse practitioners and on-site physician; he also traveled with caseworkers during patient home visits and community work.

As part of the Courier program, Eric and his fellow Couriers developed a project based on a community needs assessment of the Hazard community area. They created a comprehensive diabetes care program for local patients, complete with information brochures, menu guidelines and care packs with blood pressure cuffs, weight scales, pedometers and other items not covered by insurance.

Eric’s favorite part about his summer as a Courier was being able to experience the culture and community of Appalachia, and he left with a sense of gratitude. “I realized the privilege I have in my life,” said Eric. “Little Flower is a clinic that primarily serves less fortunate individuals, and I learned that my problems pale in comparison to what these individuals experience on a daily basis.”

“Eric truly shined during his summer as a courier with FNU. In fact, Eric was chosen to present his experience to the Breckinridge Capital Advisors, as well as other prominent members of the FNU board,” said Tara A. Dykes-Barnes, FNU’s Courier Program Coordinator.

The Courier Program was recently featured in The Bridge Magazine, a publication of the Kentucky Office of Rural Health. Read more here!

Enrollment for the 2020 Courier program is now open! The program will run from June 1- August 3, 2020. Find out more about the application process and enrollment requirements at Frontier.edu/Courier-Program.

Alumni Spotlight: Marie Labadie-DeGennaro

January 9, 2020 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumna Marie Labadie-DeGennaro, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CHPN recently had the honor of sharing her work at a conference showcasing nurse research conducted by doctoral students in the National Capital Area.

On November 14, 2019, Marie presented her poster “Improving Patient-Centered Respiratory Illness Care Through Shared Decision Making in the Urgent Care Setting,” at the Washington Regional Nursing Research 10th Annual Doctoral Conference. The conference was held in Washington D.C. at The Catholic University of America. Marie has had the opportunity to share her presentation at several other conferences as well.

As an advanced registered nurse practitioner, Marie has over 25 years of nursing experience in a variety of clinical settings and roles. She adheres to evidence-based practice guidelines and makes an extra effort to be highly sensitive to the emotional needs and well-being of her patients. She also identifies community resources for the underserved.

Marie is currently a family nurse practitioner at Care One of Florida Urgent Care and Pasco Kids First in New Port Richey, Fla. The urgent care center accepts all kinds of insurance as well as self-pay, so Marie sees a wide variety of patients, including many from underserved and marginalized populations.

“The population of patients I care for is limitless,” said Marie. “I am committed to safely practicing a high-quality, holistic approach while sustaining optimal health outcomes for patients ranging from infancy through aging adult with complex healthcare needs.”

Marie is also a Certified Child Protection Team Medical Examiner. She works part-time and on-call doing medical assessments of alleged child and adult maltreatment victims, including all facets of child, sexual and physical abuse as well as neglect cases and evidence collection. She performs forensic interviews with potential victims and families, compiles written reports for investigators and law enforcement and makes recommendations for safe environments and care.

After being a nurse for over 20 years, Marie knew she wanted to make an even bigger impact in her community.

“Patients deserved more than they were getting,” she said.

A friend told her about FNU’s ADN Bridge Entry option and, after researching the history and community, Marie decided to enroll. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing and then transitioned into the companion Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program to complete her doctoral degree.

“Frontier is one of the best things to ever happen to me. I read about the amazing sense of community you get during your time at FNU and I knew it was the place for me. It is unlike any other online education program I have ever encountered.”

Marie continues to utilize the support of FNU’s resources such as the library and evidence-based tools for practice as well as the connections she has made with professors and friends. She is soon transitioning to a new role at the University of South Florida in the Neurology Clinic and intends to teach there as well.

Thank you, Marie, for serving your community well and for sharing your work so those following in your footsteps can do the same!

Alumni Spotlight: Janice Macopson, FNP-C, DNP

December 23, 2019 By frontieredu

Janice Macopson, FNP-C, DNP, has worked in healthcare for longer than many Frontier Nursing University (FNU) students have been alive.

