Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner | Page 2

Featured Preceptor: Ramona Scott, DNP, WHNP

December 12, 2019 By frontieredu

For the Fall 2019 term, Frontier Nursing University (FNU)’s featured preceptor is Ramona Scott, DNP, WHNP.

For 30 years, Ramona has served at Women’s Care Group in Knoxville, Tenn. where she is currently a women’s health nurse practitioner. She sees a wide variety of GYN and OB patients, taking the time to get to know each one and understand their needs. She is also a certified menopause practitioner.

“Ramona provides excellent care to her patients and it is clear that they place a lot of trust in her,” said FNU alumna Sarah Martina, who nominated Ramona for the award.

Sarah describes Ramona as a life-long learner committed to providing up-to-date, evidence-based care. Ramona is always looking for new and better ways to help her patients.

In addition to her clinical work, Ramona is a passionate advocate for the nurse practitioner (NP) profession. She is currently helping to develop a new WHNP program at Tennessee Tech University, and she consistently precepts multiple students every year.

“She is an excellent teacher with high standards but is also warm, welcoming and funny! I learned so much from her!” said Sarah.

Ramona is also an FNU alumna: she earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in 2013.

Thank you, Ramona, for serving women well and teaching students to do the same!

Click here to read about previously recognized preceptors, or to nominate a preceptor. Interested in becoming a Frontier preceptor? Learn more.

Benefits of Distance Learning

December 6, 2018 By frontieredu

Want To Earn an Advanced Nursing Degree? Try Distance Learning!

It seems like these days everyone is doing just about everything online, and that is particularly true when it comes to online courses and distance learning. In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, there were over 6.3 million students who enrolled in at least one online course as of fall 2016, a growth of more than 5 percent from 2015.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has embraced distance education and provided a fully web-based experience, with 100 percent of its students enrolled online. But before the internet was even in use for education, FNU piloted a community-based distance education nurse-midwifery program in 1989. The program was built to fulfill FNU’s mission to educate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to serve all individuals, with an emphasis on women and families in diverse, rural, and underserved populations.

With an array of online offerings three decades later, students seeking higher education in nursing and midwifery are meeting those goals at FNU. From 2013 to 2017, enrollment jumped from 1,934 to 2,263 students – an increase of 17 percent. Why are so many people turning to online programs?

The Benefits of Online Learning

Online and distance learning courses offer convenience and access that wasn’t possible with traditional programs in decades past. If you weren’t on or near campus, you were unable to take classes – until the internet became widely available. Now, students can enjoy the many benefits of online programs:

Access your coursework, assignments, and more from anywhere with internet availability
Work at your own pace to complete course work in a specified timeframe
Continue to work or focus on other obligations while earning your degree
No need to find on-campus housing or worry about transportation to classes
Choose from many affordable options

Programs That Help You, Help Others

Nursing programs are particularly popular because there is such a high demand for qualified nurses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 203,800 nurse practitioner jobs in the U.S. as of 2016.

With that in mind, FNU’s community-based, distance education programs allow nurses to achieve their higher education goals by earning a master’s or doctoral degree. For those seeking a master’s degree or post-graduate certificate, FNU offers four specialties including nurse-midwifery, family nursing, women’s health care and psychiatric-mental health. Using clinics, hospitals, and preceptors in their own community allows FNU students to get the hands-on clinical experience required for their respective health care professions.

Completing graduate nursing education from a distance is possible, and it may open up a wide range of job opportunities – or help you work toward an even higher nursing degree.

The Time To Start Is Now

The great thing about online nursing courses is that it’s never too late to start! FNU offers four admitting classes throughout the year. Choose from any of FNU’s online programs and start earning your degree today. Check out our degree and specialty offerings and fill out an application today.

FNU Virtual Event Calls NPs to be Innovator-Leaders in the Field and at Home

November 29, 2018 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) placed a specific call on nurse practitioners during its National NP Week Virtual Event from Nov. 11-16. FNU educates nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives and prepares them to establish and/or manage a practice including innovative methods of providing primary care services. Through featured virtual sessions, nurse practitioners were urged to raise the standards by being innovator-leaders in their professional and personal lives.

Becoming Innovator-Leaders

Deputy Surgeon General, Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN brought practical ways to add innovation and leadership to nursing practice with her virtual presentation, “Leading From Where You Are: The Role of the Nurse Innovator.”

