2020 FNU President's Annual Report

2020 President’s Annual Report

Creating a Culture of Caring

Founded in 1939, Frontier Nursing University seeks to meet the needs of prospective nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who want to remain in their home communities while studying to obtain a graduate education to fulfill their professional goals. Students start by completing web-based didactic coursework with the encouragement and support of academic advisers, classmates, a strong curriculum, and active and engaged faculty.

Working with clinics, hospitals, and preceptors in their own communities, students gain the hands-on clinical experience required for these exciting health care professions. FNU’s more than 150 faculty members, who are located all over the country, are national leaders in advanced practice nursing and midwifery education.

The Frontier Nursing University Vision: To continually improve our status as a center of excellence for midwifery and nurse practitioner education.

The Frontier Nursing University Mission: To provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education to prepare competent, entrepreneurial, ethical, and compassionate leaders in primary care to serve all individuals with an emphasis on women and families in diverse, rural, and underserved populations.

The Frontier Nursing University Culture of Caring: • Professionalism • Inclusivity • Respect • Positive Communications • Mutual Support

FNU’s Culture of Caring initiative drives these values into our talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, couriers, and preceptors.

We are inspired by a culture of caring among all members of our university community and it strengthens our focus on our mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.

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FNU

at a Glance

years of experience in graduate nursing and nurse-midwifery education

Family Nurse Practitioner

244 Offers the oldest and largest continually operating

396

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Retention in 2020:

Women’s Healthcare Nurse Practitioner

United States

(those who started in 2019 and completed their first full year in 2020)

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Nurse-Midwifery

nurse-midwifery education program in the

88.9% 2

2,500 students Number of new enrollees in each program in 2020

82

Students and alumni represent every U.S. state and several foreign countries

Current enrollment of more than

252 43

Doctor of Nursing Practice

272

Offered the first family nurse practitioner program in the United States Total degrees awarded in 2020:

841

Number of students by race/ethnicity enrolled in 2020

Number of graduates from each program in 2020 Family Nurse Practitioner

Black or African American

228

Nurse-Midwifery

246

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

113

Women’s Healthcare Nurse Practitioner

38

Doctor of Nursing Practice

197

WH Completion for Midwifery Grads

19

376 (11.89%) Number of primary care visits completed

by NP students in 2020 FNP

166,967 Women’s Healthcare NP

Three-time (2018-2020) winner of the Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award

Psychiatric-Mental Health NP

70.47% of FNU’s students live in health professional shortage areas (HPSA) as defined by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Asian

64 (2.02%) Two or more races

109 (3.45%)

5 (0.16%)

55,363

159,498

230 (7.27%)

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

26,141

Nurse-Midwifery

Hispanic

Number of preceptor sites utilized in 2020: 1,623

American Indian or Alaska Native

23 (0.73%) White

2260 (71.45%) Not Disclosed

96 (3.04%)

Number of Births Attended by CNEP students in 2020:

6,296

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Contents About FNU FNU at a Glance

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IFC - 1 2-3

Letter from Dr. Stone

5

Letter from Dr. Carter

6

2020 Strategic Plan

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2020 Strategic Plan Goal 1 Outcomes

8-13

2020 Strategic Plan Goal 2 Outcomes

14-15

2020 Strategic Plan Goal 3 Outcomes

16-19

2020 Strategic Plan Goal 4 Outcomes

20-21

2020 Strategic Plan Goal 5 Outcomes

22-23

2020 Strategic Plan Goal 6 Outcomes

24-25

2011-2020: A Decade of Change

26-29

A Timeline of FNU’s Response to the Pandemic

30-31

Answering the Call During the Pandemic

32-33

2020 Events and Honors

34-39

2021 Strategic Plan

40-41

it as a guide for our actions throughout the year.

One of those goals, which relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion, came to the forefront when issues of racial and social justice, healthcare disparities, and political turmoil became dominant discussions across the country. The events of last year and the ongoing discussions serve as poignant reminders as to why diversity, equity, and inclusion have been a standing part of our strategic plan, both past, and present.

Dear Friends, We began 2020 excited to join in the worldwide celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife as designated by the World Health Organization. We were greatly anticipating welcoming students as we opened our campus in Versailles, Kentucky. We had just completed a fiveyear strategic plan and were ready to begin the work of our new three-year strategic plan. It promised to be a very exciting and important year at Frontier Nursing University, and it was, but for completely different reasons.

When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit in the spring, like the rest of the world, we encountered challenges we had never foreseen. However, as you will read in this report, FNU remained true to its pioneering character and found a way to pivot efficiently and effectively. Adaptability and innovation are central to our way of work, and it was on full display in our students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Because of the pandemic, we did not open our new campus, but we did complete the renovation and construction. We did not celebrate the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in the way we anticipated, but through the facemasks of our alumni fighting the pandemic on the front lines, we were reminded why it was, indeed, the year of the nurse and the midwife.

