Beyond the Frontier: 2011 Frontier Nursing University Alumni Magazine

Beyond the

FRONTIER

THE MAGAZINE OF FRONTIER NURSING UNIVERSITY

FALL 2011

The journey continues: Excitement surrounds our new name & our new diversity initiative

The Frontier Facts

Degree Programs

zz Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) zz Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with three specialty tracks: Nurse-Midwifery Family Nurse Practitioner Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner zz Alternate entry option – the ADN-MSN Bridge

Enrollment: A Frontier Education is in Demand zz New admissions of nearly 600 students each calendar year zz Rolling admissions through 8 Frontier Bounds, 4 Bridge Bounds and 2 DNP Bounds offered each year on the campus in Hyden, Kentucky zz Required intensives bring an additional 400+ students back to campus for Crossing the Bridge (offered 4 times a year), Clinical Bound (offered 9 times a year) and DNP Intensive (offered 2 times a year) zz Remaining coursework and the clinical practicum are completed in students’ home communities.

ENROLLMENT AT FRONTIER NURSING UNIVERSITY (AS OF SPRING TERM 2011)

Program Part-time Full-time Total MSN Nurse-Midwifery 293 218 511 MSN Family Nurse Practitioner 173 332 505 MSN Women’s Health Care NP 37 39 76 Doctor of Nursing Practice 0 41 41 Total* 503 630 1,133 *As of summer 2011, 297 of currently enrolled students entered FNU through the ADN-MSN entry option. Since the program began in 2007, 51 Bridge students have graduated from FNU.

Student Body Demographics zz Based on 2010-2011 data, 62% of enrolled students live in rural counties. zz 66% of enrolled students live in Health Professional Shortage Areas. zz Students and alumni represent all 50 states and many foreign countries.

Our Achievements zz On July 1, 2011, our school became Frontier Nursing University, in part, to better reflect the scope, quality and reputation of our programs. zz Frontier was ranked in the top 50 graduate schools of nursing by U.S. News & World Report this spring and the top 15 for its family nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery programs. zz FNU has the oldest and largest continually operating nurse-midwifery program in the United States. Frontier offered the first family nurse practitioner program in the country. zz Frontier also pioneered the first community-based, distance-education program for nurse-midwifery in the country in 1989. zz More than 3,000 nurses and midwives have graduated with advanced-practice degrees.

A Letter from the President & Dean

Dear Alumni, Thanks to the combined efforts of a dedicated board, faculty and staff, plus the loyal support of our many alumni, preceptors and donors, Frontier Nursing University continues to lead the way in nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education. This year represents a milestone for our 72-year-old institution as we officially changed our name to Frontier Nursing University on July 1, 2011. The change in our name is a direct reflection of the graduate-level programs offered and the far-reaching work of our graduates.

We now have over 1,000 students from across the nation and the world who plan to deliver quality healthcare to people in the most rural and underserved areas. These future alumni will join you in caring for families in every corner of the globe. We should all be very proud of the role we play in their training.

FNU currently admits nearly 600 new students annually, and we are very proud to report that 2010-2011 reports indicate that 62% of our students reside in federally designated rural counties and 66% reside in health professional shortage areas. We are truly making an impact on access to care for the most rural and underserved in the country.

Onward to another successful year at Frontier!

Sincerely, Susan E. Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM Susan E. Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM Frontier Nursing University President and Dean

W W W. F R O N T I E R . E D U

The dedication and hard work of our Frontier family is clearly evident in the pages of this annual magazine. We are steadfast in our mission to prepare nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who are leaders in the primary care of women and families residing in all areas with an emphasis on underserved and rural populations. We are united in our aspirations to fulfill the original vision of Mary Breckinridge to see her demonstration replicated across the country and globe. Our graduates carry the philosophy of care, spirit of service and dedication to those most vulnerable to every corner of the globe.

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Table of Contents

beyond the frontier FALL 2011

A publication of the Frontier Nursing University Alumni Association Editorial Staff:

Denise Barrett Director of Development and Alumni Relations Dr. Susan E. Stone FNU President and Dean Kelli Adanick Development Officer Michael Claussen Development Coordinator AnnDraia Bales Development Secretary Brittney Edwards Marketing Coordinator

Graphic Design & Production: Kelli Adanick & Brandon S. Fields

Photography:

Kelli Adanick Denise Barrett Brooke-K Photography Kayla Collett Suzanne Deaton Brandon S. Fields Wendover Archives

Contributors:

Dr. Anne Cockerham FNU Faculty Dr. Michael Carter Chair, FNU Board of Directors Kitty Ernst Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery Dr. Julie Marfell Associate Dean for Family Nursing Dr. Suzan Ulrich Associate Dean for Midwifery and Women’s Health Dr. Janet Engstrom Associate Dean for Research Kimberly Trammell PRIDE Program Coordinator

FEATURES

8 Welcome to the New “U”: Wonder 10 The of Wendover:

A rich legacy has prepared Frontier for University status

Nursing history lives on at bed & breakfast

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The Future of Nursing:

Frontier seeks to implement recommendations from the Institute of Medicine report

16 Facing the Future

with PRIDE:

New program aims to increase diversity in nursing

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Pioneer Project Forthcoming book explores the fascinating experiences of early Frontier graduates

Cover photo by Kayla Collett Your comments and ideas are welcome. Please contact us at the Office of Alumni Relations, 859.253.3637 or alumniservices@frontier.edu.

Also Inside this Issue: Grant report 19 Conference roundup 20 Alumni awards 22 Alumni events 23 A new chapter in research 28

Faculty kudos 30 Embrace our future 34 Committee events 36 Class notes 40 One on One with Suzanne Langner 45

www.frontier.edu

A Letter from the Chairman of the Board

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harles Dickens begins his famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities, by saying: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. ...� While he penned this work in 1859, his words describe where we find advanced practice nursing today in the United States. We have the Institute of Medicine/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report calling for dramatic changes in nursing education and practice while at the same time we are seeing proposed massive cuts in nursing education funds. Angst continues as the country struggles with how our healthcare system must be changed and yet there are no clear answers on how to pay for these changes.

What we are certain of is this: nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners will be required to play even more important roles in the future as we care for our people. In some ways, the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. Mrs. Breckinridge faced problems that looked almost insurmountable. She was convinced that properly educated nurses would be the solution for providing care to mothers and babies and the families who care for them. The same holds true today.

Our faculty and the graduates that they prepare are changing the world. They are taking their rightful places in delivering care to some of the most vulnerable and doing so in a cost effective and culturally sensitive way.

We rely on you to help us continue the dream of Mrs. Breckinridge. Please continue to provide your political, health policy and financial support. These forms of support have been critical in helping us get to where we are and will be even more important in the years ahead.

Michael carter, DNSc, DNP, FNP CHAIR, Frontier Nursing University board of directors

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Sincerely,

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WIDE

NEIGHBORHOODS Come share our vision!

Our Wide Neighborhoods Ambassador Program was created as a way to allow students and alumni to maintain a strong connection to Frontier. Wide Neighborhoods ambassadors visit local nursing schools and conferences to share their Frontier stories with future students and to share the vision of Mary Breckinridge with people across the United States. It is also a way for our students and alumni to earn gift-shop rewards and be recognized for sharing their Frontier experience. It is our hope to have at least two Wide Neighborhoods ambassadors in every state ... will you join us? If you are interested in becoming a Wide Neighborhoods Ambassador, please contact Stephanie Boyd at Stephanie.Boyd@frontier.edu

Join the Wide Neighborhoods Program today and share your love of Frontier with others!

Thank you to the following alumni who currently serve as Wide Neighborhoods ambassadors.

Arizona Elizabeth Boot, FNP

Louisiana Theresa Savant, FNP

California Renee Wilson, post-master’s CNEP

Massachusetts Sophia Veinoglou, FNP

Florida Cherri Jennewein, FNP Carla Layne, CNM

Michigan Cathy Christensen, FNP Dustin Spencer, FNP

Illinois Leslie Curry, FNP Denise Orrill, FNP

Minnesota Nancy Pesta Walsh, DNP/FNP

Kansas Heather Grace, FNP Kentucky Donna Curry, FNP Denise Kilburn, post-master’s FNP Luzia Tuggle, FNP

Nebraska Heather McLaughlin, CNEP New York Chaya Levine, FNP

Ohio Rhonda Conley, CNEP Brooke Flinders, CNEP Danielle Little, FNP Jo Videtto, WHCNP Oregon Dana Scully, FNP Pennsylvania Richelle Cricks, CNEP Texas Joe Tumalad, FNP Virginia Sandra Macon, CNEP Tammie McDonald-Brouwer, CNEP Wyoming Gabrielle Scharp, CNEP Tree Illustration by Paul Adanick

A Message from the Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery

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KITTY ERNST, RN, CNM, MPH, DSc (HON)

learned that midwifery was not obstetrics at the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), six decades ago, from the nursemidwives attending the birth of a strong mountain woman, in her simple home surroundings, taking full responsibility for her birth. I realized then that midwifery was not only not the same as obstetrics but that it was an essential missing component in our plan for the care of women and childbearing families. I have spent the better part of my life since that “ah ha” experience working to bring the services of nurse-midwives into the mainstream of healthcare delivery. When I completed my midwifery education, there were only three identifiable services employing nurse-midwives: FNS in Kentucky, Maternity Center Association in New York and the Catholic Maternity Institute in New Mexico. Although there are over 2,000 practice sites and 6,000 members presently listed by the American College of Nurse-Midwives, it is estimated that we need to educate 30,000 new midwives in the next two decades if we are to be part of the solution for meeting the challenges we face in delivering affordable, quality healthcare to all of our citizens. This is a critical role for Frontier, a role that will carry the mission of Mary Breckinridge to the ever widening neighborhoods of unmet human need.

Today, “evidence-based practice” is the professional and legislative platform on which affordable, quality care for all our people is being built. That growing body of evidence is supporting a team approach to care that includes not only collaboration between midwifery and obstetrics, but advanced practice nursing and medicine in general. Nursing, for some time, has been gearing up to help meet the primary care needs of a growing and diverse population. Frontier continues to contribute to this need by educating growing numbers of family nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives together and balancing the enrollment in midwifery and family nursing education so that they learn how best to work together on the healthcare team.

But the Frontier Nursing Service has never been just about midwifery or the care of the mother in childbirth. In the only known recording of the voice of Mary Breckinridge, from a 1963 radio interview, she clearly and concisely states her mission for the service plan: “… the focus of everything (sh)ould be on the life of the young child … now the young child is not alone … In the first place you’ve got to conserve his mother before he is born … you’ve got to see him safely through childbirth … Then what is the use of taking care of him in the early years of life – which are all important to his health, to his emotional life and his loving heart . . . what is the use of taking care of him if you let his father die of appendicitis?

You’ve got to have a hospital and a surgeon within reach to save the life of his father … The child is also a part of a neighborhood …you’ve got to clean up the neighborhood … diphtheria, typhoid . . .worms . . . You can’t let a child suffer from harm in his neighborhood … If you focus on the child, you find it leads you into broad, preventive, public health programs – into families - and every kind of situation.”

This continues to be Frontier’s wide neighborhoods mission. Will you help us grow to fulfill it?

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If we cannot produce the nurse-midwives and family nurses, we cannot be part of the solution to provide the quality, affordable, primary care needed by all women and childbearing families.

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U Welcome to the new On July 1, 2011, the Frontier School officially became Frontier Nursing University, marking a major milestone as our School embraced a new name for the second time in its 72-year history.

Originally known as the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery, Frontier adopted its first name change in 1971, when our school became known as the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing.

The first change was adopted to reflect the expanding scope of Frontier as our progam offerings grew to include the first family nurse practitioner program in the country.

Once again, we have changed our name – this time to more accurately represent the caliber of graduate programs and degrees offered by our School.

This name change also reflects our steadfast commitment to the legacy and mission of the Frontier Nursing Service. The inclusion of “Frontier Nursing� in our name allows us to commemorate this rich heritage.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is a leader in graduate nursing education for nurses seeking to become nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners.

As evidenced by our high rankings in national surveys of graduate schools, our impressive pass rates on national certification exams, and the countless stories of our passionate alumni who are making a difference, FNU is poised to be the leader in advanced-practice nursing and midwifery training.

But don’t be fooled by the large numbers! By admitting students in small groups of 60 to each Frontier Bound (there are eight bound sessions annually), 30 to each Bridge Bound (four annually) and 20 to each DNP

Bound (two annually), the school ensures that cohorts of students experience Frontier as it has always been. The camaraderie among classes and faculty, the spirit of Frontier and the historical legacy are integral components of the Frontier experience.

It is this balance of Compassion, Innovation, Reflection, Community, Legacy, Excellence, Uniqueness and Primary Care that puts Frontier above all the rest. Our values are represented by the acronym “CIRCLE UP,” reflecting a Frontier tradition that continues today.

Each evening spent on campus in Leslie County, Kentucky, culminates with a “Circle Up.” Students, faculty and staff link arms to share reflections from the day, offer words of encouragement, and confirm their commitment to the principles and ideals of Frontier Nursing.

We hope you will join with us and “Circle Up” to embrace Frontier Nursing University. Frontier is a diverse and accomplished institution with much to be proud of. As you read this edition of the annual magazine, you will learn how we are honoring our past through the Pioneer Project and through our preservation and use of Wendover and our historic campus.

We are focusing on the future with our participation and influence in national discussions, our innovative methods

find answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the name change at

www.frontier.edu/namechangefaqs If you have additional questions, contact the Office of Development and alumni relations at

(662) 846-1967 or alumniservices@frontier.edu

for delivering high-quality instruction in a distance format, and our training of thousands of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who deliver care to those in rural and underserved areas across the globe.

Our history is marked by an ability to remain stable while navigating change. Through steady growth, we have adapted to the evolving needs of our students and to our country’s healthcare needs. We have introduced new programs and learning formats. We have had changes in leadership and established many new faculty and staff positions. But we have always stayed focused on our mission to educate nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who are leaders in the primary care of women and families with an emphasis on underserved and rural populations.

Mary Breckinridge said it best:

“We have grown like the Banyan Tree … with branches yielding shade and fruit to wide neighborhoods.”

We invite you to celebrate with us as we move forward as Frontier Nursing University, and we welcome your feedback. We sincerely appreciate your past and continued support of our efforts!

Our Values C I R C L E

Compassion Innovation Reflection Community Legacy Excellence

U Uniqueness P Primary Care

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We are a University – recognized for our outstanding graduate degree programs – both domestically and worldwide. We’ve recently been honored by U.S. News & World Report as being ranked in the top 15 for both nurse-midwifery and family nurse practitioner programs in the country and as one of the top 50 graduate schools of nursing nationwide. The evolution of our institution’s name reflects both the amazing ‘chronicle’ of our past, as well as the incredible opportunities that lie in our future.

These milestones are directly attributable to the far-reaching vision of Mary Breckinridge, the dedication of our faculty, staff, students and alumni, and the increasing worldwide demand for trained women’s and family healthcare professionals. By combining the Frontier Nursing heritage with the academic prestige of the University title, we are able to more appropriately describe our unique institution. With more than 1,000 students currently enrolled and capacity to enroll 600 new students annually, FNU is one of the largest graduate nursing schools in the country.