Trent-Adams advises and supports the Surgeon General regarding operations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps and in communicating the best available scientific information to advance the health of the nation.

As Deputy Surgeon General, Trent-Adams recognizes the need for nurse practitioners to step into a widening role. “This is important because at this point in time in health care, nurse practitioners have a significant role to play in improving the quality of care, access to care, and producing a much higher quality at a lower cost,” said Trent-Adams.

According to her, it starts with a willingness to lead. Leadership is the ability to inspire or influence others towards a goal. In a healthcare setting, this is manifested by creating a team-centric environment, working towards a specific vision and managing conflict.

Further, nurse practitioners must be innovators. The job is not only to provide excellent care, but also to create new pathways for nursing and the patients that they serve. Innovating practice-based solutions is a key in nursing practice. Identifying a problem or concern and addressing it in a mindful, structured way will empower patients and lead to improved outcomes.

The Nurse Practitioner as Entrepreneur

This requires adopting the spirit of an entrepreneur. “Being able to tell our stories as nurse-engineers, nurse-designers, nurse-advocates gives us a new bandwidth for opportunities to engage into areas of practice where we’ve not been before,” said Trent-Adams. To speak, write and post from a nurse’s perspective is to heighten awareness and create space for change.

“You may not be the CEO, you may not be the dean, you may not be the director, but you are a nurse, and you have something to bring to the table. So lead from where you are,” she said.

View RADM Trent-Adams’s presentation on nurse-innovators here or watch below.

Self-Care is Not Selfish

Eileen T. O’Grady RN, NP, PhD carries Trent-Adams’ concept one step further in her presentation, “Answer the Call to Service: Master the Self.” She urged participants to spend time taking care of themselves and their families.

Dr. Eileen O’Grady is a certified Nurse Practitioner and Wellness Coach who uses an evidence-based approach with people to reverse or entirely prevent disease. She believes deeply that more attention must be paid to getting us unstuck from lifestyles that do not support wellness.

Intentional change is needed to identify and remedy a life that is out of balance. Though health care providers cannot always control the efficiency of their practice or the culture of wellness therein, each can control his or her personal resilience, or “self-leadership.”

Dr. O’Grady’s research focuses on how individuals must define a balance between work, relationships and self. Health professionals, specifically, have difficulty separating the words “selfish” and “self-care.” Individuals that practice self-care are able to provide better care for others.

Growing Wise through Self-Leadership

Worldwide, the top four killers are insufficient exercise, unhealthy food, alcohol abuse and tobacco. “It’s astonishing that so much of what is causing all of these health problems are related to what we’re doing to our own bodies,” she said.

According to Dr. O’Grady, It’s imperative that health providers set workplace and personal boundaries, use a “hell yes” criteria for making decisions, prune away unhealthy friendships and protect their sleep.

Nurse practitioners must “grow wise” instead of old. Positive daily actions create a bedrock for a healthy, prosperous life. Once the bedrock is established, other non-urgent items can be prioritized properly. Growing wise requires a mindset shift, from loving oneself based on people’s approval from loving oneself based on one’s own approval.

When healthcare professionals are already fed and watered with proper self-care and self-leadership, they are more able to focus on their patient’s holistic wellness, providing innovative care, improving outcomes and shifting the landscape of health care one patient at a time.

View Dr. O’Grady’s presentation on mastering the self here or watch below.

Frontier Nursing University is the birthplace of nurse-midwifery and family nursing in America. FNU recently held its fourth annual virtual event in recognition of National Nurse Practitioner Week, Nov. 11-16. See more about FNU’s Family, Women’s Health Care, and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs as well as the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Frontier.edu.

Student Kudos: November 2018

November 19, 2018 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) seeks to empower its students to make a difference in their communities and in their field.

This month, we are thankful to highlight six students who have been recently recognized for their significant accomplishments and pursuits to better their education and the care they provide.

FNU student and alumni on radio to discuss reproductive justice

WBEZ host Amy I. Catania, Jeanine Valrie Logan, and Stephanie Martinez

WBEZ host Amy I. Catania, Jeanine Valrie Logan, MPH, CLS and Stephanie Martinez CLC, CNM

Nurse-midwifery student Jeanine Valrie Logan, MPH, CLS, CNEP (Class 146) and graduate Stephanie Martinez, CLC, CNM were recently interviewed on NPR’s WBEZ in Chicago.