For 44 years, Janice has worked in various positions at Carolinas Healthcare System – Blue Ridge, an Atrium Health Hospital in Morganton, N.C. She became a nurse practitioner (NP) in 2001 and began her work at Blue Ridge Cardiology in 2011.

Janice graduated from FNU in June 2019 as a member of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) class 30. Obtaining her DNP had been a bucket list item for years. She and a friend who was also interested in getting her DNP got together to research potential schools.

“My friend told me about this amazing school in Kentucky. I did some research for myself and read about Mary Breckinridge, and I was just taken in. Coming from rural North Carolina and working with women and children, I felt it was ideal – a perfect match for me.”

After being accepted into FNU’s DNP program, Janice read the required Wide Neighborhoods, Mary Breckinridge’s biography. “I could not put the book down,” she said. “I felt like I was in the trenches with her. It’s almost mystical, when you have a passion for nursing, to read about how passionate she was.”

As a member of a minority population, Janice was also appreciative of FNU’s emphasis on diversity. “I am an African American and I have been very impressed by how hard the school works on inclusion and diversity,” she said.

In her current position at Blue Ridge Cardiology, Janice sees adults with coronary artery disease, cardiac illnesses, and other conditions that put them at high risk for heart failure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes and hypertension.

Janice knows firsthand how difficult it is for diagnosed heart failure patients to understand and manage their condition, so for her DNP project, she implemented the Get With the Guidelines – Heart Failure program into her practice. An American Heart Association program, Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure is an in-hospital program that promotes consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines and has shown success in achieving significant patient outcome improvements.

Janice teamed up with the quality improvement committee at Carolinas Healthcare System – Blue Ridge to implement chart audits and analyze what they could improve upon using the Get With The Guidelines measures. She has been able to take what she learned into Blue Ridge Cardiology and continue to utilize the information she gathered during her project.

Janice’s continuity advisor Khara Jefferson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, played a major role in Janice’s DNP project. “My weakness was the Internet, YouTube and online classes… it was a challenge for me. Khara was always available to me, answered all my calls and calmly helped me through my planning phase. She was especially patient when it came to helping me through presentations and other things online.”

We are proud of Janice’s commitment to life-long learning! We’re thankful for her efforts to continually improve herself and her practice to offer the highest quality of care.

Alaska Spotlight: Karolina Priebe

December 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.

Karolina Priebe, DNP, ANP, FNP, Class 17 is the final alumna featured in our Alaska Spotlight series. She is a family nurse practitioner at Solstice Medicine and Wellness in Fairbanks.

Fairbanks represents the last chance for medical care for many Alaskans living in the extreme northeast regions of the state.

“We are isolated from other areas of Alaska,” said Karolina. “We are really the northernmost city in northeast Alaska in terms of access to healthcare. We cover thousands of miles of the area.”

Born and raised in Poland, Karolina’s family moved to Chicago when she was 16. She eventually became a U.S. citizen and served as a medic in the military where she met her husband. His last station before retiring was Fairbanks in 2015. They fell in love with the community and continue to make their home there.

At Solstice Medicine and Wellness clinic, Karolina is the only primary care provider doing family practice daily. She is joined by an internal medicine physician and a physician’s assistant. Many of the patients they treat come from very remote locations and only visit the city once or twice a year.

“The bush people of Alaska have no roads,” Karolina said of the population made famous by the ‘Alaskan Bush People’ television series. “In summer they get to us via boat or four wheeler, and in the wintertime many travel by snow machine until they either reach a road system or a small airport. They come to town once every six months or once a year. We address as much as we can in one visit.”

That means a lot of acute care and little time left over for addressing lifestyle, education and preventative medicine, resulting in a gap that Karolina is trying to fill.

