Student Spotlight: Dr. Torica Fuller expands practice with Women’s Health Care NP Post-Graduate Certificate

February 20, 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.

Though she has a well-established career in nursing with an extensive educational background and several formal recognitions for her work, Dr. Torica Fuller, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FNP-BC, CDP, CGRN, CPN, NRCME, of Raeford, North Carolina, is consistently looking for ways to gain more knowledge in order to better serve her patients. That’s why she is currently pursuing her Post-Graduate Certificate in Women’s Health Care from Frontier Nursing University (FNU).

Dr. Fuller works as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) with the Cumberland County Department of Public Health in Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as a clinical assistant professor with East Carolina University and as an adjunct professor with Fayetteville State University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from East Carolina University; her Master’s and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) certification from Indiana Wesleyan University and her DNP from East Carolina University.

Serving uninsured and underinsured pediatric and adult patients, Dr. Fuller has worked as an FNP in public health for the past seven years. As an advanced provider, she diagnoses and treats communicable diseases in the community with the goal to eradicate the disease as well as improve patient outcomes.

“We are the access to care for those who otherwise would not be able to receive healthcare due to cost or other social determinants of health,” she said.

Recently, Dr. Fuller helped to change the title of all North Carolina-based Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse-Midwives, and Physician Assistants who work in public health. The title was changed from Physician Extender to Advanced Practice Provider (APP) for the entire state of North Carolina.

Dr. Fuller was also named the founder and co-chair of the APP section of the North Carolina Public Health Association, and was recently named Ms. Norwayne Alumni 2022.

A Focus on Women’s Health

Set to earn her Post-Graduate Certificate in 2023, Dr. Fuller said her decision to further her education was influenced by her passion for women’s health.

“I have worked in women’s health for the past seven years and enjoy working in this speciality,” she said. “The FNP degree provided little studies regarding this topic, and I wanted to gain more knowledge in women’s health to better care for my patients.”

So far, Dr. Fuller said the most interesting course she has taken at FNU is Care in Normal Pregnancy.

“I was able to learn a lot and at the end of the course, I felt comfortable caring for a pregnant patient,” she said.

“Everyone is very supportive at FNU and every person that I have been in contact with has made me feel that they all want me to achieve my goal of becoming a Women’s Health Care NP.”
– Dr. Torica Fuller, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FNP-BC, CDP, CGRN, CPN, NRCME, FNU Student

Dr. Fuller recently started her clinical practicum, with one of the sites being a busy private OB-GYN that typically sees over 60 patients a day.

“I am able to obtain a lot of experience there with my preceptor,” she said.

Dr. Fuller said she chose FNU due to the flexibility and support afforded to students.

“I chose Frontier because of its focus on graduate nursing and the ability to obtain a Post-Graduate Certificate online. Also, I was intrigued with taking didactic courses and then focusing on the clinical courses,” she said. “Everyone is very supportive at FNU and every person that I have been in contact with has made me feel that they all want me to achieve my goal of becoming a Women’s Health Care NP.”

Outside of her work and studies, Dr. Fuller enjoys spending time with her husband, traveling and running half-marathons.

Thank you, Torica, for choosing FNU in your path to becoming a Women’s Health Care NP and for dedicating yourself to underserved patients in your community. We are excited to add Dr. Fuller to FNU’s faculty this April as the Clinical Transitions Coordinator for our FNP program.

Alumni Spotlight: Fawn Workman, FNP, PMHNP, expands holistic wellness practice in 2023

February 8, 2023 By Frontier Nursing University

When Fawn Workman of Lynchburg, Virginia, decided to advance her career in nursing by pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing in a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program, she chose Frontier Nursing University (FNU) and earned her MSN in 2014. Four years later, she returned to FNU to add a Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC) as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).

Workman has over two decades of experience in nursing care to patients and families of all ages and stages. Before attending FNU, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Liberty University in Lynchburg, and an Associate’s in Nursing from College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, NC.

Since 2016, Workman has owned an LLC, now named Lifesong Health, while she worked for other organizations (including a children’s hospital and a community mental health center.)

“Over time, it became clear that my focus needed to be on providing ethical care in a way that aligned with my values and beliefs- and for me, that meant focusing on building Lifesong Health”.

Through Lifesong Health, Workman provides one-on-one care for her patients with psychiatric/ mental health needs.

“By offering a personalized practice experience, we focus on holistic wellness — mental and physical care,” she said. At Lifesong Health, the majority of Workman’s patients are working adults and college students who are away from their hometown (many of whom have spent time outside of the U.S. in their youth.)