The Chicago-based doulas discussed how they are fighting for fair and equal access for reproductive care for vulnerable communities in the Chicago area.

Listen to the interview here.

Keep up the fight for reproductive justice, Jeanine and Stephanie!

Post-graduate WHNP student selected as member of NPWH Student Leadership Program

Gina Kristiansen, RN

Student Gina Kristiansen, RN, CWHCNP (Class 169) was selected as a member of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) Student Leadership Program at the 21st Annual NPWH Premier Women’s Healthcare Conference, Oct. 10-13, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas.

The Student Leadership Program is designed to build a community of WHNP students and give them the opportunity to connect with expert WHNPs. Gina will also receive a scholarship to attend the NPWH National Conference for free.

Congratulations, Gina, on your accomplishment!

Student selected for SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program

Adriana Hernandez, MSN, RN, CNM

Adriana Hernandez, MSN, RN, CNM, PMHNP (Class 173) was selected as a 2018 fellow of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program.

The purpose of the program is to provide grant money to reduce behavioral health disparities and improve healthcare outcomes for racial and ethnic minority populations.

We are excited to see how you use this incredible opportunity, Adriana!

FNP student named to “40 Under 40 Nurses” by Virginia Nurses Association

Haley Meade, RN

Haley Meade, RN, Class 166 FNP was named one of the 2018 “40 under 40 Nurses” at the 2018 Virginia Nurses Foundation Gala on Sept. 22, 2018 in Richmond, Va.

Award winners were selected from a record number of nominations as one of Virginia’s outstanding young registered nurse (RN) leaders because of achievements in professional practice, leadership, and positive promotion and advancement of the nursing profession beyond the practice setting.

A bright future awaits, Haley!

DNP student receives IHI scholarship

Margaret Galvez, MSN, MPH, APRN, FNP-C, APHN-BC

Congratulations to Margaret Galvez, MSN, MPH, APRN, FNP-C, APHN-BC and DNP student (Class 29). While undertaking a large load of schoolwork by completing her DNP, Margaret was recently selected to receive a full scholarship for the Fall 2018 Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Open School Leadership and Organizing for Change course.

The nine-week virtual course is designed to help health professionals learn to apply skills and knowledge in leadership, community organizing, population health and the science of improvement.

Kudos on your well-deserved scholarship, Margaret!

Alumni spotlight: Tayler Johnston, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC

November 14, 2018 By frontieredu

When Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumni Tayler Johnston, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC answered the call to help underserved women, it led her from a small town in Tennessee all the way to the Caribbean.

Tayler graduated from CNEP Class 128 in 2017. She is now the Director of a non-profit outpatient clinic in rural Haiti, serving lower- to middle-class women and families. Respire Haiti’s Love+1 Medical Clinic is located in the small town of Gressier, Haiti, about 10 miles outside of Port-au-Prince.

As clinic director, Tayler oversees all maternal and women’s health-related programs at the clinic. Many women in the Gressier community have no prenatal care, and give birth at home, some unassisted. Some patients are also extremely poor, and wouldn’t have the option to seek medical care elsewhere. Tayler and her fellow nurses are working to provide more options to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes for the women in the community.

Tayler Johnston works with underserved women and families in Gressier, Haiti

She made the decision to become a nurse-midwife while in nursing school. Tayler’s obstetrics/gynecology clinicals sparked initial interest in midwifery, but watching nurse-midwives deliver babies during her next clinical rotation sealed the deal for her.

“I immediately knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she said. Meanwhile, she already knew she wanted to dedicate her life to improving outcomes for women and children in the most desperate circumstances.

Tayler pursued the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) as well to increase her practice in primary care and gynecological issues. She moved to Haiti right after she achieved the WHNP.

“I wanted to be the best practitioner I can possibly be and provide the best care to my patients, as well as be the best employee and asset to the healthcare community,” she said.

She completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Haiti in late 2017 to further equip her for whatever primary care challenges she would face.

The choice to attend Frontier was two-fold: The top-ranked institution fit exactly what Tayler was looking for, and the distance education program allowed her to work full-time and avoid taking out a single student loan.

Though her education was online and in the midst of a full-time job, Tayler took full advantage of the Frontier community. Several of her former classmates have become good friends and resources.

“We often turn to each other for advice or with questions,” she said. “It’s so great to have that community and support system.”