Noting a significant issue with obesity in her patient population, Karolina launched an obesity program in August 2018. She devotes approximately half her time providing primary care and the other half on the 60-80 people in the obesity program.

“Nobody is doing obesity management. In primary care, there’s no time to address that,” Karolina said. “Weight management is built into my work schedule for patients interested in medical weight loss. I’m treating chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure along with obesity at the same time. It saves the patient time and money.”

Patients in the program begin by keeping a food journal for a month. Karolina then reviews it and helps them find healthier alternatives to the foods they enjoy. Access to fresh and affordable healthy food is a significant hurdle for many in the community.

“There are many components to the obesity problem,” Karolina said. “A lot of my patients don’t have access to proper food. Fresh produce is very expensive here, especially in winter. Our food bank is a great resource but it mainly has packaged foods. A lot of people can’t afford the fresher, healthier foods.”

Affordability is also an issue when it comes to medical bills and, as a result, many are reluctant to seek the care they need. To help address this issue, Karolina serves on the board of KarmaCare, a local nonprofit that offers people assistance with their bills. Patients who qualify for the program are asked to volunteer in their community. In exchange for their service, KarmaCare will pay up to $4,000 per year toward their medical bills. “That’s the community we have,” Karolina said. “There is a unity of the community in Fairbanks and that’s why we stayed here.”

Another challenge facing the Fairbanks community is the limited amount of specialized care, so Karolina and her team arrange appointments with specialty care providers in Anchorage or Seattle. “Thankfully there’s a good working relationship between us and Anchorage and Seattle,” Karolina said. “They are good about working our referrals in. We have to sit on the phone for many hours to figure out where to send these patients.”

Karolina credits Frontier Nursing University with helping to prepare her to be innovative and community-driven in her work. “Frontier was all about going where there’s a need and making an impact,” Karolina said. “Every day I’m trying to see how I can help my patients, what’s needed, and how I can make an impact. I’m still trying to figure out how we can make medical care better here.

“Frontier is so focused on meeting patients where they are and making improvements in the community,” Karolina continued. “It prepared me to open my eyes to look at bigger issues, to look at what needs need to be addressed in the community to benefit not only the patients but their families as well.”

Thank you to Karolina, Kristina Amundson, David Moore and Holly Fisk who along with many other FNU alumni are answering the call to serve the underserved in Alaska.

Courier Program Featured in The Bridge Magazine

December 16, 2019 By frontieredu

From the very beginning, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has been committed to serving rural and underserved populations. In 1928, FNU founder Mary Breckinridge established the Courier Program as a way of recruiting young volunteers to serve in Eastern Kentucky. Young people were originally recruited to assist nurse-midwives with everyday tasks, such as accompanying the midwives to home births or grooming and taking care of the horses which were essential for transport.

The Courier Program has evolved into an eight-week summer program for college students. Couriers are immersed in the culture of a rural Appalachian community. They spend the summer shadowing healthcare professionals, leading projects and discovering the unique challenges these communities face.

The Bridge Magazine, a publication of the Kentucky Office of Rural Health, recently published a wonderful story featuring FNU’s Courier Program. In Training the Next Generation of Rural Health Care Providers, writer Robin Roenker tells the stories of students, clinicians, and community members who have been positively impacted by the program.

Couriers exit the program freed from the stereotypes of Appalachia they previously had. Molly Craig, a 2018 Courier, said, “I think there’s a lot of stigma about people residing in rural Appalachia. And through the Courier Program, I learned that rural people really shouldn’t be stigmatized, because that oversimplifies and overshadows their realities.”

Not only are the students transformed through their time in the Courier program, but so are the communities they serve. “Many of the Couriers come to us new to Kentucky and new to the Appalachian culture, but by the time they leave, they’re like family to the people here,” said Ellen Napier, CEO of a clinic for homeless and at-risk citizens.

Applications for the 2020 Courier Program are now being accepted! Applicants must meet the following criteria: