Faculty spotlight | Frontier Nursing University

Faculty Spotlight: Mary Ellen Biggerstaff

October 7, 2019 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumna and faculty member Mary Ellen Biggerstaff, MSN, DNP, has a heart for serving her community struggling with opioid addiction.

Mary Ellen takes on many roles: she is an FNU regional clinical faculty member for Washington, Alaska and Hawaii; she is an Evidence-Based Practice course faculty member; and she practices in a family clinic where she has served for the past ten years.

Mary Ellen’s community of Olympia, Wa. was formed as a hub for the logging industry. With the industry’s decline, the community has suffered high rates of unemployment and an economic downturn. This has led to an increase in patients dealing with opiate addictions as they try to cope with their hardships.

A new resource recently became available to help combat opiate dependency and addiction, and Mary Ellen has embraced it with open arms. Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine, a narcotic, and naloxone, which blocks the effects of opioid medication, has emerged as an effective opioid addiction combatant.

Last year, Mary Ellen obtained her waiver to prescribe Suboxone through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)’s 24 hour Suboxone waiver training.

Soon after she obtained her waiver, Mary Ellen’s practice implemented a low-barrier medication-assisted therapy clinic. The clinic offers daily drop-in hours with a mission of treating addiction with radical empathy and acceptance for patients. A team of experienced registered nurses (RNs) and patient advocates assist the prescribing clinicians in the clinic.

“Anyone who has worked with opiate addiction knows how incredibly challenging this work can be, not only because of its difficulty in treating it, but the behaviors that go along with the addiction,” she said.

The clinic puts a strong emphasis on outreach to vulnerable communities, especially homeless and incarcerated populations. Mary Ellen has seen a dramatic improvement in extremely ill patients after only a week or two of Suboxone treatments.

“Our goal at this clinic is to treat everyone compassionately and meet them where they are to get them the help they need.”

Mary Ellen obtained her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) through FNU back in 2009. She began working at a family-based clinic where she still serves as a clinician. Ten years at Summit Pacific Medical Center has allowed Mary Ellen to build relationships with patients and have a lasting impact on her community.

A few years ago, Mary Ellen knew she wanted to take the next step in providing better care to her patients. She enrolled in FNU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program because of her past success in the MSN program.

“I’m a big believer in FNU’s mission, and the DNP program worked with both my work schedule and my crazy family schedule,” Mary Ellen said.

In her role as regional clinical faculty for FNU, Mary Ellen has mentored many FNU students through their coursework and clinicals.

“I train people to be excellent nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners, especially to rural and vulnerable populations,” she said. “I love to see students I mentored impacting their communities.”

Thank you, Mary Ellen, for your work with both FNU students and vulnerable populations!

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!

Faculty Spotlight: Joanne Keefe, DNP, MPH, FNP-C

December 20, 2018 By frontieredu

Alumna and faculty member, Joanne Keefe, DNP, MPH, FNP-C found where she belonged in nursing at Frontier Nursing University (FNU). Joanne is a course coordinator for Epidemiology/Biostatistics at FNU, where she thrives in the teaching environment.

As an educator, Joanne answers the call by creating an uplifting nursing community, something her individual work in the field initially lacked.

According to Joanne, before coming to FNU, she worked in nursing for 10 years but felt she wasn’t making a difference. She pursued a Master of Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of New Mexico. After public health didn’t seem to be a good fit, she returned to individual care and decided to pursue a higher level of education at FNU.

She completed the Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, but gained more than additional education.

“I finally found what I had been looking for in nursing – a supportive community,” said Joanne. “I am so lucky to be able to now work in this environment!”

Professionally, she has presented at AANP, NONPF and Conference on Meaningful Living and Learning in a Digital World.

The students in the FNU community also appreciate Joanne, nominating her for the FNU Student Choice Award in 2018.

“My ultimate goal is to change the face of nursing by sharing the community feeling and encouraging them to spread this feeling in their own communities,” said Joanne. “I strive do this as an educator, colleague and mentor.”

When Joanne is not busy at Frontier, she rides horses, gardens and spends time outside.

Joanne is grateful to be a part of the supportive FNU community and we are equally thankful to have her!

FNU Announces 2017 Faculty Innovation Award Winners

February 15, 2018 By frontieredu

Thanks to generous support from Dr. Alan Howard and family and the Denver Foundation, Frontier hosts the annual Faculty Innovation Awards to spotlight innovation in advanced practice nursing and midwifery education. The purpose of the Faculty Innovation Award is to recognize faculty members who promote critical thinking and application of knowledge in innovative online learning experiences.