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The wonder of Wendover

Article by Michael Claussen

It was on one of my rides alone that I first saw Wendover. …When I raised my eyes to towering forest trees, and then let them fall on a cleared place where one might have a garden, when I passed some jutting rocks, I fell in love. To myself and to my horse I said, “Someday I’m going to build me a log house right there.” Two years later I did.

- Mary Breckinridge

Nursing History Lives On at Bed & Breakfast

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Look closely at this historic photo of the Big House and you will see Mary Breckinridge posing with former Frontier Nursing Service Director Helen Browne, affectionately known as “Brownie.”

where you are in the living room, Mrs. Breckinridge – much like the Mona Lisa – is always watching you.

The Wendover Barn was another of the early structures built for FNS. It functioned as the overnight home to the Wendover horses. Often Mrs. Breckinridge and her nurses were summoned in the late night or early morning hours for a mother in labor, gunshot wound or a child with a high fever. The nurse and a courier would ride out to administer care to the patient. Today, the Wendover Barn contains the FNS Historical Photo Gallery and Gift Shop. It is filled with Frontier Nursing Service memorabilia and crafts made by people in the area. It has four sleeping rooms upstairs.

The Garden House was built in 1931. It served as the healthcare clinic for the Wendover District, as the administrative offices and as home for the couriers. In 1942, the Garden House burned to the ground; no one was injured as the staff was eating in the Dog Trot Dining Room of the Big House. Financial records were preserved, but many of the early midwifery records perished in the fire.

It was rebuilt later that year through the

The Big House served as a cottage hospital, post office and contained two of the five bathtubs in the county. Mrs. Breckinridge noted that the downstairs bathtub received so many visitors that she threatened to give it a guest book bound in blue and white linoleum.

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n 2011, Frontier Nursing University expanded its campus to include Wendover and now manages the legendary Wendover Bed and Breakfast Inn. FNU plans to preserve the rich heritage of Frontier Nursing Service and keep Mary Breckinridge’s legacy alive for future generations. The school also intends to further Wendover’s expansion to become a national nursing and midwifery retreat center. So as we chart a bright future for the historical headquarters of the Frontier Nursing Service, let’s explore its vast history and discover why Mrs. Breckinridge often referred to it as the incarnation of her dream.

Mary Breckinridge had her home, the Big House, built approximately four miles south of Hyden in Leslie County, Kentucky. In her book, Wide Neighborhoods, Mrs. Breckinridge writes, “It was my Aunt Jane who gave Wendover its name. Even before I started to build, I asked her to choose a name for my place that would be Anglo-Saxon and restful. After her trip in she probably felt like other arrivals who said the place ought to be named ‘Scramble-over.’” But Wendover served as more than just property for her residence. The Big House also served as a cottage hospital, post office and contained two of the five bathtubs in the county. She noted that the downstairs bathtub received so many visitors that she threatened to give it a guest book bound in blue and white linoleum. The large window in the living room was the place where high English tea was served every day at 4 o’clock. Five o’clock was the appointed time for sherry, and 6 o’clock was suppertime. But the grand showpiece of the Big House living room is the beautiful portrait of Mrs. Breckinridge above the mantel. The amazing attribute of this painting is that no matter

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The Mary Breckinridge Bedroom

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many donations that came in. Today it serves as the offices for Development, Campus Facilities, and bed and breakfast reservations.

Not only was the Big House placed on the National Register of Historic Places, it received the honor of National Historic Landmark in 1991. Through the years, the Big House always accommodated guests. Many international visitors have come to observe and to study FNS. In 2001, the Big House and Barn became certified as a bed and breakfast. The Wendover Bed and Breakfast Inn is made up of eight rooms. Individuals and groups enjoy their overnight experience in the four living quarters of the Wendover Barn or settle into the four living quarters on the second floor of the Big House. The most popular of these rooms is Mrs. Breckinridge’s bedroom. She chose this room for her own because of the magnificent view of the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River and the vista of the rest of Wendover.

A picture of her son, Breckie, sits atop her dresser, and copies of her nursing diplomas adorn the walls.

Even the cedar-lined closet adds a special touch to this unique room.

Many visitors from around the world have lodged at the Big House. It has accommodated the Osborne Brothers, who are Grand Ole Opry members and Bluegrass legends, several times. Words and pictures cannot begin to describe the peaceful feeling that can be found at Wendover. Even Southern Living Magazine wrote that the breakfast is fit not only for the king, but the whole kingdom as well.

We encourage everyone to visit this nursing mecca in the mountains. You will come away refreshed and rejuvenated.

Above: Beautiful gardens fill the meticulously maintained lawn at Wendover. The Barn, which contains four guest rooms, can be seen in the background.

Portrait at left: A painting of Mrs. Breckinridge hangs above the mantel in the Big House living room. It was painted by William F. Draper, known as the “Dean of American Portraiture.” His portraits of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon hang in the National Portrait Gallery.

Lower left: Members of Class 79 attended the Frontier Bound dinner at Wendover, a tradition for each incoming class..

Reservations

The Wendover Bed and Breakfast is open year-round.

Big House

$75 for single occupancy; $85 for double occupancy

Barn

$50 for single occupancy; $60 for double occupancy This price includes your hearty country breakfast.

Additional Meals

Lunch: $12 per person; dinner: $18 per person.

All meals are served family-style and include beverage and dessert (for lunch and dinner). An exciting guided tour of Wendover and Frontier Nursing University is available at no extra cost! To make reservations, contact Michael Claussen at (606) 672-2317 or by email at Michael.Claussen@frontier.edu All reservations must be made at least one week in advance.

Become a friend of Wendover on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wendoverbighouse Visit the Bed & Breakfast website: http://www.frontier.edu/bedandbreakfast

Photo by Suzanne Deaton

THE FUTURE OF NURSING

FNU seeks to implement the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations on leading change and advancing the profession

By Dr. Julie Marfell & Dr. Suzan Ulrich

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The key messages of the IOM report are: 1. Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training.

2. Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.

3. Nurses should be full partners, with physicians and other health professionals, in redesigning healthcare in the United States.

4. Effective workforce planning and policy making require better data collection and an improved information infrastructure.

Story Continued on Next Page

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he Institute of Medicine (IOM) report titled The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health has been the topic of much discussion since its release last fall. The report calls for changes in nursing and nursing education that will promote health, prevent illness and provide healthcare to individuals in all settings and across all age groups. As the process of implementation takes place nationwide, nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners are evaluating how this will affect practice and planning for the future. Frontier Nursing University is also examining how to implement these recommendations.

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THE FUTURE OF NURSING Out of the report’s key messages, the following recommendations were made:

1. Remove scope-of-practice barriers.

Affordable Care Act. Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) will be shifting the payment structure from feefor-service to a system that recognizes increased payment for improved outcomes where there is coordination of care.

The literature demonstrates that nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners give coordinated care that improves outcomes across the lifespan and different settings. Legislative work needs to be done in this area because the current funding recommendation for ACOs does not include Medicare payment to patients of NPs or allow NPs to fully participate as providers in ACOs. At Frontier, we continue to foster leadership in our students, faculty and alumni. Students are given content and assignments that allow them to think outside the box, including having all the midwifery students attend a How to Start a Birth Center workshop. Every student examines the healthcare needs of his or her community and develops a business proposal for a nursing practice to meet these needs, including private practices, birth centers and Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers.

2. Expand opportunities for nurses to lead and diffuse collaborative improvement efforts.

3. Implement nurse residency programs.

At this point, 17 states allow nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives to practice independently within their scope of practice with no mandated physician collaboration.

The other 33 states have a requirement for physician involvement, including a signed practice agreement and, in some cases, supervision. A recent study showed that nurse practitioners working in states without mandated collaboration with physicians reported more instances of collaborating with other providers than NPs living in states that required collaborative agreements. Referral and collaboration with other healthcare providers increases the quality of healthcare, but mandating a collaborative agreement with a physician is a barrier for NPs and CNMs to practice to the full extent of their education and training.

Currently, 25 states are working to decrease these barriers to scope of practice. The curriculum at FNU requires students to learn about the regulations in their states and to understand and become active in current local legislative issues.

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The leadership opportunities for nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners in the medical/healthcare home, community health centers, birth centers and nurse-managed health centers have increased with the passage of the Patient

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Nurse residency programs are being offered as a way to help recruit and retain nurses in the workforce. These residencies have been offered in acute-care settings since 2002. The IOM supports this concept and emphasizes the need for these programs outside of acute-care settings,

Frontier developed its Doctor of Nursing Practice program to prepare nursing leaders who will evaluate and improve primary care practice. In this photo are some of Frontier’s DNP graduates, who posed during the fall 2010 commencement ceremony in Hyden. Photo by Brooke-K Photography.

4. Increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020.

The report looks to educators and employers to facilitate this process. Educators need to develop academic pathways that go beyond articulation agreements. Employers need to support continuing education and assist with tuition reimbursement and salary compensation for higher levels of education. There needs to be a continued effort to increase diversity in the workforce and in baccalaureate programs.

FNU is one of the only Bridge options for nurses with associate degrees to become nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners earning a master’s degree without having to hold a BSN. These students enroll directly in the MSN program and begin with a year of coursework that meets the BSN essentials. This seamless route to an MSN and advanced-practice nursing is just what the IOM report recommends as a way to have nurses reach their full potential. FNU also has established the PRIDE program to reach out to minority nurses, nursing students and even high school students and recruit them to become nursemidwives or nurse practitioners.

5. Double the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020.

To move the profession forward, nurses must be educated to become researchers, leaders and educators. Promoting graduate education at the master’s and doctoral level within five years of the baccalaureate degree will help ensure forward progression. FNU has developed a Doctor of Nursing Practice program to meet this need. The DNP program boasts 43 graduates to date and 41 currently enrolled students. Twenty-six more are expected for September’s DNP Bound.

6. Ensure that nurses engage in lifelong learning.

The report calls for the promotion of professional development and cutting-edge competence in practice, teaching and research. Healthcare organizations as well as academic settings should promote continued competence and look for ways to partner to make this a reality.

FNU, with its active alumni organization, helps advance professional development by hosting alumni events. The addition of the Frontier Nursing Honor Society provides a great forum for promoting scholarship and research.

7. Prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health.

Nurses must make and take opportunities for leadership across a wide variety of organizations. Participating in leadership positions outside of healthcare is as important as opportunities within healthcare organizations. Curriculum needs to include leadership as a core component and emphasis and expand this as a competency at all levels of education.

FNU has always had a strong leadership component in the curriculum that follows the exquisite leadership of our founder, Mary Breckinridge.

8. Build an infrastructure for the collection and analysis of interprofessional healthcare workforce data.

A universal minimum data set is needed across professions to facilitate planning and to improve patient outcomes. More data is needed to address role, skill mix and demographic information to plan for adequate health resources across regions.

FNU midwifery students learn about the Uniform Data System from the American Association of Birth Centers.

This data set included birth outcomes for women cared for by CNMs, MDs and CPMs in a variety of settings, including home, birth center and hospital. Understanding the importance of collecting this data and how to use it for research is stressed. Susan Stapleton, DNP, CNM, a graduate of Frontier’s first DNP Class, did a pilot study to validate this data set for her capstone project. Her article, Validation of an On-Line Data Registry for Midwifery Practice: A Pilot Project, was published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health in August 2011.

The IOM report recommendations offer an opportunity for nursing to advance in leadership, education and scope of practice. These changes will offer increased access to care and improve the quality of healthcare and individual patient outcomes, and FNU is poised to be a key player in these objectives.

Dr. Julie Marfell, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, is Associate Dean for Family Nursing at FNU. In addition to her teaching and administrative roles, Dr. Marfell, who came to Frontier 11 years ago to help restart the FNP specialty track, maintains a part-time clinical practice. She is on the Board of Directors for the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives as well as on the Executive Board for the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Her work includes multiple articles and presentations on graduate nursing education, clinical issues, NP practice and the care of underserved populations.

Dr. Suzan Ulrich, DrPH, CNM, FACNM, is Associate Dean for Midwifery and Women’s Health at FNU. Dr. Ulrich has been a midwife and educator for over 30 years. She taught maternity to undergraduate nursing students at Villa Maria College and was graduate faculty at the University of Pittsburgh for the Perinatal CNS track. She was Director of the North Shore Birth Center in Beverly, Massachusetts, from 1990-2000. Dr. Ulrich came to Frontier Bound and began her career at FNU in March 2000.

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including long-term care facilities, community health centers and school-based settings. There is evidence to suggest that these programs increase retention of new nurses at one and two years post-graduation. The report also speaks to funding to support these residency programs and suggests that all funders, including both government and private organizations, look to assist with providing these funds. These residency programs will not only help retain new nurses but will provide the opportunity to expand competencies and improve patient-care outcomes.

FNU has extensive clinical placement sites and can begin to explore working with these sites to incorporate a residency program for new nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to ease the transition from novice to clinician.

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Facing the future with

PRIDE New Program Aims to Increase Diversity in Nursing

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rontier Nursing University (FNU ) recognizes that continuously promoting diversity is an integral part of our mission to educate nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who are leaders in the primary care of women and families, particularly those in underserved and rural areas. The U.S. population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, and the percentage of minorities is expected to reach 50 percent of the total population by the year 2050. However, the number of minority nurses is significantly less, with minorities representing less than 20 percent of the nursing workforce in 2008.

Lack of diversity in the nursing profession contributes to health disparities present in our country, including access to care, quality of care and the availability of culturally competent care.

To address the need to increase diversity within the nursing workforce, FNU has established the PRIDE Program (Promoting Recruitment and Retention to Increase Diversity in Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse Practitioner Education). The ultimate goal of the PRIDE program is to recruit and retain qualified underrepresented students in our graduate school of nursing who will meet the healthcare demands of an increasingly diverse population.

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The PRIDE program is funded in part by a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant. In keeping with the objectives of the federal grant program and the Board approved Strategic Plan, FNU seeks to increase the number of underrepresented groups within our programs to 15 percent.

Through recruitment and retention efforts specifically catering to a diverse talent pool, we are confident that we

can meet our goal of increasing diversity within our own programs while also addressing the need to increase diversity within the nursing workforce.

and retaining underrepresented students in our graduate-level programs.

For 2010-2011, students from underrepresented groups represented The PRIDE program consists of 12 percent of FNU’s enrollment. As we several components and activities, embark on this initiative and embrace the including a Deans Convening, a Diversity value of diversity, the PRIDE Program Impact event, many targeted recruitment seeks to partner with institutions across trips and various retention programs the country to provide advanced-practice tailored to our minority students. It is a nursing and midwifery education to comprehensive effort aimed at recruiting students who may not otherwise have

Kimberly Trammell, MPA – After graduating from Eastern Kentucky University with a Master of Public Administration-Healthcare Administration degree in 2010, Kim prepared to begin her professional career.

What caught her attention at Frontier was the mission statement “to educate nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who are leaders in the primary care of women and families, with an emphasis on underserved and rural populations.” As an MPA, Kim’s areas of interest are addressing healthcare disparities in underserved populations, increasing healthcare accessibility and decreasing achievement gaps in education. When presented with the opportunity to be program coordinator over PRIDE, she felt this position was a great match. Kim holds a BA in communications with a minor in biological sciences from East Carolina University. She grew up in Atlanta and currently resides in Lexington. She is proud to be a part of the long legacy that is Frontier.

How you can help

Front row, left to right: Dr. Julie Marfell, Frontier’s Associate Dean for Family Nursing;

Stephanie Boyd, Frontier’s Director of Recruitment and Retention; Debra Turner, Student Services Coordinator; Dr. Bertie Almendarez, Nurse Education Chair at Del Mar College; and Kimberly Trammell, PRIDE Coordinator.

Back row, left to right: Dr. Mary Jane Hamilton, Dean and Professor of Nursing at the College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Dr. Lawanda Herron, Assistant Director and Instructor at Holmes Community College; Mrs. Cherrie Evans, Director of Nursing at Central Arizona College; and Dr. Susan Stone, President and Dean of Frontier Nursing University.

On April 5 and 6, FNU played host to the first Deans Convening on our historical campus in Hyden, Ky. Nursing school leaders from across the United States attended this event, which served as a catalyst for the school’s efforts to partner with institutions nationwide to provide graduate education opportunities for nurses in rural and medically underserved areas.

This event attracted representatives from colleges and universities in Texas, Arizona and Mississippi.

Participants included Cherrie Evans, MSN, FNP-C, APRN, director of nursing at Central Arizona College; Bertie Almendarez, PhD, RN, nurse education chair at Del Mar College; Mary Jane Hamilton, PhD, RN, dean and professor of nursing at the College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Texas A & M-Corpus Christi; LaWanda Herron, PhD, MSA, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, assistant director and instructor at Holmes Community College; and Rebekah L. Valdez, RNC, MSN, CNM, an associate professor of nursing at Lone Star College-Cyfair.

online distance education combined with a community-based clinical practicum.

Attendees took part in a roundtable discussion, addressing such issues as using demographic data to identify at-risk students; targeting recruitment efforts to underrepresented students; strategies for developing students’ local support networks; and proactive retention efforts.

The information shared laid the groundwork for a partnership with each institution. The goal of the partnership is to provide students from PRIDE partner institutions with educational and networking opportunities and financial savings that will make the students’ transitions to advanced-practice education seamless.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to work with institutions from around the country to increase the diversity of the nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner healthcare workforce,” said Dr. Susan Stone, FNU President and Dean. “It was a pleasure to meet with nursing institutions that share in our enthusiasm for this initiative, and we look forward to the further development of the program.”

During this event, guests toured the campus, stayed at Wendover and were treated to a traditional southern For more information on this event, dinner. Participants learned more meeting minutes and photos, please about Frontier’s extensive history visit www.frontier.edu/deansconvening. and advanced-practice nursing and midwifery programs delivered via

Diversity Impact Weekend The PRIDE program hosted its first ever Diversity Impact Event on the FNU campus June 9-11. Students had the opportunity to return to campus for fellowship, networking and to participate in discussion forums related to increasing diversity in the nursing workforce. All Frontier students were invited to attend this event and 16 students and alumni participated. Turn the page to read more about this event and see photos from the weekend.

Upcoming Events In addition to events hosted on campus, staff and faculty represent FNU at many conferences and events targeted to prospective graduate students from diverse backgrounds.

Just a few of the events scheduled this year for PRIDE include: the National Black Nurses Association conference, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses conference, the Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association conference; the American Assembly for Men in Nursing conference; and ACNM’s Midwives of Color Gala.

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access to graduate-level programs in their area.

Alumni are consistently cited as the No. 1 influence in students’ choice to attend Frontier. We encourage you to reach out to colleagues and nursing students who will make great nursemidwives and nurse practitioners. Please direct interested nurses to the PRIDE program website, www.frontier.edu/ PRIDE, where they can preview our programs, gain an understanding of the distance-learning format and learn about other tools to help them through the application process. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact PRIDE Program Coordinator Kimberly Trammell at kimberly.trammell@frontier. edu. Let’s work together to increase diversity within the nursing workforce and meet the healthcare demands of an increasingly diverse population. .

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1. Diversity Impact participants posed with Dr. Susan Stone, FNU President and Dean (shown in the center), during the event on the Frontier campus.

2. Frances Horton, Teresa Vlahovich and Lisa Pontious gathered around a laptop to review a presentation on health disparities.

3. Students and alumni “circled up” to share their reflections.

4. Jennifer Yahn and Luzia (“Lu”) Tuggle presented to the group.

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PRIDE

The PRIDE program hosted its inaugural Diversity Impact event on the FNU campus June 9-11. Sixteen people returned to Hyden, Ky., for fellowship, networking and to participate in discussion forums related to increasing diversity in the nursing workforce.

All Frontier students were invited to attend this event.

Participants, who included both students and alumni, were: Elizabeth Coblentz, Deborrah Fancher, Frances Horton, LaNell Whatley, Tasha Parker, Lisa Pontious, Sonja Pownall, Gerline Sainval-Augustin, Andrea Stults, Tammara Taylor, Luzia Tuggle, Teresa Vlahovich, Tiffany Washington, Beverly Wilson, Jennifer Yahn and Victoria Zadoyan.

Frontier provided $500 travel stipends to all attendees through HRSA funding.

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Session topics included Surviving Distance Education, Reflections on Diversity, Sharing Circle, Resources on Racial Disparities and What’s Race Got To Do With It: A Courageous Conversation About Race presented by keynote speaker Carol Taylor, MSW, from the University of Kentucky.

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Participants conducted short presentations on topics related to cultural beliefs and practices and health-related problems in specific populations. Attendees also participated in team-building exercises and a diversity potluck dinner, where students prepared and shared their favorite cultural dishes.

“The response and feedback from faculty, students and attendees for the Diversity Impact event has been excellent, and we are looking forward to an even greater event next year,” said Kimberly Trammell, PRIDE Program Coordinator. For more information on this event, photos and diversity potluck recipes, please visit www.frontier.edu/diversityimpact.

*This project is supported by funds from the Division of Nursing (DN), Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under grant D09HP07973, Advanced Education Nursing Grants for $1,034,265. The information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any official endorsement be inferred by, the DN, BHPr, HRSA, DHHS, or the US Government.

Grant Report

Funding supports diversity and technology initiatives, pays for dorm renovations

The Advanced Nursing Education program of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded FNU a three-year continuation of the ADNMSN Bridge grant totaling $1,034,265. This continuation allows FNU to expand Bridge enrollment to 150 students per year and introduce targeted recruitment and retention for rural and minority students.The Bridge option allows students with an associate degree in nursing to embark on a course of study that results in completion of a master of science in nursing.

Funding from this grant supports the PRIDE (Promoting Recruitment and Retention to Increase Diversity in Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse Practitioner Education) program. This program reaches out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HispanicServing Institutions and Tribal Colleges, as well as targeted rural schools, to increase diversity in enrollment.

It also introduces new programs designed to retain these students and help them be successful students and graduates of Frontier. The ultimate goal of the grant is to increase the number of practicing nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners particularly in rural and other underserved areas and to increase the diversity of the workforce.

FNU is wrapping up the third and final year of two other HRSA grants. The DNP grant was awarded to provide access to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program to advanced practice nurses in rural and underserved areas and to enhance the access of rural and medically underserved populations to quality healthcare.

The program aims to recruit and retain students for the DNP program with an emphasis on minority students and to improve student learning outcomes through the enhancement of technology.

Frontier is also in year three of a grant from the Nursing Education Practice and Retention (NEPR) program of HRSA. This program funded the “Emerging Medias in Distance Education” project. The primary goal of this project is to enhance the curriculum by introducing new technologies throughout the plan of study. The NEPR grant allowed FNU to introduce iPods to the curriculum, produce quality instructional videos, begin work on a virtual clinic, expand and enhance library services and incorporate increased media within each course. The overarching goal of the grant is to graduate technologically competent advanced practice nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to provide quality healthcare throughout the country with a focus on rural and medically underserved areas.

FNU received another year of funding through HRSA’s Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Program in the amount of $177,863. This money is funneled directly to students in the form of scholarships. The money is distributed at the time that students attend Clinical Bound and enter the clinical segment of their program, as that has been identified as a time when resources are needed most.

FNU also received $305,900 from HRSA’s Nurse Faculty Loan Program, which allows FNU to provide loans to students in the DNP program who plan to work as faculty after graduation. Graduates can have up to 85% of the loan forgiven in return for working as faculty at an accredited school of nursing.

FNU received several grants to fund various smaller projects at the School. The Virginia Clark Hagen Charitable Trust has been a consistent supporter of FNU technology projects. In 2010, the trust awarded FNU $20,000 to purchase virtual classrooms powered

by Elluminate, and in 2011, awarded a $15,000 grant to help fund the purchase of Lexi-comp for our clinical students. Contributing to the overall cost for Lexi-comp are a $10,000 grant from the Mars Foundation and a $5,000 grant from the Cralle Foundation. The Margaret Voorhies Haggin Trust provided an additional $20,000 for dormitory renovations. FNU is pleased to receive ongoing support from the Berea College Appalachian Fund that funds $10,000 in scholarships each year for Appalachian students.

technologylteaching tools linnovation renovationldiversitylscholarships

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rontier seeks federal and private grant funding to support the establishment and growth of new programs, fund innovative technology pilot programs, introduce new teaching tools, fund scholarships, improve campus facilities and more. These sources of support are critical to our ability to grow, innovate and succeed. This past year, FNU was fortunate to be awarded more than $1.5 million in new grant funding.

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CONFERENCERoundup E

Frontier makes a strong showing at annual nursing conferences

ach year, Frontier is well-represented at the major nursing conferences in the country - including annual meetings sponsored by the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC), the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). Frontier Nursing University faculty, alumni and students continue to prove themselves as leaders in the field of advanced practice nursing and midwifery. Included here is a roundup of some of the conference honors received by Frontier faculty, alumni and students along with photos from the Frontier Alumni Receptions hosted throughout the country.

AANP 2011

ACNM 2011 HONOREES

HONOREES

ACNM Foundation Awards

AANP Foundation Nurse Practitioner Domestic Humanitarian Award: Susan Calloway, RN, PhD, FNP-BC, an FNU faculty member in Austin, Texas. Her contributions were described this way: “From establishing a soup kitchen for the homeless, working with community stakeholders to reduce youth alcohol and drug use, to serving as a mental health advocate - Calloway has demonstrated an eye for unmet needs and an ability to make a difference.”

W. Newton Long Fund Award (funds projects relating to the advancement of midwifery): Frontier graduate Rebeca Barroso, DNP Class 4.

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Varney Participant Award: Frontier student Kendra Adkisson, CNEP Class 72. Kendra also won honorable mention in the ACNM Video Contest.

Susan Stein Scholarship: Frontier student nurse-midwife Sandra Londino.

Edith B. Wonnell Scholarship: Frontier student nurse-midwife Tracey Arwood, CNEP Class 79.

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Other ACNM Honors Poster Award: DNP graduate Elizabeth Jensen.

2011 ACNM Outstanding Preceptor Honoree: Frontier graduate Katie Isaac, CNM, Class of 1980.

FNU faculty member Joy Elwell, DNP, FNP-BC, was inducted as an AANP Fellow.

Nomination highlights included her tireless work to eliminate barriers to NP practice and increase access to health care in New York, where she has been instrumental in changing legislation in the state that is more favorable to NPs.

AABC 2010 Kathryn Schrag, CNM, FNP, MSN, pictured at right, was honored with the 2010 National Professional Achievement Award from the American Association of Birth Centers. Kathryn is an FNU Regional Clinical Coordinator and course faculty member as well as the Chair of the International Health Committee.

FNU faculty member Cathy Fliris, DNP, FNP-C, above right, received the AANP State Award for Nurse Practitioner Excellence for Wyoming. The award honors NPs who demonstrate excellence in practice, research, NP education or community affairs in their state. Dr. Fliris is a Frontier graduate, a DNP from Rocky Mountain State, a National Health Service Corps scholar and currently works at a rural health clinic in Wyoming.

Joyce Knestrick, CPhD, CRNP, FAANP, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, was elected this spring as treasurer of the national AANP organization.

Upcoming Conferences: Look for Frontier representatives at the following conferences this fall.

American College of Nurse Practitioners National Clinical Conference, Oct. 5-9 American Assembly for Men in Nursing Annual Conference, Oct. 20-22

snapshots

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1. Nicole May (1973), Dr. Susan Stone and Linda Karle (1973) 2. Nancy Sandrock and Karen Sadar Watt 3. Frontier faculty members Robin Jordan, Nicole Lassiter and Pat Caudle 4.Frontier staff & alumni: Kimberly Trammell, Richelle Cricks (CNEP Class 61), Brittney Edwards, Claudia Adrian (CNEP Class 61), Theresa Schmidt (CNEP Class 61), Natalie Taylor (CNEP Class 61) and Stephanie Boyd 5. Poster presenters Christy Bomer-Norton, Sarah Beebe (CNEP Class 81) and Suzanne Carrington

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AANP snapshots

1. Dr. Joyce Knestrick, Kate Martinez and Brian Webster (CFNP Bridge Class 69) 2. Mary Jo Ytzen (CFNP Class 63) and Dr. Rhonda Arthur 3. Mary Jordan (DNP Class 1) and Lindsey Berson (CFNP Class 61) 4. Rachael Tootle (CFNP Class 60), Dana Shavay Richardson (CFNP Class 66) and Carricka Thomas (CFNP Class 58) 5. Dr. Julie Marfell and Karen Bitsoie (CFNP Class 62) 6. Amy Benedict (CFNP Class 51) and Autum Christensen (CFNP Class 51)

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ACNM

National Student Nurses’ Association Mid-Year Conference, Oct. 27-30 National Organization for Associate Degree Nursing Convention, Nov. 4-6

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Distinguished Service Awards During the 2010 commencement ceremonies, Kitty Ernst, the Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery, presented awards to two outstanding alumni. Kitty recognized Catherine Miller-Shields and Nadene Brunk with the Frontier Alumni Association’s Service to Alma Mater and Service to Society awards, respectively.

Catherine Miller-Shields, Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award

Catherine Miller-Shields poses with Andrea Hedrick, CNEP Class 58, who did her preceptorship with Catherine and nominated her for the award.

Catherine Miller-Shields was honored with the Frontier Alumni Association’s 2010 Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award. Catherine flew in from the West Coast to accept the award in person during commencement.

Catherine graduated CNEP Class 4 in 1994 and began her midwifery career at Deaconess Women’s Clinic in Spokane, WA. She and her nurse-midwife partner at the time worked out of a trailer part-time until a proper clinic could be built to meet the needs of the community. During her time at the clinic she made it her mission to mentor student-midwives to carry on the important work of taking caring of and being with women and their families.

As the practice grew, they hired a third nurse-midwife and over the last 16 years mentored nine CNEP students, six other midwife students, and multiple nurse practitioner students. As director of the clinic, Catherine was instrumental in taking on students who needed clinical experience and making sure the Hallmarks of Midwifery were close to their hearts. She never let a student forget the art of midwifery and made certain that students understood the importance of presence, compassion and continuous unfailing support. At commencement, she encouraged new graduates to give back by precepting the Frontier students to come. Catherine retired in September 2010, and continues her midwifery work in the pages of a book in progress.

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Nadene Brunk, Distinguished Service to Society Award

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The Alumni Association recognized Nadene Brunk with the Distinguished Service to Society Award for her compassionate commitment to the ideals of Frontier. Nadene was not able to attend commencement to be recognized in person, but said she felt very honored to receive the award.

Nadene graduated from Frontier in 1996, completing her nurse-midwifery training as a member of CNEP Class 8. Since her Frontier days, she has worked as a certified nurse-midwife in Virginia. In 2003, Nadene traveled to Haiti on a medical mission trip and was so moved by the country’s poverty and lack of medical care that she decided to take action. In 2004, she founded Midwives for Haiti, a non-profit organization with the goal of reducing maternal and infant mortality in Haiti, deemed the most dangerous place in the Western hemisphere for women to give birth. Nadene founded the organization based on her belief that every woman deserves the knowledge and care to have a safe pregnancy and birth. The program started small, with the goal of decreasing maternal and infant mortality in Haiti, and has grown into a midwifery education program that trains Haitian women in providing prenatal care and skilled birth assistance to their Haitian sisters.

Midwives for Haiti depends entirely on professionally trained midwives who give their time and money to educate Haitian women in midwifery skills.

Nadene embodies the philosophy of care passed on by Frontier – to care for the mother and baby, which leads to care for the entire family, the neighborhood, the community, the region, the country and the world.

Submit your nominations Nominations for alumni recognition awards are being accepted, and honorees will be recognized during the 2011 commencement. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Sept. 30, 2011.

The Distinguished Service to Society Award recognizes an alumnus who goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service in his or her community.

The Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award honors an alumnus who has continued to provide support to Frontier through volunteer efforts and/or donor support.

Please e-mail nominations to the Office of Alumni Relations at alumniservices@frontier.edu.

Be sure to include the nominee’s full name, contact information and a list of significant accomplishments along with your contact information. Or mail nominations to: Alumni Relations Office 170 Prosperous Place Lexington, KY 40509

Alumni Events Dr. Susan Stone, former Frontier Dean Ruth Beeman and Dr. Julie Marfell

Roberta Ward and Shirley Pollard-Ramsey

Frontier FNP grads Cassie & Steve Stanley

Bluegrass Committee Luncheon

Commencement

Frontier Reception at KCNPNM

Frontier Committee Luncheons Philadelphia, Lexington and Louisville

In the early days of Frontier, Mrs. Mary Breckinridge organized support committees in many large cities. Today, these committees continue to play a vital role in sustaining the Frontier mission, and gatherings are held to bring together our supporters, administrators, faculty, alumni and friends. If you are a Frontier alum or friend living in or near one of the cities above, consider joining us for one of our fall luncheons. You’ll receive a formal invitation soon. For more details, contact Denise Barrett at denise. barrett@frontier.edu.

Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2011 Alumni Homecoming & Courier Conclave Hyden, KY

Join alumni, former FNS Couriers, faculty and staff for this fun-filled weekend in Hyden. Alumni Homecoming is being held in conjunction with the Mary Breckinridge Festival, making this an event-filled weekend that will be worth the trip. The 2011 Homecoming marks the reunion for the following years – 1945, 1950, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1985 – and for the following CNEP, CFNP and WHCNP classes: 1, 10, 11, 20, 21, 33, 34, 35 and 36. But all graduates are welcome to join us.

Limited accommodations are available at Wendover. Guests will be treated to delicious meals and trips down memory lane.

Tours of campus, Wendover and Hyden are included. For more information, call the Alumni Relations Office at (859) 253-3637, ext. 5014. Register by contacting Michael Claussen at (606) 6722317 or Michael.Claussen@frontier.edu. Register online at www.frontier.edu/homecoming.

Oct. 22, 2011 Frontier Annual Commencement Ceremony Hyden, KY

Commencement in Hyden is a special event. The traditions, fellowship and celebratory nature of this day make it a wonderful way to remember your alma mater. We are always thrilled to

have alumni attend to wish our new graduates well. For more information, contact the Alumni Relations Office at (859) 2533637, ext. 5014.

April 18-21, 2012

Frontier Alumni Reception/KCNPNM – in conjunction with the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives Regional Conference Louisville, KY

All alumni, students, preceptors and faculty are invited to join us for a Frontier gathering preceding the KCNPNM Annual Banquet.

June 2-7, 2012 Frontier Alumni Reception/ACNM American College of Nurse-Midwives 57th Annual Meeting and Exposition Long Beach, CA

Be sure to join us for this well-attended annual event. The Alumni Association proudly hosts this event where more than 100 nurse-midwifery graduates gather to reminisce and share news of their current practice.

June 20-24, 2012 Frontier Alumni Reception/AANP

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 27th National Conference Orlando, FL

This annual event sponsored by the Alumni Association is a great way for our nurse practitioner graduates to reconnect. With the growing number of nurse practitioner alumni, this event gets bigger every year!

Oct. 4-6, 2012 Frontier Alumni Gathering/AABC American Association of Birth Centers Birth Institute St. Petersburg FL

Join us in sunny Florida as we gather for Frontier fellowship at the AABC conference.

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Fall 2011

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Rooted in the Mountains, Reaching to the World Forthcoming book explores the fascinating experiences of Frontier graduates during the first 50 years

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nne Cockerham loves researching her “family” history. A Frontier graduate and faculty member, Anne is bringing the story of her Frontier “family” to fruition. She has been the primary investigator for a forthcoming book that is the culmination of the Frontier Pioneer Project, an effort that began in 2006 to highlight the experiences of Frontier’s Pioneers – those who graduated from the school between 1939 and 1989, before Frontier’s distance-learning transition. The book manuscript is complete, and Butler Books, a publishing company in Louisville, will be handling the design and final details of the project this fall.

Tentatively titled Rooted in the Mountains, Reaching to the World: Stories of Nursing and Midwifery at Kentucky’s Frontier School, 1939-1989, the book is scheduled to go to print early next year with release set for spring 2012.

In an interview last fall, Anne said, “I really am learning a whole lot that’s just amazingly interesting and really exciting.” Anne, a member of CNEP Class 27 who also completed the women’s healthcare nurse practitioner program at Frontier, joined the Frontier faculty in May 2009. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and completed an award-winning research project in nurse-midwifery history for her doctoral dissertation.

Being able to focus on research and on Frontier – “something so near and dear to my heart” – was fantastic, Anne said.

The Pioneer Project launched five years ago, when Frontier’s Pioneers received an invitation to be interviewed. Nearly 100 Pioneers accepted and were interviewed by Frontier nurse-midwifery students. In 2010, Anne came on board to lead the second phase of the project – researching and writing the narrative for a publication that showcases the history of the school and captures the achievements of the Pioneer alumni. The interviews form the basis of a full-length book that explores the fascinating stories and experiences of the school’s Pioneers.

Anne began tackling the project in May 2010 and feels fortunate to have Arlene Keeling, a renowned nurse historian and director of The Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry at the University of Virginia, working with her as a consultant. Arlene served as Anne’s adviser on her doctoral research while she was a Ph.D. student at U.Va. “It’s wonderful to have her expertise,” Anne said.

Anne traveled from her home in Northern Virginia to visit the archives in the Frontier Nursing Service Collection at the University of Kentucky as well as the collection at Berea College in Berea, Ky. She used the Pioneer interviews as primary data and conducted her own research to round out the story and provide historical and social context for the times.

She approached each chapter by decade.

As members of the Frontier family know, our history is a fascinating one.

In 1925, Mary Breckinridge established the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to combat rampant childhood diseases and devastatingly high maternal and infant mortality. When the Second World War in Europe took her primarily British nurse-midwifery staff, Breckinridge opened the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery in 1939. Despite the rural and isolated setting, Frontier students experienced state-of-the-art training and completed requirements consistent with

those of midwifery students in Great Britain. In fact, for students, the isolation of this corner of Appalachia added to the allure of work and training with the FNS. Nurses were drawn to the adventure and romance of traveling by horseback to remote mountain cabins to deliver babies and tend to people wounded by gunshots during feuds. Prospective students also were drawn to the FNS as a training ground for missionary work that they planned to carry out internationally; remote and isolated Appalachia was as close a match for their intended work as they could get within the United States.

Learning the intricacies of living and working among mountain people was an essential component of an FNS education. Extreme poverty was a major factor in bringing the FNS to the area as well as caring for the patients that the FNS served. All of these themes are woven through the stories the alumnae tell of their time at the Frontier Nursing Service; many of these alumnae consider their work and training at the FNS to be the defining moments of their lives.

We think you’ll love reading the Pioneers’ stories and seeing the vivid and compelling photographs that accompany these historic tales. Be on the lookout for more information about the book’s release and booksigning events. We hope you are as excited to read it as we are to present it to you.

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For students, the isolation of this corner of Appalachia added to the allure of work and training with the FNS. Nurses were drawn to the adventure and romance of traveling by horseback to remote mountain cabins.

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Below is an excerpt from Chapter One of Rooted in the Mountains, Reaching to the World:

The Roots of the Frontier Nursing Service We have grown from our infant beginnings into a national philanthropy, grown like the banyan tree we envisioned long ago with branches “yielding shade and fruit Mary Breckinridge at 13 to wide neighborhoods of men.”

When she wrote her autobiography, Wide Neighborhoods, in 1952, Mary Breckinridge reflected on what her beloved Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) had achieved since she founded the service in 1925. In the passage above, Breckinridge compared FNS to a tree, a metaphor that aptly described the service’s steadfast and powerful roots in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, as well as the plentiful yield of healthy babies delivered by the Frontier nurses.

Breckinridge was equally proud of another of the Frontier Nursing Service’s products: the hundreds of graduates of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery (renamed the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in 1971 and Frontier Nursing University in 2011). Through their subsequent work in the United States and around the world, the Frontier School alumni constitute a significant portion of the legacy of the FNS. Indeed, through their care of thousands of women, babies and families, the graduates have provided “shade and fruit” to many. The stories of their experiences in school and in their careers after graduation provide a fascinating glimpse into a part of nurse-midwifery history that has heretofore not been given significant attention, and therefore is the purpose of this book.

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Mary Breckinridge: A Woman of Vision

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To fully understand the stories of the graduates of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery, one must first have an understanding of the woman whose vision and hard work set the stage for students to travel to the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern Kentucky. Mary Breckinridge was born on February 17, 1881, to a wealthy, well-connected, and public service-oriented family.

Several ancestors served in elected positions, including her grandfather, John Cabell Breckinridge, vice president of the United States under James Buchanan, and her father, who served as ambassador to Russia in the mid-1890s.

In addition to witnessing firsthand her family’s continued focus on public service, Mary Breckinridge found her own future profoundly influenced by her time in Russia.

Mary was 14 years old when her mother delivered Mary’s younger brother. A Russian midwife attended

the birth, and this experience opened Mary’s eyes to the possibility of midwife-attended births. Breckinridge later recalled the event in her autobiography, Wide Neighborhoods: In looking back over the years of my childhood to find things that had a bearing on what came to be the Frontier Nursing Service, there is one event that stands out in my memory above all others and that is the birth of my younger brother in Russia in the early nineties. . . . My mother had engaged two doctors for her confinement. One was our family physician . . . The other was one of the outstanding obstetricians in Petersburg. The Russian midwife, Madame Kouchnova . . . [was] engaged to attend my mother. Afterward, my mother told me that when the baby was born the two doctors stood by in their white coats while Madame Kouchnova did the delivery.

It was a normal delivery and there was no reason why they should interfere. I recalled this often.

Just as her observation of a Russian midwife attending normal births influenced her thinking about what would later become the Frontier Nursing Service, Breckinridge’s educational path taught her other important lessons. The first several years of Mary’s high school education took place at a Swiss boarding school, at which the official language was French. All classes were taught in French and the girls were required to speak only French from Monday through Saturday. This skill would later be important to Breckinridge when her work in post-World War I France served as a training ground for founding the FNS. According to her: Had I not known French well, I could not have organized the nursing in the American Committee for Devastated France, with the restoration of over ten thousand war-wrecked children. This was my first large piece of administrative work and more than anything else it prepared me to organize the work in Kentucky.

In Switzerland Breckinridge fell in love with mountains and later described this affinity: “The link between my school days in Switzerland and the Frontier Nursing Service lies in the mountains. For nearly two years I lived surrounded by them then; now I shall abide among them as long as life remains to me. . . I am at heart a mountaineer . . . I belong.”

Frontier in Print The Frontier Nursing Service: America’s First Rural Nurse-Midwife Service and School Marie Bartlett

While much has been written about the history of the Frontier Nursing Service and its indomitable founder, Mary Breckinridge, Marie Bartlett’s book The Frontier Nursing Service: America’s First Rural Nurse-Midwife Service and School (McFarland & Co, Inc, 2009) was called “the missing link” by the FNS organization upon its publication.

Through more than 186 oral histories and documents provided by the University of Kentucky and Berea College, the book brings to life the day-to-day stories and actual cases of the remarkable women who helped Breckinridge build and sustain the FNS. As part of the contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies, Bartlett’s book examines the FNS from a human interest angle and allows readers to see and appreciate the real-life elements of the FNS. This publication is set to be electronically released through e-readers Nook and Kindle this summer.

and her companion nurse are often on their own in dealing with injuries, disease and difficult births. They must ride horseback along streams and ridgetops to call on families needing assistance.

Into her world of service and caring comes David Banastre, a personable young man from Cincinnati who wants to familiarize himself with the area in hopes of writing a novel about the region and the people. Lynn, who has only just left a disheartening love affair in the Bluegrass, finds herself attracted to the newcomer and her attentions divided between her nursing duties and David’s activities. Both she and David immerse themselves in the lives of the local people as their love grows and his novel progresses. How will it all play out and how will they both realize the goals they have set for themselves?

A Season for Healing

Au secours du Soissonnais: Lettres de Mary Breckinridge, 1919-21

A Season for Healing is the fictional story of a young woman, Lynn Rowland, from the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, who travels to Eastern Kentucky in 1930 to serve in the Frontier Nursing Service. Lynn is posted to one of the nursing outposts established away from the central headquarters at Wendover, where she

From February 1919 to September 1921, while she was serving in the Soissonnais region of northern France as a volunteer for the American Committee for the Devastated Regions (CARD), Mary Breckinridge wrote nearly every week to her

Charles L. Roe

Co-edited and co-translated into French by Karen Polinger Foster and Monique Judas-Urschel Amiens, Encrage Editions, in press.

family back in The States. These hitherto unpublished letters, most of them typed single-spaced, three to four pages each, furnish a corpus of exceptional value, not only because they are among the rare letters to survive from any of the CARD members, but also because of their fine literary qualities, breadth of subject matter, and importance of the work that Mary Breckinridge accomplished in France. Her efforts on behalf of women and children saved the lives of thousands who would otherwise have perished in the difficult conditions immediately following World War I. In addition, she established public health training in France, founded institutions still active in the region, and convinced the French government to make public health a national priority (still true today). This book offers a translation into French of 57 letters, as well as some 30 illustrations, many of them unpublished photographs and documents. It also includes an introduction, brief notes, and indices of persons, places and subjects. Considerable French interest in these letters encouraged the authors to undertake this Franco-American cooperation project, following in the footsteps of Mary Breckinridge

A novel in progress:

Heidi Saunders, a Fisherville, Ky., author, is working on a young adult novel about an adventurous young woman who travels from Boston to serve as a courier with the Frontier Nursing Service.

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Take a trip back in time with these books and projects inspired by Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service

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Frontier starts a new chapter in

RESEARCH S

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ince its inception, the founders of the Frontier Nursing Service recognized the need for research and the importance of systematically recording and reporting the health outcomes related to the care provided by Frontier nurses and midwives. In keeping with this long tradition, Frontier Nursing University has established an Office of Research for the purpose of facilitating the research and scholarly work of faculty and students.

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papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as book chapters, editorials, commentaries, and letters to the editor. Her research on infant anthropometric measurements is cited extensively in pediatric and health assessment textbooks and her papers have received over 300 citations in the Web of Science.

The focus on faculty research and scholarship has resulted in an increased number of publications and presentations. During the 2010 calendar year faculty members had 15 publications. Six of those Following the establishment of the publications were original articles in Office of Research, Janet Engstrom, peer-reviewed journals such as the PhD, APN, CNM, WHNP-BC, Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, FACNM, was recruited to serve Nursing History Review and Journal as our first Associate Dean for of Electronic Resources in Medical Research. Dr. Engstrom was most Libraries. These published papers recently a Professor and Department included reports of original research Chairperson of Women, Children as well as scholarly reviews of the and Family Nursing at Rush literature. Faculty also published two University in Chicago, Illinois, and book chapters and were the authors Dr. Janet Engstrom was previously the Coordinator of of two manuals relevant to midwifery the Nurse-Midwifery Educational including How to Start a Birth Center Program at the University of Illinois and the ACNM Exam Prep Workbook at Chicago. Dr. Engstrom’s research has focused for 2010. Other publications also included editorials, on clinical assessments such as measurement media reviews, contributions to books, and white of the uterine fundus during pregnancy, infant papers for professional organizations. anthropometric measurements, measurement of In addition to publications, faculty had a milk intake during breastfeeding for premature productive year for presentations. Faculty gave 20 infants, and measurement of the lipid and calorie podium presentations and presented 14 posters content of human milk in the clinical setting. Dr. last year. Almost all of the poster and podium Engstrom is currently a co-principal investigator presentations were at national or international on a research grant from the National Institute meetings such as the American College of of Nursing Research examining the relationship Nurse-Midwives, American Academy of Nurse between the dose and exposure period of human Practitioners, National League for Nursing, milk feeding for very low birth weight infants in the American Public Health Association, and the neonatal intensive care unit and the infants’ health International Forum for Women in E-Learning outcomes and costs of care. She has previously annual conferences. One poster presented by our received research funding from professional and faculty was awarded the “Best Electronic Poster philanthropic organizations as well as from industry Presentation” at the National Organizations of Nurse sponsors. She has published over 60 scientific Practitioner Faculties’ meeting in Washington, D.C.

Other noteworthy scholarly accomplishments during the 2010 calendar year were the number of doctoral dissertations and doctor of nursing practice capstone projects completed. Seven faculty members completed their doctoral degrees with one completing a dissertation and six completing doctor of nursing practice capstone projects. The increase in the number of doctorates reflects Frontier Nursing University’s commitment to doctoral preparation for faculty. In the past five years, 23 faculty members have completed a doctoral degree.

Plans for the Office of Research include a focus on increasing faculty publications and presentations by providing programs and resources to support faculty scholarship.

Long-range goals are to increase the number of research projects and to secure funding for those projects. A preliminary assessment of the strengths of the school and its faculty demonstrate great potential for further increasing the scholarly work. The strengths of the faculty include their high level of information literacy, extensive experience in distance education, and the breadth and depth of their clinical expertise and content knowledge. The faculty members also have diverse expertise in teaching and research methods that can be highly effective in designing and evaluating educational innovations and distance learning strategies as well as clinical interventions and outcomes. Additionally, the school has many outstanding resources to facilitate scholarly work particularly the information technology team, library resources, development office, and academic staff. Together these resources and skills will be the foundation for making significant scholarly contributions to the science of midwifery and family nurse practitioner education and practice.

Frontier Nursing Honor Society gets off to a strong start The establishment of the new Frontier Nursing Honor Society is well under way. This group has been formed to support the learning, scholarship and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Long-term plans for the group are to achieve recognition as a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.

Officers and committee chairs for the new organization have been appointed, and the first membership drive held this summer was a wonderful success. As a result of this drive, 100 people – including alumni, students and faculty members – were invited to join the honor society.

A work group has formed to begin planning a “virtual” induction ceremony for new members. Officers also have begun discussing potential programs of interest to Frontier Nursing University students, alumni and faculty.

For more information about the honor society, contact President Jan Stalder at jan.stalder@frontier.edu or the Alumni Relations Office at alumniservices@frontier.edu. Or call the alumni office at 859.253.3637.

Congratulations to the newest officers and members of the Frontier Nursing Honor Society: President: Janel Stalder Vice-President: Tiffany Washington Secretary: Mary Jo Ytzen Treasurer: Susan Yount Counselor: Judi Daniels Governance Committee: MayRuth Lambert (chair); April Greene; Crystal Sherman Leadership Committee: Anne Cockerham (chair); Debra Arndt; Dustin Spencer Finance Committee: Sharon Steinmetz (chair); April Dobroth Publicity Committee: Julia Diane Moon (chair); Susan Clapp; Sarah Smith Barbara Anderson Robert Anderson Tia Andrighetti Tammy Lynn Andrews Shandra Andry Victoria Baker Cody Elizabeth Basciano Hellen A. Bennett (Harley) Barbara Brennan Marshelle Bergstrom David Brown Patricia Caudle Lisa Chappell Janie Chatham Leslie Curry (Isaacs) Audra DeGroot Janet Engstrom Cathy Fliris Margaret Franklin Rachel Gallagher Meghan Garland Lynn Gertiser Rebecca Gilmer Martha Goedert Melissa Gordon Heather Grace Jamie Harrington Nena Harris Jane Hitch

Elizabeth Holcomb Margaret Holcomb Laura Hollywood Frances Horton Lisa Hurley Mary Lee Jordan Robin Jordan Deborah Karsnitz Denise Kilburn Elisabeth King Angela Klassen Joyce Knestrick Constance Knowles Mary Elizabeth Kwiecinski (Schmidt) Shenaye Lyons Laura Mann-James Julie Marfell Amy Marowitz Alicia Mason Jennifer Anne Miller Mary Nichols Tonya Nicholson Kathryn Osborne Julie Paul Sharon Payne (Key) Christy Pendarvis Nancy Pesta Walsh

Chaundel Presley Ashli Randolph Sonia Rich Mazzeo Nicole Romero Leona Carol Rose Patti Rose Amber Rossman Dina Nicole Salvatore Kerri Schuiling Crystal Sherman Melissa Sims Erica Simonich Deborah Skoruppa Rachel Spikes Patricia Ann Stephens Susan Stone Tanya Tanner Susan Thomas Jaime Thompson Shelly Thorpe Luzia Tuggle Suzan Ulrich Grace Ellen Urquhart Sarah Wansing Valerie Wills Courtney Witulski Jackie Wright

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A full list of the faculty publications and presentations is provided elsewhere in this report.

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Kudos FNU

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Highlighting the achievements of the Frontier faculty

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Dr. Barbara Anderson, DrPH, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, Director of FNU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, has published the third edition of her Dr. Barbara Anderson book, Caring for the Vulnerable. Her book is used extensively in nursing curriculum across the country.

The second edition of this book was an AJN Book of the Year award winner. Of note, four Frontier faculty members have chapters in this book.

Dr. Anderson is also the author of two chapters in a book that just received the AJN Book of the Year award for 2011.

The book is Current Issues in Nursing, 8th edition, (2011) edited by Perle Cowen and Sue Moorhead. Dr. Anderson is the lead author of a chapter on the global workforce shortage in midwifery and nursing. She is also the second author of a chapter on global midwifery issues.

In the listings that follow are the publications and presentations by Frontier Nursing University faculty for 2010. The names of FNU faculty members are in bold.

FNU faculty and alumni are working on a book about evidence-based best practices in midwifery for Springer Publishing. While there is such a book for British midwives, there is no such text in the United States. This book targets American nurse-midwives and examines controversies in implementing evidencebased practices in the care of childbearing women in America. Dr. Susan Stone and Dr. Barbara Anderson will co-edit the book, which will be authored by multiple contributors. Involved in writing the book are 21 Frontier faculty and four alumni. All royalties from the book will be donated to FNU for student scholarships.

ACNM President and Frontier alum Holly Kennedy agreed to write the foreword to the book, and Kitty Ernst agreed to write the conclusion. Writing is in process with a final submission to Springer in the spring of 2012.

Dr. Joyce Knestrick

PUBLICATIONS Anderson, B. (2010, Spring). Our legacy: Strengthening the reproductive health workforce [editorial]. APHA - Population, Reproductive and Sexual Health Section Newsletter, 1, 1-2.

Cockerham, A.Z., & Keeling, A. W. (2010).

Finance and faith at the Catholic Maternity Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1944-1969.

Nursing History Review, 18, 151-166.

Garzon, D. L., Knestrick, J. M., & Richardson, B. (2010).

Roadmap to teen health counseling tool.

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Austin, TX. Gebb, B. A. (2010).

Library support for mobile device projects.

Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, 7, 165-170.

Jegier, B. J., Meier, P. P., Engstrom, J. L., & O’Brien, T. (2010). The cost of providing 100 mL of human milk in the NICU. Breastfeeding Medicine, 5, 71-77.

Jordan, R. (2010).

Prenatal omega-3 fatty acids: Review and recommendations.

Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 55, 520-529.

Dr. Robin Jordan

Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and NurseMidwives, Legislative Committee [Marfell, J., member]. (2010).

Nurse practitioners and nurse midwives provide quality, Dr. Julie Marfell cost effective care but barriers to their practice decrease patient access to care.

Retrieved from: http://www.kcnpnm.org/ resource/resmgr/docs/barriers_decrease_ patient_ac.pdf Knestrick, J. M. [Contributor]. (2010). In J. B. George (Ed.), Nursing theories: The base for professional nursing practice (6th ed.).

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Meier, P. P., & Engstrom, J. L. (2010). Preventing, diagnosing, and managing slow weight gain in the human milk-fed very low birthweight infant. In R. Davanzo Dr. Janet Engstrom (Ed.), Nutrition with human milk: Research and practice (pp. 45-58). Trieste, Italy: Graphart, Sandorligo, Della Valle.

Meier, P. P., Engstrom, J. L., Patel, A. L., Jegier, B. J. & Bruns, N. E. (2010). Improving the use of human milk during and after the NICU stay. Clinics in Perinatology, 37, 217-245.

Rodríguez, N., Meier, P. P., Groer, M. W., Zeller, J. M., Engstrom, J. L., & Fogg, L. (2010). A pilot study to determine the safety and feasibility of oropharyngeal administration of own mother’s colostrum to extremely low-birth-weight infants.

Advances in Neonatal Care, 10, 206-212.

Schrag, K. (2010). How to start a birth center. Perkiomenville, PA: American Association of Birth Centers.

Wilson-Liverman, A., & Lassiter, N. (2010).

ACNM Exam Prep Workbook for 2010.

American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Silver Spring, MD. Nicole Lassiter

presented at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, Office of Lifelong Learning. Aurora, CO.

distance education program by creating a community of inquiry. Presented at the 21st Annual Nurse Educators’ Conference in the Rockies. Breckenridge, CO.

Calloway, S. (2010, July). Barriers to help-seeking for psychological distress among students attending a rural university. Paper presented at the Missouri Show Me Dr. Susan Calloway You Care About Suicide Prevention Annual Conference. Jefferson City, MO.

Schrag, K. (2010, March, May, September). How to start a birth center.

Workshop presented at the American Association of Birth Centers. Houston, TX; Charleston, SC; Newport Beach, CA.

Counts, M. M. & Knestrick, J. M. ( 2010, June). Medical home: New challenges for NPs. Paper presented at the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners’ 25th National Conference. Phoenix, AZ. Ernst, E. K. M. (2010, October) The history of birth centers. Paper presented at the Midwives Alliance of North America 2010 Conference. Nashville, TN

PODIUM PRESENTATIONS Anderson, E. N., & Anderson, B. (2010, March). A partial success: Development and globalization in a Yucatec Maya town.

Paper presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology. Merida, Mexico.

Anderson, B. (2010, April). Things that matter: The future of nursing education in America. Paper presented at the California State University Department of Nursing.

San Bernardino, CA. Anderson, B. (2010, May). Nursing faculty development in America: A determinant of health outcomes domestically and globally. Paper presented at the United States Public Health Service Scientific and Training symposium. San Diego, CA. Anderson, B. (2010, May). Bridging crosscultural issues in providing health services to oncology patients and their families. Paper presented at the Oncology Nursing Society 35th Annual Congress.

San Diego, CA. Anderson, B. (2010, November). Student career trajectories revisited. Paper presented at the American Public Health Association, Denver, CO. Baker, V. L. (2010, May). Cultural competence for managers. Workshop

Ulrich, S. (2010, August). Developing an interactive community assessment project to enhance student learning. Paper presented at the 26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, University of Wisconsin. Madison, WI.

Kitty Ernst

Hoeger, A., & Lazarus, J. (2010, June). Annual preceptor training workshop. Workshop presented at the 55th American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Meeting. Washington, DC Holcomb, E. P. (2010, May). Advanced practice nurses; Filling the health care gap in rural America. Paper presented at Shandong University. Weihau, China.

Marfell, J. (2010, November). The role of the APN: What does the future hold? Paper presented at the Kentucky Department for Public Health First Annual Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Conference.

Bardstown, KY. Nichols, M. R. (2010, June). Partner childbirth support: Evidence for using the Childbirth Support Inventory. Paper presented at the 55th American College of Nurse Midwives Annual Meeting.

Washington, DC. Osborne, C., & Knestrick, J. M. ( 2010, July). Conquering the disconnect: Increasing graduate student engagement in a

Dr. Suzan Ulrich Albuquerque, NM.

Ulrich, S. (2010, December).

Community of inquiry model facilitates interaction in community assessment course.

Paper presented at the 4th International Forum for Women in E-Learning.

Wilson-Liverman, A., & Lassiter, N. (2010).

ACNM exam prep workshop. Workshop presented at the 55th American College of Nurse Midwives Annual Meeting.

Washington, DC.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS Angrighetti, T. (2010, June). Shoulder dystocia and postpartum hemorrhage simulations: Student confidence in managing these complications. Poster presented at the 55th American College of Nurse Midwives Annual Meeting.

Washington, D.C. Bruns, N. E., Jegier, B. J., Engstrom, J. L., & Meier, P. P. (2010, October). Graphic patterning as a method of describing dose and exposure period of human milk intake in very low birth weight infants. Poster presented at the International Society of Research in Human Milk and Lactation.

Lima, Peru.

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Stone, S. E., & Gillmor-Kahn, M. (2010). Quality clinical education for graduate nursing students at a distance: One exemplar. In K. B. Gaberson & M. H. Oermann (Eds.).

Dr. Susan Stone Clinical Teaching Strategies in Nursing (3rd ed., pp. 255-284). New York: Springer.

Kudos

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Gebb, B. A. , & Nichols, M. R. (2010, April). The usefulness of RSS feeds to enhance student access to recent research. Poster presented at the 14th Off-Campus Library Services Conference. Cleveland, Ohio.

Jegier, B. J., Engstrom, J. L., & Meier, P. P. (2010, October). Measuring human milk feedings for very low birth weight infants: A review of the literature. Poster presented at the International Society of Research in Human Milk and Lactation. Lima, Peru.

Johnson, T. J., Jegier, B. J., Engstrom, J. L., & Meier, P. P. (2010, October). Neonatal intensive care unit costs of morbidities in very low birth weight infants. Poster presented at the International Society of Research in Human Milk and Lactation. Lima, Peru.

Knestrick, J. M., & Counts, M. M. (2010, June). Saving the beta cells: Using evidence based practice in a rural clinic. Poster presented at American Academy of Nurse Practitioners’ 25th National Conference.

›› BE YOND THE FRONITER › FALL 2011

Marfell, J., Gebb, B. A., & Nichols, M. R. (2010, April).

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds to enhance student access to recent research and current health care topics.

Billie Anne Gebb Poster presented at the 36th Annual Meeting of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Washington, D.C. Awarded best electronic poster presentation.

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Nichols, M. R., Chappell, L., & Marfell, J. (2010, April). Academic dishonesty in graduate nursing education: Student issues of plagiarism and honor code violations.

Poster presented at the 36th Annual Meeting of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Washington, D.C.

Kudos

Ulrich, S., Daniels, J., Wilson, J., & Schinhofen, J. (2010, September). Online course environment effects on test anxiety and student performance. Poster presented at the NLN Education Summit 2010 Shaping History, Reforming Health Care: The Power of Nursing Education. Las Vegas, NV. Webster, N. (2010, October). Evaluation of a home-based psychosocial support intervention for symptoms of postpartum depression. Poster presented at the 50th Anniversary Mega Conference, Lamaze and ICEA. Milwaukee, WI. Webster, N. (2010, October). Evaluation of a home-based psychosocial support intervention for symptoms of postpartum depression. Poster presented at Perinatal Mental Health Research: Harvesting the Potential, Marce Society/Postpartum Support International. Pittsburgh, PA.

DNP CAPSTONE PROJECTS & DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS The following projects were completed by faculty who received their Doctor of Nursing Practice or doctoral degree in 2010.

Andrighetti, T. (2010). Simulations at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing Clinical Bound. Frontier Nursing University, KY. Couch, K. (2010). Revealing wellness to perform: Establishing a worksite wellness program. Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, KY.

Nichols, M. R., Chappell, L., & Marfell, J. (2010, September). Academic integrity: Issues in nursing education excellence.

Poster presented at the National League for Nursing’s Education Summit 2010. Las Vegas, NV. Patel, A. L., Jegier, B. J., Engstrom, J. L., Bigger, H. R., & Meier, P. P. (2010, October).

Prospective study of human milk feedings

Hoeger, A. (2010). Increasing participation in preceptor training at the Frontier School of

and infant growth in very low birth weight infants. Poster presented at the International Society of Research in Human Milk and Lactation. Lima, Peru.

Dr. Cathy Fliris

Fliris, C. L. (2010).

Implementation of a disease management program to enhance self-care behaviors of rural adults with heart failure. Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, UT.

Midwifery and Family Nursing by incorporating a userDr. Aggie Hoeger friendly course and student assistance into the clinical practicum.

Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, KY. Osborne, K. (2010). Pushing techniques used by midwives when providing second stage labor care (Doctoral dissertation).

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. Pesta Walsh, N. (2010). The adaptation and implementation of cross-cultural cognitive behavioral group therapy sessions for the treatment of depression in women at a rural health clinic. Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, KY. Urquhart, G. E. (2010). Short-term medical missions: A toolkit of resources.

Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, KY. Dr. Grace Ellen Urquhart

NRHA President Kris Sparks, left, presented Dr. Stone with her award.

Dr. Stone receives prestigious national award FNU President and Dean named NRHA’s Distinguished Educator of the Year

Criteria used to select the recipient of this award included the scope of accomplishments, the significance of the work to rural health, the sophistication of the scholarly effort (innovativeness and originality, rigor and scientific soundness, and theoretical base), and evidence of the outcome of the work in rural health (effect on heathcare policy, contribution to the advancement of the field, significance in changing patterns of healthcare delivery, and enhancement of rural health careers).

Like Frontier founder Mary Breckinridge, Dr. Stone has devoted her career to improving healthcare for women and families. Dr. Stone received her first nursing degree in l974, later followed by a bachelor’s of science in nursing from the State University of New York. Dr. Stone worked as nurse and a certified childbirth educator, and later as a certified

nurse-midwife in NewYork after receiving her post-master’s certificate in nurse-midwifery from the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in 1991.

During the 1990s, while still practicing, she served on the distance-learning faculty of the Frontier School (now known as Frontier Nursing University). Dr. Stone, who earned her Doctor of Nursing Science degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been instrumental in expanding Frontier’s outreach worldwide, through a unique melding of online learning and real-world clinical experiences.

Dr. Stone, who has led Frontier as its President and Dean since 2001, has been instrumental in the growth and success of Frontier, and her passion for the vision of Mary Breckinridge is evidenced by the university’s continued commitment to educate advanced practice nurses and nurse-midwives to serve in rural and underserved areas.

Enrollment at Frontier has grown from just 200 students in 2006 to a current enrollment of more than 1,000 students representing all 50 states and many countries. Dr. Stone has maintained a focus on educating nurses who will serve rural and underserved populations, which is evidenced by the fact that more than 60% of students enrolled in 2010 resided in rural counties and/or health professional shortages areas.

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Dr. Susan Stone, President and Dean of Frontier Nursing University, was recognized this spring with the National Rural Health Association’s Distinguished Educator of the Year Award for 2011. Dr. Stone was honored May 5 during the 34th Annual Rural Health Conference in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Stone’s devotion to a career of advancing the education of rural healthcare providers throughout the United States made her a deserving recipient of this prestigious national award.

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Embrace our Future

Your support is vital in maintaining Frontier’s tradition of excellence “If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren’t really living.” — Gail Sheehy

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n 1925, Mary Breckinridge began construction of the two-story log cabin to be her home and the office from which she administered the Frontier Nursing Service and the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery (today known as Frontier Nursing University). Wendover has always been the center of Frontier Nursing hospitality – Mrs. Breckinridge often gave up her own bed to accommodate guests, colleagues, and even sick children.

After recent organizational changes within the Frontier Nursing Service, Frontier Nursing University has assumed responsibility for Wendover. We are honored to acquire the historical headquarters of the Frontier Nursing Service at Wendover and plan to keep the rich heritage of Frontier Nursing Service and Mary Breckinridge alive for future generations. FNU plans to further Wendover’s development into a national nursing and midwifery retreat center.

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Frontier appreciates gifts of any size, and we recognize our donors in the following ways: Banyan Tree Legacy Society:

This lifetime society includes donors who have put Frontier in their will and/or estate plans.

Planning a gift is one of the easiest ways to make

An important plan approved at the April 2011 board meeting was the launch of a fundraising campaign. To ensure the future of FNU and Wendover, we are embarking on a campaign to raise $10 million to increase the endowment fund, which has suffered greatly during the last three difficult years. The FNU Endowment Campaign has a goal of raising $10 million over the next five years. The endowment will be divided between two funds, $6 million to create the FNU Fund and $4 million to create the Wendover Fund.

We challenge all alumni to “Embrace Our Future” and participate in the endowment campaign. Strong support from our board, faculty, staff, alumni and students will provide the base for this ambitious goal. This is an exciting time for Frontier Nursing University. We have the opportunity to preserve our past while focusing on our future.Thank you to all whose support we could not function without.

a significant contribution to FNU that can provide you with immediate tax benefits. Contact the development office for help with gift planning.

Breckinridge with their generous annual support.

President's Circle: Annual gifts of $1,000+

Founder's Circle:

Friends of Frontier: Annual gifts of $250

Annual gifts of $5,000+ This group of donors supports the mission and vision of Mary

Heritage Society: Annual gifts of $500 Century Club: Annual gifts of $100

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”

— Mohandas Gandhi

Photo by Suzanne Deaton

The FNU FUND

The FNU Fund will support three new endowed Chair positions and a campus preservation fund, designed to maintain our historical buildings on the FNU campus in Hyden, Ky. The endowed Chairs, each valued at $1 million, will include an endowed Chair of Midwifery and Women’s Health, an endowed Chair of Family Nursing and an endowed Chair of Research and Scholarship. The Chair of Midwifery and Women’s Health and the Chair of Family Nursing will have the responsibility to promote the use of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners as one method of improving access to high-quality healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved areas. They may do this through involvement in relevant national professional organizations, leading research that demonstrates the highquality care provided by nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners, and designing and leading quality improvement efforts in the education programs. These positions on our faculty are critical to our role in the national agenda and the future of nursing in America.

The Chair of Research and Scholarship will carry the responsibility for promotion, development and evaluation of research in nursing and midwifery education and

practice. FNU’s contribution to national discussions regarding best practices in nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery professions, evidence-based solutions to healthcare problems, and effective teaching methods in nursing education and distance education are critical to the continued growth and success of these professions and our role in educating these providers.

A portion of the FNU Fund will support campus maintenance and preservation. The Morton Gill building, built in 1928, was the original Hyden Hospital built by the Frontier Nursing Service. This building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now home to FNU administrative offices and faculty housing. Haggin Dormitory, built in 1949, is also on the National Register.This dormitory houses students during campus intensives and includes the dining hall. Other historic treasures include Mardi Cottage, Aunt Hattie’s Barn and St. Christopher‘s Chapel.

Maintenance of the facilities and preservation of their historical significance are necessary expenses that affect the operational budget. A portion of the endowment designated to campus facilities will provide annual support for campus projects both expected and unexpected.

MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY!

Make donations online at our secure site: Or mail gifts to: http://www.frontier.edu/online-giving FNU Office of Development 132 FNS Drive Wendover, KY 41775

Reach us at: alumniservices@frontier.edu or at 859.253.3637 ext. 5014

The Wendover Endowment will provide funds to support the operations and maintenance of our historic treasure for years to come. To this day, FNU maintains the tradition of hosting dinners and other events for students as they progress through their course of study, creating lifelong personal friendships and professional contacts. Alumni remember fondly the dinners and evenings enjoyed at Wendover. These celebrations are a critical event in each student’s journey to becoming a Frontier nursemidwife and nurse practitioner.

It is during this “pilgrimage” that the pioneering, passionate and altruistic spirit of Frontier Nursing is solidified within each student.

Wendover was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1991 and in 2001 was licensed as a bed and breakfast.

Income from The Wendover Endowment will ensure that the Wendover property is carefully maintained and secure. The Wendover Bed and Breakfast Inn will strive to host over 3,500 visitors each year, and we estimate more than 25 groups will participate in the historical tour annually. Additionally, Wendover will continue to host nearly 1,000 students during their campus stays. Endowment income will provide the stability needed to share our treasure with a national audience.

“Wendover! There’s no place like it in the world!”

– Helen E. Browne, Director of FNS, 1965-1975

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The Wendover Fund

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CONTINUING THE COMMITTEE

TRADITION: FRONTIER HOSTS SUCCESSFUL 2011 GATHERINGS WITH SUPPORTERS & FRIENDS

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o share the message of Frontier’s work, founder Mary Breckinridge established committees of supporters in various cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Annual committee meetings, held in local social clubs or restaurants or in supporters’ homes, served as a purposeful time for Mrs. Breckinridge to report on Frontier. This gave supporters of the Frontier Nursing Service time to learn about the important progress of Frontier and the urgent needs of the service. To this day, Frontier continues this historic tradition of gathering together its city committee members. Each year, we coordinate luncheons or dinners to visit with friends, supporters, faculty, alumni and students in the cities of Cincinnati, Lexington, Louisville, New York, Rochester, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C.

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On May 12, Frontier hosted its second annual Frontier dinner in Cincinnati. Marian Leibold, former FNS Courier, graciously helped to arrange the dinner hosted at the Cincinnati Country Club. Supporters, alumni and students joined together to visit, share memories and hear recent updates from the School.

Guests included former Courier Mary Cassidy and two Pioneer alumni, Charlotte Wittekind and Lillian Link, who graduated from the first nurse practitioner program in the 1970s.

Several other students and recent alumni also attended. We were pleased to see our friends in the Cincinnati area and look forward to next year’s event.

On May 19, FNU President Susan Stone and staff traveled to Washington, D.C., to host an event for area supporters, alumni and students.

Frontier hosted its annual luncheon at the Irish Inn in Glen Echo, Maryland, where President Stone provided a presentation to bring everyone up to date on our work and plans. More

to know Frontier Nursing through their friendship with Ms. Marvin Breckinridge Patterson and the annual Kentucky Derby parties that she hosted in her D.C. home. Mrs. Patterson, a cousin to Mary Breckinridge, was an acclaimed photojournalist, cinematographer and philanthropist who began her career by making the classic 1931 black-and-white silent film The Forgotten Frontier, a documentary about the Frontier Nursing Service.

Former Couriers Marian Leibold and Mary Cassidy shared Frontier memories at the annual committee dinner in Cincinnati in May. than 30 guests attended, including former Couriers Dorothy Mudd (1944) and Elizabeth High (1952).

A number of current students, several alumni and two faculty also joined us. We were happy to see our many D.C. area supporters, many who came

In June, President Stone and Denise Barrett, Frontier Nursing University’s Director of Development, traveled to New York to host two events for supporters in New York City and Rochester. The New York City event, held at the Cosmopolitan Club, welcomed 11 guests, including former Couriers, alumni and longtime supporters. Past Couriers in attendance were Frances Storrs (1929 Courier), Caroline Williams, LouAnne Roberts and Sarah Bacon.

Diane Kirkwood Horton, whose father was an obstetrician and worked

The New York City Luncheon for a time with the Frontier Nursing Service, also joined to reconnect with Frontier. Filomena Vagueiro (CNEP Class 41), Laura Hollywood (current FNU faculty) and several other supporters attended. We are proud to continue a longstanding tradition of hosting the Frontier event at the Cosmopolitan Club. Mrs. Breckinridge visited with her New York area friends at the Manhattan club many times over the years to provide them with updates about Frontier.

The next evening, former Courier Lee Fox hosted dinner for those in the Rochester area at her home in Pittsford, New York, welcoming a group that included many alumni, several Couriers and a member of the Breckinridge family.

Alumni in attendance included Mary Mattocks (Pioneer 1988), Cecilia Stearns, Patti Beverly, Mary Robin MacIntyre, Sarah Parker and Theresa Brown-Mahoney (all from CNEP Classes 8 and 9), and current student Jennifer Orcutt. Sallay

Parmigiani (Courier 1965) shared in the evening, as well as Susan Graham, a relative of Mrs. Breckinridge.

A wonderful mix of individuals comprised this group representing the past, present and future of Frontier!

Fall City Committee events are being planned for Lexington, Louisville, and Philadelphia. We look forward to visiting our friends in these areas and providing detailed reports on Frontier Nursing University’s many accomplishments and the exciting plans that lie ahead.

Elizabeth Codman High, a 1952 Courier, and Dorothy Morris Mudd, a 1944 Courier, gathered with Frontier friends from the D.C. area in May.

The Rochester Dinner

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The Cincinnati Dinner

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DONOR SPOTLIGHT:

Carolyn Fromuth remembers FNS nurses fondly

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›› BE YOND THE FRONITER › FALL 2011

arolyn Asher Fromuth, a longtime supporter of Frontier, remembers as a child when Mary Breckinridge came to Leslie County, Kentucky, and established the Frontier Nursing Service. Mrs. Fromuth, who was born in Hyden on Aug. 27, 1919, and lived there until April 1942, has many fond memories of the Frontier nurses and the positive impact they had on the health of her community. Even though Mrs. Fromuth never returned to Leslie County to live, her memories of the work of Frontier and her belief in the mission have compelled her to continue making an annual gift. She joins thousands of supporters across the country in their commitment to our work.