“I thought I would be mostly doing telehealth, but many of my local patients love being back in an office and seeing a provider in-person. I enjoy it, too,” Workman said. “My accessibility makes it possible for them to be seen without long waits, and flexible enough to work around their schedules.” Via telehealth, she sees patients all across Virginia “from DC suburbs to military communities in Norfolk to rural mountainous southwest VA,” and enjoys the variety of communities she serves.

A lifelong learner, she is continuing additional education in psychiatry (including integrative approaches) and obesity treatment. In addition to providing mental health services, Workman has recently begun anti-obesity treatment/ medical weight loss support services through Lifesong Health.

"I chose to earn my FNP because I wanted to treat adults and children. I later went back for my PMHNP because I feel it’s an area close to my heart and another way I can make an impact."
- Fawn Workman, FNP, PMHNP, FNU Alumni

“I bring my experience as someone who personally knows the struggles of the chronic disease of obesity, and my patients seem to appreciate my ability to relate and feel heard,” she said.

Outside of her work in private practice, Workman also sees patients via telehealth for a free clinic for uninsured individuals of very low income.

“This is a vital need for underserved individuals, and I wish I could clone myself as there is so much to be done,” she said. “Even though I’m only contracted for a small amount of hours per month at a reduced fee, I often spend more pro bono to give back to the clinic and patients.It feels really good to give back.”

Workman said as she has advanced through her career, her experience at FNU has provided her with the knowledge to succeed. She is also thankful for the lifelong friendships and connections at Frontier.

“Frontier seemed to have a heartbeat,” she said. “I chose to earn my FNP because I wanted to treat adults and children. I later went back for my PMHNP because I feel it’s an area close to my heart and another way I can make an impact.”

Workman has contributed to a few published nursing books (edited by another FNU alumna.)

Outside of her work in healthcare, Workman enjoys gardening, painting and spending time with her grandson.

Thank you, Fawn, for exhibiting the unique knowledge and passion of FNU graduates by serving patients in your community and underserved individuals in Virginia.

Learn more about advanced nursing degrees and specialties at Frontier Nursing University.

Alumni Spotlight: Stacey Eason’s midwifery practice focuses on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

September 23, 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) alumni Stacey Eason, ARPN, CNM, PMHNP-BC, earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nurse-Midwifery in 2019. During her clinicals as a CNM student, she recognized the lack of care options for perinatal mental health. That’s when she decided to return to FNU to earn her Post-Graduate Certificate in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program, which she received earlier this year.

Now, Eason uses both of these certifications from FNU in her career. A resident of Wichita, Kansas, Eason currently serves as both a CNM and a PMHNP at South Central Kansas Medical Center in Arkansas City, Kansas. She has been in this role since January.

“Family medicine providers have really done the best they can to care for the mental health needs of this community,” she said. “Many of the providers have expressed gratitude to have a psych-specialized provider available to care for the patients in this community.”

As a CNM, Eason works with two fellow FNU graduates, Tarena Sisk and Jamie Harrington. Much of Eason’s midwifery practice has been focused on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Eason said her experience in midwifery has been beneficial when it comes to providing psychiatric care.

“As midwives, we see people at their most vulnerable place, and lift them into one of their greatest accomplishments,” she said. “Caring for people in dark mental health spaces is similar. They come to me at their most vulnerable, and as we work together, they are able to experience accomplishments they didn’t think possible.”

“As midwives, we see people at their most vulnerable place, and lift them into one of their greatest accomplishments…Providing compassionate, non-judgmental care allows people to feel safe in seeking care for both mental health needs and substance use needs.”
– Stacey Eason, ARPN, CNM, PMHNP-BC, FNU Alumnus

Eason’s patient population is largely rural and lower-income, with a prevalence of substance abuse in the community.

“Providing compassionate, non-judgmental care allows people to feel safe in seeking care for both mental health needs and substance use needs,” she said.

Eason was initially inspired to earn her MSN from FNU because a co-worker was attending the university. She said though she had the option to earn her MSN locally, FNU appealed to her because of the emphasis on out-of-hospital births in the program.

“I decided then, that if I ever made it to the point of being able to pursue my midwifery dreams, it would be with FNU,” she said. “It was the only school I applied to, and I was originally waitlisted. What a relief, with just four short weeks before Frontier Bound, to be offered a seat in class 163!”

Though Eason initially was only interested in becoming a CNM, she said she was inspired to pursue a degree in psych upon recognizing the need for mental health services among women during her Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program clinicals.

“Way back in that first nursing program I attended, I swore I’d never do psych nursing,” she said. “And here I am, living in that rare place where I am passionate and fulfilled by my career.”

In addition to her work as a CNM and a PMHNP, Eason also serves as president of the Kansas Chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. She also is a preceptor for current FNU students.

