Student Spotlight: Emily Tubbs hopes to help others improve quality of life as an FNP

March 31, 2023 By Frontier Nursing University

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 healthcare to underserved and rural populations.

Through her role as a registered nurse, FNU student Emily Tubbs works every day to help underserved patients in her community. A resident of Hooper, Utah, Tubbs works as a referral triage nurse for a local Rheumatology clinic.

The specialty clinic is in the Intermountain healthcare system, where Tubbs has worked since 2009. She started as a patient service representative in Radiation Therapy and then as a CNA while attending nursing school. She also worked with Applegate HomeCare & Hospice and Heritage Park Care Center. She has served as a registered nurse with Intermountain for six years now.

Intermountain is made up of nearly 60,000 caregivers who serve the healthcare needs of people across the Intermountain West, primarily in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and Kansas. It is a not-for-profit organization providing care to all individuals in the community regardless of their ability to pay, including low-income, uninsured, and minority populations.

Inspired by her own experience as a patient

Tubbs said her decision to pursue a career in healthcare was inspired by her own experiences as a patient. She said she experiences symptoms that affect her daily life, but has not yet been diagnosed with any condition.

“I know a lot of people in the same boat as me, where our lab work and assessment findings leave us undiagnosed,” she said. “I want to help anyone looking for the underlying cause of their symptoms and improve their overall quality of life.”

Tubbs is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing at FNU to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She said she was inspired to enroll at FNU due to the flexibility afforded by online courses and the university’s highly-reputable Nurse Practitioner program.

A member of FNU Class 205, Tubbs is set to graduate in 2025.

Outside of her work and studies, Tubbs enjoys spending time with her family, friends and pets; spending time outside on walks, runs and hikes; going to the gym and going out to eat. She is married and has three children, along with eight horses, 15 cattle, a goat, a dog and three cats.

Thank you, Emily, for choosing FNU in your healthcare journey and for providing quality care to underserved populations in your community.

Learn more about advanced nursing degrees and specialties at Frontier Nursing University, including our Family Nurse Practitioner program. Subscribe to our blog for the latest news and events at FNU and to get inspired with stories featuring our alumni, students, faculty and staff!

Meet the Program Director: Dr. Khara’ Jefferson, DNP Program Director

February 10, 2023 By Frontier Nursing University

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 that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.

Throughout her time working with FNU, Khara’ Jefferson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHC has been a champion for higher education among nurses. As Director of the university’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, she provides essential support to students in the program.

Dr. Jefferson knows first-hand the benefits that come from earning a DNP degree through FNU, as she earned her degree from the university in 2017. She is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and before earning her DNP, she practiced in urgent care centers, telehealth, and emergency departments.

Dr. Jefferson earned her DNP at the encouragement of Dr. Amber Littlefield, a colleague in emergency medicine and urgent care who now serves as a faculty member at FNU.

“I loved it because it was a good conglomeration of everything that I was already doing, because I was already doing some quality improvement work,” Dr. Jefferson said. “I just wasn’t calling it quality improvement or quality assurance, but that’s really what I was already doing at some of these sites. So it all just came together.”

After earning her degree, Dr. Jefferson began working with the course faculty in the DNP Program at FNU before becoming an assistant professor. She took on the role of DNP Program Director in 2021.

A native of Louisiana, Dr. Jefferson moved around in her early life due to her father’s career with ExxonMobil. She spent seven years living in Malaysia, attending the International School of Kuala Lumpur.

Before taking on a career in healthcare, Dr. Jefferson worked as a seventh-grade science teacher. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and worked as a Registered Nurse in an emergency department for several years before obtaining her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of South Alabama in 2011.

Learn More About FNU’s Online Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

Through her current role at FNU, Dr. Jefferson helps prepare future advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) leaders to provide evidence-based care as they earn their DNP degrees. FNU’s DNP program is designed to improve healthcare outcomes and the delivery of primary health through enhanced nursing leadership.

Students in the program complete 30 credit hours in 18 months, lead a rapid cycle quality improvement project in collaboration with a chosen clinical site, and participate in a three-day campus immersion experience. FNU’s online DNP program,a focused practice doctorate that centers on improving patient outcomes, helps nurse practitioners take their career, leadership skills, and clinical expertise to the next level.

”FNU’s DNP program is designed to improve healthcare outcomes and the delivery of primary health through enhanced nursing leadership…I think you really become part of a family, part of a community when you come to Frontier.”
– Khara’ Jefferson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHC, DNP Program Director

Dr. Jefferson said the DNP Project FNU students lead truly makes the program stand out. Projects are small in scope and need to be appropriate for implementation within three months of the student and sponsor deciding on the clinical topic. Through their project, students are guided through the process of working within a healthcare delivery system to translate evidence into practice, and are introduced to quality improvement theories, processes, and programs.