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Mrs. Fromuth shared some of her recollections of the first years after the Frontier nurses arrived in Leslie County.

“The nursing service was just opening in a house on the hill above our house,” recalls Mrs. Fromuth. “Before the nurses with FNS arrived, there was no healthcare available. Deaths of children were so common that there was a saying that ‘if you can get through the second summer, your child will make it.’ FNS brought in so many new practices, and people really respected them.” Mrs. Fromuth recalls that the three main changes brought to the county by Frontier were the introduction of vaccinations, education about worms and increased sanitation. “The vaccinations were unheard of, but the FNS nurses had all the children vaccinated. I remember taking my younger brothers screaming and yelling to get their shots. Also, most kids went barefoot in summer, so

Mrs. Carolyn Asher Fromuth, left, is shown as a young girl with childhood friend Thadine Lewis in her yard. You can see hospital hill above in the background.

the nurses warned children not to go in the barnyard barefoot because of the worms. A third thing that they did was tell people about screening their windows to keep the flies out and helping people to build toilets instead of hanging them out over the rivers.” These small but significant changes meant markedly improved health for the children in Leslie County.

The caring attitudes of the Frontier nurses and the lifesaving education and medicine they brought to her community have inspired Mrs. Fromuth to remain a loyal supporter of Frontier. As she has moved around the country, from Kentucky to Texas to Florida, where she now makes her home, Mrs. Fromuth has always included Frontier on her annual donations list. Reading about the number of rural and medically underserved areas being reached by Frontier graduates continues to inspire her to support our work. Thank you, Mrs. Fromuth, for your commitment to the mission and vision of Mary Breckinridge, and steadfast support of our work!

Recently, at the age of 91, Mrs. Fromuth enjoyed dancing at her grandson’s wedding ... she continues to live life to the fullest, which includes giving back. Mrs. Fromuth is an inspiration and a wonderful example of the power of giving!

In Appreciation of Our Donors We want to thank the following alumni, friends and foundations who support the work of Frontier Nursing University with their generous gifts.

Banyan Tree Legacy Society

Donors who have included FNU in their will or estate plans: Ruth Beeman

Founder’s Circle – $5,000+

Margaret Voorhies Haggin Trust The Virginia Clark Hagan Charitable Foundation, Inc. Berea College Appalachian Fund Butler Family Foundation Mars Foundation The Alumnae Association of St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing

President’s Circle – $1,000-$4,999 Tia Andrew Deb Buford Patricia Caudle Julia Breckinridge Davis Grandin Family Foundation Janet Gildermaster Addie Hamilton Karen and Richard Herman Rosemary Janofsky Jane Leigh Powell Carol Russell Susan Stone

Heritage Society – $500-$999 Denise Barrett Heather Bartlett Mrs. John C. Bloom Mr. Keith Conger Janet Engstrom Kitty Ernst Carolyn Gregory Betty Holcomb Caroline Holdship Rhonda Johnson Roy Johnson Vida Kent April Kermani Mrs. Robert A. Lawrence Mr. and Mrs. James Macdonald Kate MacNeil Rick Mitchell Jacqueline Morrill Elizabeth Ann Mulvenon Kathryn Osborne Peter Rossa Sarah Smith Dolores Thomas Patricia Thompson

Suzan Ulrich Trish Voss Lynn West Joyce Wiechmann Wisconsin Society Daughters of Colonial Wars

Friends of Frontier – $250-$499

Barbara Anderson Argo Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Steven L. Bernasek Douglas Cobble Frances James Gov. and Mrs. Brereton C. Jones Joyce Knestrick Christine Longly Charlie Mahan Mary Mani Bobbie Marcum Mr. and Mrs. John Pilarowski Manya Schmidt Tana Stutzman Cheryl Tarver Melissa Wilson

Century Club – $100-$249 Joyce Allen Tia Andrighetti Jim Armstrong Rhonda Arthur Fadi Bacha Emily Bacon Mr. and Mrs. John Becker Ruth Beeman David Beeman, Jr. Hellen Bennett Georgia Blair Cynthia Bonney Richard Boorse Virginia Bowling Stephanie Boyd Betty Ann Bradbury Jacquelyne Brooks Anne Broussard Nadene Brunk Gwen Buchanan Defino Candelaria Joseph Coleman Carter, IV Margaret Casey Anne Cockerham Laura Damrow Judith Daniels Sister Yvonne de Turenne Karen DeCocker-Geist Mary DeNicola Mary Dunn Lori Enlow

Carla Ferrugio Cathy Fliris Mr. and Mrs. David G. Fothergill-Quiinlan Bruce Fowler Tina Bradley Gain Billie Anne Gebb Christina Guy Leslie Hallett Marcia Hanks Nancy Harman Nena Harris Aggie Hoeger Laura Ann Hollywood Amy Holweger Tina Hughes Sharon Hunsucker Elizabeth Jensen W. Y. Johnson Holly Powell Kennedy Susan Kotta Deborah Lalich Jeanette Lamb Gayle Lankford Vicki Latham Carrie Lenburg Ellen Lentz Christina Loeliger Melissa Lynch Laura Manns-James Michelle Masters Tami McBride Kristi Menix Janet Mirtschin Mary Montgomery Winifred Nelson Therese Newberry Mary Nichols Tonya Nicholson Jennifer Orcutt Denise Orrill Eileen Grillo Kelli Patrick Margaret Patterson Mary Puhr Diane Rach Charlotte Rollie Russell Rooks Lisa Summers and Chris Ryders Kathryn Schrag Lucy Seijas Maudie Canham Shanley Rebecca Skolar Michael Steinmetz Cynthia Turner Filomena Vagueiro Cathy Waits Ira Weissman JoAn Wright Mary Jo Ytzen

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* Gifts of $100 and above dated May 1, 2010 – April 30, 2011

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Class NOTES Updates on Frontier alumni

The life of the late Elizabeth “Buff” Walton, a 1945 graduate who served as a missionary in India for 37 years, is featured in the book, Here Am I, Send Me, which was written by her teenage great-niece, Naomi Stanley, and was released by Character Books last year.

Rita Rhoads Martinez Reed, a 1977 graduate, founded Birth Care Midwives in Bart, PA, in 1978, and works in the practice with Frontier graduates Karen Crouse, CNEP Class 48; Valerie Peery and Maribeth Diver. www.birthcaremidwives.com

›› BE YOND THE FRONITER › FALL 2011

Debbie Jones, Class of 1980, and Lucia Osiecki, Class of 1980, are the owners and operators of The Meadowlark Inn, a bed and breakfast in Brattleboro, Vermont. www. meadowlarkinnvt.com

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Wendy Valhoff (Wagers), a 1980 Frontier graduate and a former faculty member, retired last year and lives in London, ON, Canada, where she planned to continue her work with the Arabic community. She can be reached at wendycdn@gmail.com.

Frontier Pioneer Leonette Clayson, a 1983 Frontier graduate, continues to operate The Birth Center in Redlands, CA.

Jessica Jordan is part of the team at the newly opened Complete Care Birthing Center in Richmond, VA. Janice B. Verhaeghe, who graduated in 1994, operates a privately owned midwifery practice, New Dawn Midwifery, in western North Carolina. www.newdawnmidwifery.com CNEP graduate Margaret Lipton, a 1994 graduate, practices in eastern Washington state, working with families in both urban and rural areas.

Dwynn Golden, Class 2, is a certified nurse-midwife at Bassett Healthcare’s birthing center in Cooperstown, NY. Nancy Harman, CNEP Class 3, has a homebirth practice in rural North Carolina covering an eight-county area.

Karen Wendt, CNEP Class 8, is the owner of White Crane Midwifery in Lander, WY. www.whitecranemidwifery. com Laura Wetherelt, CFNP Class 9, works at a critical access hospital with a rural health clinic in Forsyth, MT. Barbara Ann Spoerry, CNEP Class 13, established a practice with OU Physicians, Oklahoma’s largest physician group.

Michelle Gemma Palmer, CNEP Class 16, is the midwife manager at Tuatapere Maternity in Tuatapere in

Southland, New Zealand. She writes, “I now practice in a remote rural setting where secondary care is a minimum of an hour away. I look forward to returning to the United States to share what I have learned about a country that provides universal health care and midwifery as the gold standard for primary maternity care.”

Lisa Huckaby, CNEP Class 17, opened Paragon Women’s Health with Dr. Bruce Williams. The clinic is in Conyers, GA. Delphine Silvermoon, CNEP Class 25, has a home-birth practice in Athens, Ohio, and the surrounding counties.

The SilverMoon Midwifery web site is www.silvermoonmidwifery.com.

Rebecca Turecky, CNEP Class 26, attends births in rural Costa Rica and started a non-profit organization called MAMASOL to educate and advocate for more humane care of childbearing women and their babies in Costa Rica. www.mamasol.com Stephanie Vanderhorst, CNEP Class 28, opened the Auburn Birthing Center in Auburn, IN. Kate Widmer Shantz, CNEP Class 30, runs a practice called Peaceful Beginnings Midwifery Service in northern Indiana.

Brooke Flinders, CNEP Class 39, worked on a successful grant proposal to fund a teenage pregnancy prevention program in Ohio. The FOCUS program, a partnership between the YWCA of Hamilton and Miami University Hamilton, has been granted a $405,575 award for each of five years from the Health and Human Services’ Office of Adolescent Health (OAH).

Kathy Mercer, CNEP Class 45, joined the practice at Special Beginnings Birth and Women’s Center in Arnold, MD. Blue Bradley, CNEP Class 47, operates Methow Midwivery & Women’s Health, which she opened in 2008, in Twisp, WA. www.methowmidwifery.com Karla Reinhart, CFNP Class 48, works at Community Health Center in White City, OR, doing primary care and specialty women’s procedures,

including colposcopy, and at a newly opened school-based health center in Eagle Point High School in Oregon.

She incorporates alternative medicine in her practice using the knowledge gained through her ND degree. She recently joined the faculty at Frontier as a Regional Clinical Coordinator.

Sarah Bradbury, CNEP Class 49, attends births in Sioux City, IA, through her practice, Serenity Birthing Center. www. serenityhomebirth.com Roxanne Estes, CNEP Class 51, joined the staff of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s clinic in Hilo. Roxanne is the only certified nurse-midwife in East Hawaii.

Debra Arndt, CNEP Class 53, joined the Maternity Care Center staff at WCA Hospital in Jamestown, NY. JoAnn (Jody) Hill, Bridge Class 53, is a certified nurse-midwife at Wise Woman OB/GYN PC in Watertown, NY. Teri Gjerseth, CNEP Class 53 and current member of CFNP Class 81, opened Footprints in Time Midwifery Services to serve the Tomah and Black River Falls area of Wisconsin. www.footprintsmidwifery.com Heather McLaughlin, Bridge Class 55, joined the OB/GYN team at Susquehanna Health in Williamsport, PA. Britt Ballinger, CFNP Class 58, is working in collaboration with the team at the International Heart Institute of Montana to guide the Women’s Heart Health Program in Helena.

Laureli Morrow, CNEP Class 59, joined the staff at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, VT, as a certified nurse-midwife.

Brooke Dean, CNEP Class 59, joined Advanced Women’s Health

Jewell Olson, Betty Mantay, Elaine Douglas and Jody LeVahn

Class of 1961 celebrates 50-year anniversary Submitted by Elaine Douglas The Class of 1961 recently had a reunion in Columbus, Nebraska, where Jewell Olson, one of the class members, lived. Only four of the seven were able to come, but we had a wonderful time of memories and laughter and singing. We were known as “The Singing Class,” as we did just that at the FNS, and it was usually a seven-part harmony.

Our class was unusual in that four had already been missionaries and the other three of us were planning to go into mission work. We had a true common bond in the Lord. The seven of us were: Jewell Olson, Columbus, NE; Mary Nell Harper, Everett, WA; Martha Lady, Mechanicsburg, PA; Jody LeVahn, Minneapolis, MN; Helen Traschel, China and Indiana; Betty Mantay, Alberta Canada; and myself, Elaine Douglas, Sebring, FL (previously from Afton, NY).

Eventually, we graduated and traveled: two to Belgian Congo; one to Cameroon; one to Rhodesia; one to Ethiopia; one to Eritrea; and one to Bolivia. That was Helen, who also was the only one who married. While we were in Hyden, we gave each other nicknames, which characterized us. Helen’s name was “Third-Stage-Traschel.”

This was because she was often late to deliveries and only got there for the Third Stage!

Our reunion was May 26-28. On May 24, we were shocked to receive the news that Helen Traschel Potter had passed away and had gone Home that day to be with the Lord she served and loved. She had not been sick long, but when the cancer was discovered, it was too late. She was under the tender care of Good Shepherd Hospice in Sebring, FL, in the last week of her illness.

Editor’s Note: We were saddened to receive the news that Jewell Olson passed away on Aug. 8, 2011, several weeks after reuniting with her classmates. We want to express our condolences to the Class of 1961 and express our appreciation for sharing these memories.

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Katrina Lieben, CNEP Class 52, is a certified nurse-midwife at Ketchikan General Hospital in Ketchikan, Alaska, where she is facilitating CenteringPregnancy group prenatal care.

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Leslie Curry named Illinois Rural Practitioner of the Year

Class NOTES Specialists, an obstetrics/gynecology practice with offices in Lake Mary and Deltona, FL. Jeffery Eversole, CFNP Class 59, works as an FNP in the ER at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Manchester, KY, and at Paragon Family Practice in Lexington, KY, where he runs free clinics for refugees and for the homeless.

Mary Thompson, CNEP Class 63, joined the office of the Women’s Health Center of Macomb Inc. in Macomb, IL.

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Mary Jo Ytzen, CFNP Class 63, works in a rural clinic for Adair County Health System in Greenfield, IA.

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Frontier graduate Leslie Curry was named Rural Health Practitioner of the Year by the Illinois Rural Health Association. Leslie is a family nurse practitioner with Galatia Family Practice in Galatia, IL, and has built her clinic into a successful family practice with nearly 2,000 patients in just a few years.

“Before I came, there was no one 10 miles in either direction providing access to health care,” Curry was quoted as saying in her local newspaper, The Daily Register.

Leslie, CFNP Class 50, will start the DNP program at Frontier this fall.

Torrie Furman, CFNP Class 65, works for the Lexington VA Medical Center in Lexington, KY. Denise Kilburn, CFNP Class 78, received the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and NurseMidwives Master’s Student Scholarship at the KCNPNM Conference in April.

CNEP graduate Penny Lane owns Believe Midwifery Services, serving clients throughout central and northern Indiana. www. believemidwiferyservices.com.

Mary Jordan, DNP 1, presented a poster at the American Academy of

Nurse Practitioners Conference in Las Vegas titled A Comparison of Two Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Tools in a Male Veteran Population.

Lenore Charles, DNP Class 3, developed a successful program called Comfort Over Pain in Pregnancy, which teaches pregnant women how to overcome pain and discomfort without medications.

Lenore’s program, which was implemented last year at Oregon’s Bay Area Hospital, was funded by a grant from the American Society for Pain Management Nursing as part of her DNP program at Frontier, and it was such a success that the hospital is continuing to offer the program.