Thank you, Stacey, for using your knowledge as both a CNM and a PMHNP to provide compassionate care for underserved patients in your community. We are proud that you chose to study at FNU on two occasions throughout your journey.

Become a Preceptor

Eason has seven children and four grandchildren. She enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and listening to audiobooks. She particularly seeks out authors of color, in particular, women and nonbinary authors. She describes herself as actively anti-racist and a strong advocate for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC rights and for reductions in health disparities.

Learn more about FNU’s Nurse-Midwifery and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs.

FNU to Hold Virtual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, September 25

August 9, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

University of Washington Professor Dr. LaTonya Trotter to Give Keynote Address

Dr. LaTonya Trotter to give FNU’s 2021 Commencement Keynote Address.

Dr. LaTonya J. Trotter, Associate Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington, will be the keynote speaker at Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) 2021 commencement ceremony, which will be held virtually on Saturday, September 25 at 2:00 p.m.

A medical sociologist, ethnographer, and author, Dr. Trotter is the author of “More than Medicine: Nurse Practitioners and the Problems they Solve for Patients, Health Care Organizations, and the State.” The book, which was published in 2020, chronicles a group of nurse practitioners and the care they provide for four hundred Black older adults living with poor health and limited means. Dr. Trotter explores the care they provide and how it addresses medical, social, and systemic issues that are prevalent in underprivileged and underserved members of the community. Dr. Trotter has also been published in The Journal of Contemporary Ethnography (2020), Social Currents (2019), and Gender & Society (2017).

On her website LaTonyaTrotter.com, Dr. Trotter states, “As a scholar, I take the prominence of health care seriously, using its terrain to understand how regimes of inequality are reproduced through the social construction of problems, patients, and professionals.”

Dr. Trotter was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College, majoring in Sociology and American Studies. She earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology from Princeton University.

She is currently an Associate Professor within the University of Washington’s Department of Bioethics and Humanities. Prior to her position at the University of Washington, Dr. Trotter was an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Vanderbilt University.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Dr. LaTonya Trotter as our keynote speaker at this year’s virtual commencement ceremony,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “Dr. Trotter’s extensive research and study of our nation’s healthcare disparities and the role that nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives can play in alleviating those disparities is so expertly explained in her published works. Her message will undoubtedly inspire our new graduates as they continue to serve those in their communities across the country.”

Former U.S. Surgeon General to Speak at FNU Commencement Ceremony

June 6, 2019 By frontieredu

Versailles, Ky. – Dr. Joycelyn Elders, M.D., will be the keynote speaker at Frontier Nursing University’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, September 28 in Lexington, Ky.

Dr. Elders became the 15th Surgeon General of the United States when she was appointed to that post by President Clinton in 1993. She also was the first African American, and only the second woman to serve as the U.S. Surgeon General.

Born in 1933 in the rural farming community of Schaal, Ark., Elders was the eldest of eight children. She graduated from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, then joined the Army and trained in physical therapy at the Brook Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In 1956, she enrolled at the University of Arkansas Medical School on the G.I. Bill.

She married Oliver Elders in 1960. After studying pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, she returned to Little Rock 1961 to do her residency. Over the next 20 years, she maintained a successful office practice while also researching pediatric endocrinology and becoming an expert in growth problems and juvenile diabetes. This research led her to realize that diabetic women face a health risk if they become pregnant too young.

In 1987, then Governor Bill Clinton named Elders director of the Arkansas Department of Health. Under her direction, 19 Arkansas schools opened health clinics. In 1989 the Arkansas State Legislature ordered the creation of a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade curriculum including not only sex education but also instruction in hygiene, substance-abuse prevention, self-esteem, and equal sexual responsibility among both males and females.

After serving as the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Elders returned to the University of Arkansas in 1995 as a faculty researcher and professor of pediatric endocrinology at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. In 1996 she wrote her autobiography, Joycelyn Elders, M.D.: From Sharecropper’s Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America. Now retired from practice, she is a professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine and remains active in public health education.

“It is a tremendous honor to have Dr. Elders join us as the keynote speaker for our 2019 commencement ceremony,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone. “Dr. Elders’ amazing journey and ground-breaking achievements inspire us all. We are so thankful and proud that she is sharing her story with our graduates and their families.”

FNU’s commencement ceremony honors the nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who have completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, Master in Science of Nursing degree, or Post-Graduate Certificate. In 2018, more than 1,600 people attended FNU’s commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduation of more than 800 nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners.

About Frontier Nursing University:

The mission of FNU 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. FNU offers graduate Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse-Practitioner distance education programs that can be pursued full- or part-time with the student’s home community serving as the classroom. Degrees and options offered include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Post-Graduate Certificates. To learn more about FNU and the programs and degrees offered, please visit Frontier.edu.