Thank you, Tayler, for representing FNU in your crucial work with women and families in Haiti. We are proud to have you in the FNU community!

What to Expect for FNU’s National Nurse Practitioner Week Virtual Event

November 2, 2018 By frontieredu

National Nurse Practitioner Week is November 11-18, and Frontier Nursing University is once again celebrating with its annual virtual event.

The schedule is set for the “Answer the Call to Service” NP Week free online sessions. Anyone can visit the website to hear from this year’s outstanding speakers and participate in two free continuing education opportunities.

Dr. Heather A. Shlosser, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC

The first session begins on November 12 at 6 p.m. EST, with Dr. Heather A. Shlosser, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC presenting a continuing education (CE) session. Entitled “Psychopharmacology in Primary Care,” Dr. Shlosser will explain keys of successful psychopharmacology; identify essential psychopharmacology of antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and more; and discuss evidence-based treatments for depression, anxiety and ADHD, among other disorders.

This session is approved for 1.0 contact hour of continuing education (which includes 1.0 hour of pharmacology) by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Activity ID 18083330. This activity was planned in accordance with AANP Accreditation Standards and Policies.

Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
Deputy Surgeon General

On November 13 at 6 p.m. EST, Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN, Deputy Surgeon General will present our featured LIVE session, “Leading From Where You Are: The Role of the Nurse Innovator.” Participants will hear from the perspective of RADM Trent-Adams, who received numerous awards for her leadership and contributions to the field of nursing, including the International Red Cross Florence Nightingale Medal.

Eileen T. O’Grady RN, NP, PhD

Eileen T. O’Grady RN, NP, PhD will take the virtual stage on November 14 at 6 p.m. EST to present a LIVE CE session. Her discussion, “Answer the Call to Midwifery: Master the Self” will inspire patient-focused practitioners to explore how to master their own health and wellness while answering the call to serve others. Participants will learn actionable tools to masterfully lead the self, reduce stress, build emotional intelligence skills, recognize patterns that need interruption and explore models on how to achieve balance.

This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation and is approved to award CNE through 2/12/2020 (AHNA approval #1327). 1.0 contact hour of continuing education will be offered to those who participate in this LIVE session and complete the post-test survey.

We hope you will join us for Nurse Practitioner Week!

Register for these sessions and tune in on November 12 for a powerful week of speakers and inspiration. See FNU’s full lineup of virtual events here.

FNU Awards Degrees to Over 800 Nurse-Midwife and Nurse Practitioner Graduates

October 26, 2018 By frontieredu

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) was proud to award 800 graduate degrees at the 2018 commencement ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Since October 2017, more than 800 nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners have successfully completed a distance education program through FNU. The new graduates represent 47 states and three countries. 45 of this year’s graduates are from FNU’s home state of Kentucky.

More than 1800 guests and friends of FNU gathered for the commencement activities. We were thrilled to celebrate commencement with over 200 of these new graduates, along with their family and friends.

FNU President Dr. Susan Stone presided over the commencement ceremony and degrees were conferred on graduates of FNU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs. MSN graduates have completed the Nurse-Midwifery, Family Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty tracks.

Awards were also given to faculty and students who showed exceptional performance. Please join us in congratulating the following 2018 commencement award recipients:

Student Choice Award – Audra Cave, DNP, FNP-BC

Regional Clinical Faculty, Frontier Nursing University

Student Choice Award – Joanne Keefe, DNP, MPH, FNP

For Teaching Excellence, Frontier Nursing University

Kitty Ernst Leadership Award – Debora Alba, MSN

For leadership, academic excellence and excellent clinical judgment

Nurse Practitioner Leadership Award – Bree Ferrin, DNP

For leadership, academic excellence and excellent clinical judgment

DNP Leadership Award – Janette Bowers, DNP

For leadership, academic excellence and excellent clinical judgment

DNP Quality Improvement Project Award – Ana Verzone, DNP-c, FNP-BC, APRN, CNM

For leadership, academic excellence and excellent clinical judgment

Dr. Holly Powell Kennedy speaks at 2018 Commencement

Delivering the commencement address was Holly Powell Kennedy, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, Helen Varney Professor of Midwifery at the Yale School of Nursing. Dr. Kennedy received her certificate for nurse-midwifery from Frontier, and now is an internationally known midwifery researcher and leader. She was the recipient of Frontier Nursing University’s alumni award for Distinguished Service to Society in 2012.