“They are seeing all the gaps that are actually around them in their site, and meeting with people on their leadership team to decide which one of those they can realistically tackle in this small amount of time,” Dr. Jefferson said.

Projects pursued by DNP students follow guidelines and standards provided by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Students also have the opportunity to present their project at the annual IHI National Forum in Orlando, Florida.

The Culture of Caring Within the DNP Program

Dr. Jefferson said another aspect of the DNP program that makes it stand apart is FNU’s Culture of Caring, which reinforces a committed and loyal community where all members feel valued, confident, empowered and accepted by embracing Professionalism, Inclusivity, Respect, Positive Communication and Mutual Support.

“I think you really become part of a family, part of a community when you come to Frontier,” she said.

This connection, Dr. Jefferson said, is one of her favorite things about her career at FNU.

“Because we have these live sessions and because we have these one-on-one meetings, I get to know people for who they are, not just their DNP project,” she said. “A lot of times I know their family, because there’s somebody who’s cheering them on in the background that they’re telling me about. So that’s what makes it really special. It’s just being able to connect with people on a different level.”

Dr. Jefferson said when it comes to those who are considering entering the DNP program at FNU, students should expect to welcome feedback about their project and be open and curious.

”We’re looking for people who want to be the next APRN leaders who really want to change healthcare in a meaningful way and still serve their communities.”
– Khara’ Jefferson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHC, DNP Program Director

“We’re looking for people who want to be the next APRN leaders who really want to change healthcare in a meaningful way and still serve their communities,” she said.

Dr. Jefferson is married and has one son. In her free time, she enjoys adrenaline-raising activities such as sky-diving and bungee jumping. She also serves as CEO of a health and wellness consultation business, KAJ Wellness.

Thank you, Khara’, for your dedication to DNP students at FNU and for your commitment to helping FNU further its mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.

Do you think FNU’s DNP program is for you? To learn more about FNU’s online DNP program, fill out the form below.

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National Academies of Practice Inducts Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale as a Distinguished 2022 Fellow

June 27, 2022 By frontieredu

The National Academies of Practice (NAP) recently announced the election of Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, as a Distinguished 2022 Fellow. Class of 2022 Fellows were welcomed into the National Academies of Practice during the awards and induction ceremony in San Diego, California, on March 5, 2022.

In the fall of 2020, Dr. Stone-Gale and her daughter Jennifer Stone, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, became the first APRNs licensed as autonomous advanced practice registered nurses in the state of Florida. They received the good news after a house bill permitting select APRNs to practice in primary care was signed into law by the Florida governor earlier that year. The Autonomous Nurse Practitioner practices in primary care settings permitting the APRN to be independent of physician general supervision to provide care throughout Florida.

“To be elected by my peers as a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice is truly an honor,” Dr. Stone-Gale said. “This organization works toward the common goal of working with all professions to advocate for quality healthcare for all individuals. This will only improve the outcomes of our patients, which is what is needed for everyone.”

Founded in 1981, NAP is an interprofessional, nonprofit organization with membership representing a range of healthcare professions willing to serve as distinguished advisors to healthcare policymakers in Congress and elsewhere. The mission of the National Academies of Practice is to serve as distinguished professionals advancing interprofessional healthcare by fostering collaboration and advocating policies in the best interest of individuals and communities.

The academies within the National Academies of Practice include Allopathic and Osteopathic Medicine, Athletic Training, Audiology, Dentistry, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, Psychology, Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology, and Veterinary Medicine.

Fellowship in the National Academies of Practice is an honor extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering interprofessional practice, scholarship, and policy in support of interprofessional care. The central purpose of NAP is to advise public policymakers on health care issues using NAP’s unique perspective — that of expert practitioners and scholars joined in interprofessional dialogue and advocacy.

To learn more about Dr. Stone-Gale and her work in advocacy, listen to our podcast.

Student Spotlight: Carrie Baker uses nursing experience to advocate for public health

May 12, 2022 By Frontier Nursing University

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 that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) student Carrie Baker, MSN, FNP, PMHNP, is utilizing her experience as a nurse practitioner to advocate for the health of her community. Baker is pursuing a Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at FNU (Class 40) and is set to graduate this year.

A former U.S. Army officer, Baker lives on a Marine Corps housing installation in Hawaii with her two children and her spouse, who is an active member of the U.S. military. There, she serves as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) for a local nurse practitioner-owned telepsychiatry practice and as a Periodic Health Assessment provider.