Audra Malone, DNP Class 3, presented her DNP Capstone project at the 25th Annual Southern Nursing

Elizabeth Jensen honored for poster presentation DNP 3 graduate Elizabeth Jensen tied for the award for best Division of Standards & Practice clinical poster at the American College of Nurse-Midwives conference in San Antonio, Texas, in May. She presented her capstone work in a poster presentation titled: “Vulvodynia: An Underserved Need, APNs Offer a Potential Solution.”

Elizabeth also presented the poster at the Connecticut APRN Conference and was awarded the best project/poster award for the conference.

Research Society Conference in Jacksonville, FL, in February. Her poster presentation was titled “Improving Nurse Practitioner Assessment of Pediatric Overweight and Obesity with Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines.”

Frontier DNP 4 graduate Dr. Kelly Wilhite changed the protocol at the U.S. military hospital in Germany where she is stationed with her capstone project, The Effect of Simulation Education for Labor and Delivery Staff on Duration of Immediate Skin-to-Skin Contact. Dr. Wilhite created change in the protocol not only for normal newborns but also for babies with significant problems at birth.

Dr. Tambra Yates, DNP Class 4, effected a policy change in the Alaskan military hospital where she serves with her capstone project titled Laboring Down As An Alternative For Second Stage Labor: An Evidenced-Based Approach.

Dr. Anne Lake, a DNP 4 graduate, changed practice not only in her own multidisciplinary practice site but also in other local practices with her protocols for management of postfracture patients (arising from her DNP capstone, Implementation of Bone Health Protocols in an Orthopedic Specialty Practice). Her influence is not only local. She has been sought out by Amy Porter, CEO of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, to be a member of the national expert panel for designing a model and making recommendations for bone health. This national-level panel is in an advisory role to both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Medicare/Medicaid.

We love to get news and updates from members of our Frontier family. To share your information – professional news, job changes, awards or honors – please send items to alumniservices@frontier.edu. Include your class number or year and your specialty track. We may reprint your information in a Frontier publication or newsletter.

Gwen Buchanan, a 1948 Frontier graduate living in Rochester, NY, shared this hand-painted black-and-white photograph from her early days as a nurse-midwife. She visited with Dr. Susan Stone, FNU President and Dean; Dr. Suzan Ulrich, Associate Dean for Midwifery and Women’s Health; and Denise Barrett, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, while they were in Rochester for a Frontier dinner in June.

Staci Thomas (CNEP Class 56), Elaine Wakefield (Class 27) and Everly Nixon (SNM, CNEP Class 62) recently shared this photo with the caption “3 Frontier Generations of Midwives!”

Everly, at right, is currently doing her clinicals at Natchez Trace Family Health and Birth Center/Lifespan in Waynesboro, TN, where Staci (left) and Elaine (center) practice. Everly writes: “I am so grateful to be learning from such amazing midwives here!” Elaine, who worked as an OB nurse for 25-plus years before returning to school in her late 40s, was the first midwife at the Natchez birth center, which “has been my first and only job since graduating” from Frontier. She says: “I love it out here in the ‘woods.” I think this is a lot like what Hyden was like years ago.”

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Please send us your updates

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IN MEMORIAM Miss Kate Ireland, a lifelong philanthropist and a guiding force of the Frontier Nursing Service, passed away on Feb. 15, 2011, at her home in northern Florida. Miss Ireland devoted her life to public service, and her wide-reaching legacy includes her work on behalf of the Frontier Nursing Service and the school. Miss Ireland served as a courier during the summers of 1951-1954 and as a part-time courier from 1959-1960. In her role as a courier, Miss Ireland looked after the horses and jeeps used by the FNS nurse-midwives. She also tended to milk cows and pigs kept by FNS and packed supplies for the nurses for their rounds. Mrs. Breckinridge recognized Miss Ireland as a leader, and many people looked to her to get things done.

She volunteered as Director of Volunteers for FNS from 1961-1975. For nearly six decades, Miss Ireland lent her expertise, advice, hard work and financial support to help FNS provide healthcare in Leslie County and educate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners across the globe.

›› BE YOND THE FRONITER › FALL 2011

Albert T Ernst Sr., of Perkiomenville, PA, beloved husband of Kitty Ernst (FNU’s Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery), died on Feb. 2, 2011. Among his many achievements, Mr. Ernst contributed to the promotion and development of the pilot Community-based Nursemidwifery Education Program (CNEP) at Frontier. This distance learning program was launched in Perkiomenville.

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Frontier alumna and former staff member Ruth Ermine Rabenhorst, who was born in Watertown, WI, on Sept.

13, 1934, passed away on Aug. 14, 2010. She graduated from Frontier in 1966 as a certified nurse-midwife. Mrs. Rabenhorst spent 10 years as a North American medical missionary in Cameroon, West Africa. She also worked as a staff nurse-midwife at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis for more than 20 years. A friend remembered her this way on the Minneapolis StarTribune’s web site: “As an RN working with the midwives of Hennepin County Medical Center, I had the privilege of working beside Ruth. She was a patient and loving teacher. She taught me to be calm and peaceful during the birth process. She had angel hands and skills ...”

Elizabeth “Betty” Prata, CFNP Class 60, passed away on April 1, 2011, in Las Vegas. Betty returned to school in her late 50s to become a family nurse practitioner through

Frontier. She traveled to Guatemala for a month in the fall of 2009 as part of Frontier’s international health initiative.

She was fluent in Spanish and during her life volunteered in the Honduran Peace Corps, worked with and taught life skills to women and children at the Cathedral Spanish Center in Boston, and served as a nurse and teacher in various cities and countries.

Elizabeth Caryl “Beth” Walton, passed away on July 3, 2011, at Rose Villa Retirement Community in Milwaukie, Oregon. She was 93. Desiring to be a missionary nurse, Miss Walton spent six months training at Frontier after completing nursing school in Chicago. Many times she referred to those short six months as a student at Frontier as perhaps the most valuable for her entry into India. Miss Walton served under Conservative Baptist Foreign Missionary Society (currently World Venture) as a missionary nurse and administrator at Kothara Leprosy Hospital in Maharashtra, India, and other mission compounds close by from 1946-1983. It was with the help of this hospital staff and in coordination with the Indian government that leprosy became controlled in India. She received numerous awards in India and the U.S. for her mission work.

Lynne Maureen Davis, CNEP Class 51, passed away on Aug.11, 2011, at her residence in Estero, Florida.She was 56. Mrs. Davis was a certified nurse-midwife and taught OB at Edison State College until shortly before her passing.

Jewell Olson, Class of 1961, passed away on Aug. 8, 2011, in Columbus, Nebraska. She was 89. Miss Olson was a medical missionary for more than 30 years in the Belgian Congo. Between 1961 and 1962, she worked at a hospital in Uganda, near the border, after having fled the Rebels in the Congo. She returned to the United States in 1983.

Helen Traschel Potter, Class of 1961, passed away on May 24, 2011. She was 74 and was a resident of Wauchula, Florida. She was born to missionary parents in China, and she served as a missionary in Bolivia with her husband, Harry. Mrs. Potter was the mother of four and later worked as a nurse with the Hardee County Health Department.

Suzanne Langner, carrying roses, walked the road leading to Mardi Cottage with Linda Oakley, a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow from the University of Arkansas.

ONEonONE Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Frontier connection: Former Robert Wood Johnson Faculty Fellow in Primary Care assigned to the FNS in 1978

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uzanne, a nurse practitioner, researcher, former professor and a pioneer of NP practice, spent a summer at the Frontier Nursing Service in the late 1970s as one of the first Robert Wood Johnson Faculty Fellows in Primary Care. She was one of 20 people in the country to be awarded the prestigious fellowship in 1977. A native New Yorker, Suzanne spent the first nine months of her fellowship at the University of Maryland, followed by three months at FNS, where she spent the summer of ’78 with two other Fellows. She remembers her time at Frontier fondly. “It was the cap of my year’s experience and the best part of it, I have to say.”

“I think it’s fair to say I was the one who was most smitten with FNS … I had read about the Frontier Nursing Service even before I entered nursing school (in her mid-twenties). So I was just captivated. When the opportunity came to spend time there, I jumped at the chance. I only spent three months, but it was really an extraordinary three months. “

During her fellowship, Suzanne spent time at the main clinic in Hyden and took calls in the ER at night. She also spent time at other district outposts, including the Redbird Clinic.

Suzanne lived in Mardi Cottage – the midwives cottage – with students from all over the world. She turned

41 that year and had lived a “very full life,” but still she found herself enchanted. “To me, it was like walking into Brigadoon. It’s beautiful there ...

I mean the wildlife is gorgeous and especially in late spring and summer and when the rains come and when the rain leaves, it’s just absolutely beautiful.”

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During that summer, Suzanne’s husband, a veterinarian, and her then 11-year-old daughter – who were living up North – came for several visits. “My husband did spays on the weekends (at Redbird) when he came down, because there were a lot of unspayed critters running around.”

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‘It was Like Walking into Brigadoon’

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In July 1978, Leslie County welcomed President Nixon for his first public appearance after his resignation.

‘Very Open and Welcoming’

Suzanne said she experienced some culture shock as an outsider coming to Appalachia. As someone who majored in nursing and English in college, she was fascinated by the idiomatic speech of the area. “One patient came in with a ‘Kentucky fit,” which Suzanne later realized was an episode of hyperventilation.

As a temporary transplant to the Kentucky mountains, Suzanne also wondered how she would be received by the local people. She knew she was in the Bible Belt. “Well, I’m Jewish, and I thought, ‘Hmmmm, how is this going to be?” But, “it was never an issue. In fact, it was very open and welcoming, and I thought ... ‘this is the way it ought to be all the time.’ So that part was just really lovely. It just added to my sense of romanticism about FNS.”

›› BE YOND THE FRONITER › FALL 2011

Historic Day in Hyden

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That summer in Leslie County was memorable for many reasons, not the least of which was a visit by former President Richard Nixon, who came to Hyden in 1978 for his first public appearance following his resignation.

“There’s this big old Cadillac with him riding in the back.

I guess he must have had Secret Service there some place, but he really had nothing to fear, because I think Leslie County was pretty much a bastion of Republicanism.”

Suzanne and several other FNS nurses were manning – or “womanning” – a tent to provide care because of the extremely hot weather and concerns about people

This photo shows the old school that was used for holding patients during mine disasters when the hospital overflowed.

hyperventilating. Suzanne said it was warm inside the Richard M. Nixon Recreation Center, which had recently opened in Hyden. “They had gotten all this money up to build this recreation center, and the folks in the county were incredibly proud to have that and to welcome him.”

Fond Memories of the Faculty:

Suzanne has warm memories of the people she learned from that summer in ‘78.

She remembers Elsie Maier, dean of the school at the time, very fondly. “She was extraordinary to me as well as to the others. I think Elsie came from Upstate New York, and she had been there a good 12 or 13 years and was very welcoming, and I think was instrumental in helping us to feel comfortable in expanding our experiences.”

Suzanne also admired Dr. Gertrude Luther. “We called her Dr. Lu – she was very irreverent. She would go to Haiti every year for three or four months and take care of the kids in Haiti. She had to be in her early 6os. ... She told it like it is.”

“I just appreciated her, her years of experience, of giving of herself in places like Haiti and FNS.” She also talked of meeting Molly Lee, “one of the sentinel nurse-midwives. She came from the UK and had been there for years and years and years. She was not a big lady, she was very slight, but she always carried herself with quite a presence.”

At the end of her summer at Frontier, Suzanne was offered a faculty position with the FNS. She was truly tempted, but she was concerned about uprooting her daughter and chose not to stay. Still, the lessons Suzanne learned about primary care at Frontier have stayed with her through her 33 years as a nurse practitioner. She went on to practice as a nurse practitioner at a time when NPs were not common and the obstacles to practicing were many. She credits the experience with giving her “a sense of boldness that I think I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

“FNS was the embodiment of the best that nursing has to offer – absolutely.”

Hyden statue honors Mary Breckinridge Photos by Brooke-K Photography

A bronze statue of Frontier Nursing Service founder Mary Breckinridge was unveiled during a dedication ceremony in Hyden, Ky., last fall. The statue is displayed in Mary Breckinridge Plaza near Kate Ireland Drive.

The beautiful statue was created by sculptor Stephen Tirone, a professor emeritus of art at Morehead State University, whose work has been exhibited and collected regionally, nationally and internationally.

As a benefit to our alumni, Frontier is happy to provide access to the ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Database – Alumni Edition. Please contact Kelli Adanick (alumniservices@frontier.edu) for the link, username and password.

This database indexes more than 900 nursing and allied health journals, with full-text coverage of many of them. It also includes nursing dissertations and evidence-based resources from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Please note: per our agreement with ProQuest, use of this database is limited to personal research and educational use and cannot act as a substitute for an alumnus’ business or employer having access.

Apply now for FNU’s post-master’s DNP program The post-master’s DNP at Frontier Nursing University is committed to making a difference in healthcare outcomes, especially with rural and vulnerable populations. All of our DNP students are advanced-practice nurses credentialed as CNM, WHNP or FNP. The DNP program is built upon a capstone project that addresses an important issue of your choice, and each DNP student is paired with a faculty expert.

We welcome application to the post-master’s DNP8 cohort from our alumni! Applications are due Nov. 1, 2011, for the 2012 Spring Term class. A prerequisite of the DNP program is having an upper-division or graduate-level statistics class within the past 10 years, but, don’t worry, we will help you with that!

Please address any questions to:

Barbara A. Anderson, DrPH, CNM, FACNM, FAAN Director, post-master’s DNP program Phone: (206) 708-4995 (PST); email: Barbara.Anderson@frontier.edu

W W W. F R O N T I E R . E D U

Alumni can access ProQuest database

A plaque at the site reads: “In honor of the partnerships between Mary Breckinridge and the people of Leslie County to provide quality healthcare for all.”

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PO Box 528 | 195 School Street | Hyden, KY 41749 Phone: (606) 672-2312 | Fax: (606) 672-3776

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit NO. 1 Lexington, KY

Join us for Homecoming 2011 Frontier Courier Conclave & Alumni Homecoming SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 2

Reservations required

Join Frontier alumni, former FNS Couriers and staff for this fun-filled weekend in Hyden, Ky., held in conjunction with the Mary Breckinridge Festival. This Homecoming marks the reunion for graduation years ‘45, ‘50, ‘55, ‘60, ‘65, ‘70, ‘75, ‘80 and ‘85 ... and for the following CNEP, CFNP and WHCNP classes: 1, 10, 11, 20, 21, 33, 34, 35 and 36. But everyone is welcome.

Guests will stay at Wendover, in the historic Wendover Bed & Breakfast Inn, the Barn and Garden House. Up to 20 guests can be accommodated. Overflow will be accommodated on the FNU campus and/or area hotels. Please call AnnDraia Bales (606.672.2317) with questions or preferences for room and board.

Activities will be planned beginning the evening of Friday, Sept. 30, and ending Sunday at noon. A formal dinner at the Big House will be enjoyed Saturday.

Cost for the full weekend (arriving Friday and departing Sunday) is $175 a person.

The cost for Saturday and Sunday ONLY (arriving Saturday and departing Sunday) is $125 a person. Cost includes select meals, accommodations and all activities.

Register online at www.frontier.edu/homecoming or call Michael Claussen at (606) 672-2317 or email Michael.Claussen@frontier.edu.