Kennedy spoke about how her experience as an intern and nurse practitioner with the Frontier Nursing Service inspired her to become a nurse-midwife. She charged the graduates to know their community, be innovative and disciplined, believe in their patients and take care of themselves as they provide care to so many others.

Read more about Dr. Kennedy’s commencement address here.

FNU also conferred an honorary doctorate to Edith “Edie” Baldwin Wonnell, CNM. Edith was presented with the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, for her development of freestanding birth centers and her extraordinary life-long dedication to the profession.

FNU confers honorary doctorate to Edith Baldwin Wonnell, CNM

Edith answered her call to nursing and midwifery by establishing a comprehensive family centered maternity service in the 1960s and two freestanding birth centers in the 1970s. Her entrepreneurial model in those settings has played a major role in offering an alternative to the not-for-profit birth center model. Well-deserving of Doctor of Humane Letters, Edith pioneered and beautifully modeled the mission of the nurse-midwifery program of Frontier Nursing University.

Congratulations to all of our 2018 graduates!

Watch the entire commencement ceremony live stream here.

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.

The Importance of Advanced Practice Nurses

October 2, 2018 By frontieredu

As a heightened need for quality care increases across the U.S., more people are finding their calling to serve in the health care field. Frontier Nursing University programs are designed to produce compassionate, committed nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners whose roles in health care are more important now than ever before.

The Increasing Importance of Advanced Practice Nurses Today

Society is growing older, more obese, and a variety of risk factors are declining our health as a population.

Because of these factors, the need for nurses specialized in their fields is widening.

Once upon a time, nurses only cared for the sick and elderly. But today, many nurses are making the same complex clinical decisions for a variety of populations that would have been left to licensed physicians even 50 years ago.

One of the biggest concerns for healthcare providers today is the rising rate of maternal mortality. Unlike our first-world peers, maternal deaths in the U.S. rose 26.6% from 2000 to 2014 (source). This problem is exacerbated further in minority populations through lack of access to care and cultural barriers.

For example, 49% of all U.S. counties do not have an obstetrician/gynecologist (source). In these rural areas, nurse-midwives can help provide quality maternity care for mother and baby.

Mental health care is also a field that lacks numbers in the workforce. One in five adults in the U.S. have a mental health condition (source) and nationally, there is only one mental health provider for every 529 individuals (source). A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner can provide affordable, accessible care to these populations.

Frontier Nursing University is working to close these gaps by training a diverse workforce of advanced practice nurses who will serve in rural and underserved communities.

Specialty Nurses Beginning to Fill Primary Care Needs

Nurses play several invaluable roles. Since they are responsible for a majority of the patient experience, nurses must be capable, caring, analytical and clinical, amongst many other things. The role of nurses has shifted dramatically to include several of the responsibilities of primary care doctors.

FNU’s advanced practice nursing specialty programs address the shortage of physicians by providing high-quality education to nurses who will fill the primary care roles in their communities as they serve in advanced practice roles.

Nurses specializing as a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner or Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner through FNU’s online distance education programs are allowing more and more populations to receive primary care, resulting in improved health outcomes across the country.

How Nurses Benefit Society as a Whole

Nurses have become integral components of society today.

Recently, nurses have begun to evaluate the health of communities as a whole. Nurses’ contributions will help policy-makers understand how illnesses fit into national disease trends, and create legislation to improve health outcomes.

Nurses have also been charged with addressing the growing cost of health care and figuring out how to reduce it. Advanced practice nurses can treat patients before they need a hospital visit. In the case of maternity care, one 2015 study found that nurse-midwife attended deliveries had lower costs and better outcomes than those attended by family physicians and obstetricians (source). The nurse-midwife attended births also had the highest rate of avoidance of transfer to NICU at over 94% (source).

Thanks to new technology, patients can also consult with nurses from their own homes. The nurses can offer lifestyle advice and even prescribe treatment options. This new system is set to drastically change the way in which healthcare is delivered.

There is a strong calling for nurses to specialize in a field in order to give higher-quality care to specific populations. These advanced practice nurses will improve health outcomes for individuals and create better care models for whole communities.

Nurses are changing the landscape of the healthcare field as we know it. If you want to be part of that change, look into an online graduate nursing program at Frontier Nursing University today.

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