Baker’s patient base is wide-ranging, including urban and rural, male and female and local and military. By completing psychological evaluations and medical management via telehealth, Baker is able to reach patients through most of Hawaii’s chain of islands.

Recently, Baker has served as an advocate for the public health and safety of her community. On Nov. 20, 2021, 14,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a military storage facility in Hawaii that is operated by the U.S. Navy. As a result, the Navy’s water distribution system, which Baker’s community uses, became contaminated. Soon, residents began complaining of a visible oil sheen on the water, odor and a variety of illnesses.

Seeking accountability and solutions from local leaders, Baker co-organized a community town hall meeting.

“Due to a lack of acknowledgement, validation and communication, our community has taken a stand to be heard,” Baker said. “Somehow, I have found myself at the forefront of this.”

Several key stakeholders were invited to the meeting, including the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Hawaii, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, local housing leadership, local water board personnel and members of the media. During the meeting, community members were given the opportunity to ask questions to leadership personnel.

Baker said some key takeaways from the meeting included increased communication, further water testing, flushing of the community water system, entitlements (such as funds for hotel lodging until the issue is resolved) and continued water points on the installation for retrieval of clean water.

“We are far from having this situation resolved, but we now have the attention of those leaders who matter,” Baker said. “There is still some discord between the community and the leadership in that we still have not been acknowledged as affected.”

Baker said her experience as a nurse practitioner gave her the confidence to advocate for the health of her community. To that end, she said she has decided to earn her DNP to gain confidence in being a leader and advocate for her patients and the community. She said FNU was the right choice in her pursuit of this goal.

“I decided to become a DNP to gain confidence in being a leader and advocate for my patients and community.”
– Carrie Baker, MSN, FNP, PMHNP

“I decided to become a DNP to gain confidence in being a leader and advocate for my patients and community,” Baker said.

Thank you, Carrie, for exemplifying FNU’s Culture of Caring, both in your professional endeavors and in your community activism.

To learn more about FNU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice, click here.

FNU’s Winter Featured Preceptor: Robin Argyle, FNP

April 29, 2022 By Frontier Nursing University

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 that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is proud to recognize Robin Argyle, FNP as the winter term Featured Preceptor. In her role as a preceptor, Argyle is committed to shaping the next generation of nurse practitioners (NPs) into the best versions of themselves.

“As a preceptor, you get to have a hand in shaping the future of healthcare,” Argyle said. “There are many voices out there trying to silence NPs. Teaching students to stand up for themselves and the profession is worth any bit of time precepting takes.”

A 2015 graduate of FNU, Argyle serves as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at Falls Community Hospital and Clinic in the small rural community of Marlin, Texas. A town with a population of about 5,600, Marlin’s poverty rate is approximately 46 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In her role as an FNP, Argyle cares for the residents of Marlin, along with those living in the outlying communities of Falls County.

For many of her patients, access to the Falls Community Hospital and Clinic is a 30 to 40-minute commute, despite it being their nearest healthcare facility. Working in a rural setting, Argyle is often required to investigate complex problems and establish long-term plans for her patients due to a lack of specialists in the area and lack of patient resources. From providing COVID-19 vaccine information to resources for pregnant patients, Argyle serves as a consistent source of care for her patients.

Before working with Falls Community Hospital and Clinic, Argyle worked as an FNP for healthcare facilities throughout Oklahoma, including Grand Lake Mental Health Center.

Argyle balances her career as an FNP with her work as a preceptor. Over the years, she has served as a preceptor to countless students in central Texas. As a preceptor, Argyle said her favorite part of the experience is witnessing a student grasp a concept in practice that was difficult in didactic learning.

“When they see it done in practice, it’s always fun to see the light come on,” she said. “I also love the questions they ask because it challenges me to learn more.”

As an alumnus, Argyle said she particularly enjoys working with FNU students.

“The students from Frontier are always well prepared and are ready to learn,” Argyle said. “I’ve precepted several students from other colleges. I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to have such a stellar education until I started precepting. I’m grateful for FNU every single day.”

FNU student Megan Hoang, who nominated Argyle, said she provides students with the clinical experience they dream about during didactic courses.

“She is a firm yet loving guide who constantly pushes you to grow into what she knows you can be,” Hoang said.

Thank you, Robin, for your work as a preceptor and your compassionate care for rural, underserved patients in your community. Your work has truly exemplified FNU’s Culture of Caring.

To read about previously recognized preceptors or to nominate a preceptor, click here.

Are you interested in becoming a Frontier preceptor? Learn more here.