Each application is evaluated with respect to:

Innovative use of evolving technology.
Promotion of critical thinking and application of knowledge.
Sound evaluation plan and strong, positive evaluation data.
Extent of potential effect on student learning effectiveness, future curriculum development, furthering the mission of FNU, or professional practice.

The winner in each category will receive $2,250 per course.

2017 Winner in Category 1 (Courses that have been through Innovation 101):

NP702 Primary Care I
Course Coordinator: Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, FNP-C, ARNP, FAANP
Course Faculty: DeLana Gardner, DNP, FNP, ARNP
Title and brief description of innovative learning activity: Breaking Bad News Simulation Activity

DeLana Gardner, DNP, FNP, ARNP

Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, FNP-C, ARNP, FAANP

This online simulation activity allows students to practice giving news of a serious diagnosis to patients through a structured interaction with a standardized patient (SP) via a web conferencing platform, BigBlueButton. After a pre-briefing, each student meets individually with an SP and delivers the news of a recent biopsy result indicating malignant melanoma. The SP responds in an authentic manner and together the student and the SP work through the conversation and planning the next steps in the management process. After the simulation, the SP provides structured feedback about communication and then students gather as a small group for a faculty-facilitated debriefing. Debriefing topics include clinical management as well as role transition, scope of practice, clinician self-care, intra- and interprofessional communication, and continuity of care. After the online simulation and debriefing experiences, students completed an individual written reflection.

2017 Winner in Category 2 (Courses that have not been through Innovation 101):

NP706 Primary Care III

Course Coordinator: Jana Esden, DNP, APNP, FNP-BC
Course Faculty: Debra Hunt, PhD, FNP-BC, GNP-BC

Title and brief description of innovative learning activity: Proctored Case Study Assignments

Debra Hunt, PhD, FNP-BC, GNP-BC

Jana Esden, DNP, APNP, FNP-BC

Proctored case study assignments in NP706 use graded low-fidelity simulations to assess student knowledge of the content and require a high level of critical thinking from students. Students are given a complex patient situation that they must work through from start to finish using their clinical sources, nursing knowledge, and critical thinking skills. Throughout the assignments, students are required to prioritize differentials or clinical actions in multiple option items. There is also a focus on documentation, and students are required to, for example, place pieces of provided patient information into the proper SOAP note sections using the matching feature. The assignments are open book/note/internet and are administered through Canvas, making use of alternative assessment options that Canvas has to offer. Items are matching, multiple drop down, multiple choice, ranking, and true/false.

Faculty Spotlight: Kim Baraona DNP, CNM

January 25, 2018 By frontieredu

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.

Faculty Spotlight: Alyn McGee, MSN, ARNP, CNM

November 6, 2017 By frontieredu

For the last 4 1/2 years, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) faculty member Alyn McGee, MSN, ARNP, and CNM, has been fulfilling the mission of Frontier all the way from St. Lucie, Fla. McGee, a 2005 alumna of FNU’s MSN program, develops the next generation of nurse-midwives and women’s health care nurse practitioners as a regional clinical faculty member while serving as a CNM at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Group.

Based in St. Lucie, with offices around Southeast Florida, the Maternal Fetal Medicine Group is pioneering new ways to provide care to women with very high risk pregnancies who need midwives’ perspective and wisdom. McGee’s role at Maternal Fetal Medicine is crucial to the underserved community seeking care from the four offices she rotates among.

Working side by side with doctors, she reviews scans with patients, diagnoses and explains concerns and problems, and listens to each mother’s fears, dreams and questions. She spends time teaching patients, visiting subjects anywhere from diabetes, diet, hypertension and morbid obesity, to advanced maternal age, HIV/AIDS, cancer in pregnancy and drug use.

McGee also sees a wide variety of patients dealing with unique issues from In Vitro Fertilization and gender selection questions to an impoverished mix of drug addicts, legal and illegal immigrants, and women with Zika virus.

McGee’s journey with FNU began after working with three certified nurse-midwives to build a freestanding birth center in 1993. She was so inspired by the three women that she requested a catalog from FNU and 10 years later, enrolled in the CNEP program.

“It was always and only, FNU,” McGee says. “The first time I drove up that mountain and saw the old buildings, read the history, smelled the air and listened to Kitty and the other faculty, I knew it was all I ever wanted: to be a Frontier Nurse-Midwife.”

Aside from her accolades as a nurse-midwife and instructor, McGee has also received certification as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and Certified Diabetic Educator (CDE). Currently, McGee is working on a Survival Medicine Training Certificate, and in December she plans to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice at FNU.

Thank you, Alyn, for representing FNU as a student, alumna and faculty member!