Featured Preceptor: Renea Price, Bringing Compassionate Care to Rural Eastern North Carolina

August 23, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

This quarter’s Frontier Nursing University (FNU) featured preceptor is an FNU alumni Renea Price, FNP. Price brings a strong work ethic and immense compassion to the people of Inner Banks, N.C.

Growing up in rural North Carolina, Price always had an interest in health care and a heart for improving the health status of her community. She saw the need for care in her community and was determined to make a difference. Her first step in this journey began in 1998 when she worked as a certified medical assistant at a local OB-GYN practice. As soon as she dipped her toes into health care, she knew she was right in taking this path. In 2001, she became a registered nurse, working in a wide range of health care positions over the next nine years, including emergency medicine, urgent care, long-term care, and medical-surgical nursing.

In 2010, she graduated with her Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) master of science in nursing degree through Frontier. In 2015, she opened her own clinic in Plymouth, N.C. named Inner Banks Family Medicine. Today the practice goes by Roanoke Clinics.

The clinic’s location is rural and underserved. As with the majority of rural, blue-collar areas, Plymouth was in need of quality medical providers. Today, the clinic serves many logging and agricultural employees as well as paper mill and local government workers. When Price opened her practice, not only did she introduce an essential community service, she also established a new standard of care for her community.

FNP student Jessica Woodard nominated Price as this quarter’s featured preceptor. This is what Woodard has to say after her experience working alongside Price:

“The compassion Price shows to her community of Plymouth is profound, as well as the relationships she has and continues to create. Her altruistic character is not only shown in her practice but also in her call to precept students. I truly believe the students she precepts not only gain the experience of a nurse practitioner but also profit from the genuine, selfless nature of Renea. I can only hope to be as self-sacrificing as she is when I become an FNP.”

According to Woodard, when Price isn’t working in the clinic, she is volunteering at COVID-19 vaccination clinics or making house calls to her patients.

Price is a true example of FNU’s Culture of Caring, and the university is proud to have her as an alumni member and preceptor to current FNP students.

Thank you for your example to so many, Renea!

Are you interested in becoming a preceptor?

If you are a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner, or a Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, there is no better way to give back to FNU than by becoming a clinical preceptor. Our distance education model thrives because of talented clinical preceptors which is why we ensure that every preceptor is supported with educational resources to help in their role as a clinical educator. We also offer an honorarium for precepting after the student finishes his/her clinical practicum. Are you interested in becoming a preceptor? Let us know by clicking here and filling out a preceptor information request form.

Alumni Spotlight: Julie Percefull Makes an Impact on Rural Kentucky Pediatrics

August 19, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

“I went back to school to reach the underserved population of rural south-central Kentucky that desperately needs compassionate and superior health care. The area has a large volume of health disparities that I am dedicated to making a difference in by assisting those in the community where I live and serve,” Percefull said.

Percefull graduated from FNU in 2019 with her DNP and recently published her DNP project in the 2020 Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The article was written by Percefull and FNU assistant professor Judith Butler, DNP, CNM, WHNP, CNE, and is entitled “Improving mammography through effective screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment at a rural health center.”

Percefull’s project focused on the low rate of mammograms for eligible women at her clinical practice site. Before her project, only 25 percent of these women had received a mammogram in the past two years in an area where breast cancer rates rest above the state and country levels. During the 90 days of her project, Percefull raised these rates and saw screening and identification improve by 40 percent, patient engagement improve by 30 percent, and case management for “right care” more than double. Percefull implemented an electronic health record reminder for mammography screening, a patient mammography decision aid, a case management log, and weekly quality improvement team meetings to get these results. It is clear that by implementing these tools, providers have the opportunity to significantly increase the number of patients receiving necessary mammograms.

Since graduation, Percefull signed on as a provider with Family Medical Center of Hart County. She incorporates evidence-based guidelines while providing care to pediatric patients from birth to 18 years of age. She also collaborates with providers and ancillary staff to coordinate patient care and participates in quality improvement processes to find the best ways to encourage and assist her community. Additionally, Percefull often serves as a preceptor to FNP and DNP students in her area to further give back and support the future of quality patient care in the region.

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic began, Percefull has also worked with an interdisciplinary team within the clinic to create access to testing, implementing drive-through and in-office rapid testing clinics. She served as the primary source for research and provided current COVID education to providers, staff, and patients.

Percefull’s dedication is making a difference in the lives of the children in rural Kentucky, and FNU is proud to have her as an alumna. Keep up the excellent work! We can’t wait to see the wave of change that comes from your commitment to care.

Are you interested in becoming an FNP? FNU offers a graduate Family Nurse Practitioner specialty track that can be pursued full- or part-time while completing a Master of Science in Nursing or a Post-Graduate Certificate. To learn more, go here.