As for our new strategic plan, naturally not every goal was met nor was every initiative launched as planned. We did, however, stick to our plan and use

There was much pain and sorrow and fear in 2020, but there was also triumph, bravery, and remarkable achievement. As we look back at 2020 through the FNU lens, I hope you will share our pride in our innovative and supportive faculty and staff. I hope you will be amazed and proud of our undaunted students, who forged ahead even when they had every reason not to. I trust you will share our immense pride in our alumni, who faced unprecedented challenges, who witnessed the deaths of too many patients, who made countless sacrifices in order to answer the call.

I also want to thank our Board of Directors for their time and leadership. Their guidance during these tumultuous times was invaluable. Finally, I want to thank our supporters and donors, who continued to understand the importance of what we do at Frontier Nursing University and demonstrated their ongoing belief in our students and our mission.

We hope you are moved and inspired by the stories that follow in these pages. We evaluate our progress toward our strategic plan goals while acknowledging the impact of the extraordinary circumstances that the entire world faced in 2020. It was a year none of us will ever forget, but let us remember the positives as well as the negatives and build upon those in 2021.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this report and for your ongoing support of Frontier Nursing University.

Sincerely,

Susan Stone Susan E. Stone, DNSc, CNM, FAAN, FACNM President

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Dear Friends, The Board of Directors of Frontier Nursing University is pleased to share the 2020 President’s Annual Report with you. As we usually do with this report, we take a close look at the events of the past year and our progress towards our specific strategic plan goals and the overall mission of the university. This year’s report, however, is nonetheless a little different than previous annual reports. It is so out of necessity because 2020 itself was more than a little different.

Be it global factors like the pandemic, national factors like social justice and racial equality, or internal factors like completing a move to the Versailles campus, 2020 was filled with challenges not typically addressed in a strategic plan. I hope you will share our pride in how the university administration, faculty, staff, and students responded to the adversity the past year presented.

While our strategic plan guides specific initiatives and goals, I believe it is our strict adherence to our overarching mission and vision that enables the FNU community to be at its best in times of turmoil and crisis. Through it all, we remain committed to providing an excellent education for nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners at a cost made affordable by our highly successful community-based distance learning model.

We remain fully committed to our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that we know will provide diverse and culturally competent care, the need for which was amplified by the pandemic and its disproportionate impact on diverse and underserved populations.

Amidst all the pain and tragedy of the past year, FNU found many ways to shine and we are proud to share our 2020 story with you. Thank you for allowing us this opportunity and for your continued support of Frontier Nursing University.

Sincerely,

Michael Carter

Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP/GNP-BC Chair, Board of Directors

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2020 Strategic Plan Goals

At the end of each year, the progress toward FNU’s strategic plan goals is measured and the outcomes analyzed.

The process of developing the strategic plan, implementing the plan, and measuring the results is integral to FNU’s strategic adherence to its mission and growth.

Within the following pages is a detailed look at the six goals included in the 2020 strategic plan, including the data and stories that demonstrate the results from the last calendar year.

Goal 1

Goal 2

Continue to develop, evaluate, and improve programs and services that further our mission.

Create an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion and promotes the success of all community members.

Goal 3

Goal 4

Build strategic relationships with clinical sites and preceptors, focusing on rural areas.

Continuously improve and maintain facilities to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff.

Goal 5

Goal 6

Use technology to ensure improvement and attainment of service excellence to the community.

Ensure the financial strength and growth is sufficient to meet the needs of the university.

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Goal 1 Continue to develop, evaluate and improve programs and services that further our mission.

Virtual Quality Improvement Projects Keep DNP Students on Track During Pandemic faculty members, documenting the thoughts and ideas generated by the conversations.

True to the history and pioneering origin of the University, FNU students are taught to be innovative to best serve the people in their care. The ability to assess and adapt quickly to the needs of the community are central components of an FNU education.

Since they teach these skills, it’s only fitting that FNU faculty possess them as well. Their innovative and adaptive expertise was on full display in the spring of 2020 when the COVID-19 Pandemic began its rapid spread in the United States. While many FNU students were able to continue their community-based coursework, some students entering the clinical phase experienced restrictions that took away access to their clinical sites and many faced the potential of having to take an academic hiatus.

“Dr. Jolles’ brainstorming document actually started other people thinking about what are the possibilities,” assistant professor Khara’ Jefferson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, said.

Diana Jolles

“Even though the students worked at their clinical sites, all non-essential things were put on hold,” said assistant professor Christoper Kennedy, DNP. “Basically family practice was put on hold. Some of our students were furloughed, some were working from home, but with a different focus. They didn’t know how the pandemic was going to go.”

The solution was to create four community-based projects that could be conducted virtually.

Students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Christoper Kennedy “We leveraged our existing structure to minimize (DNP) program must complete a quality chaos and maintain the rigor to know that it would improvement project. The DNP quality be fair,” Dr. Jolles said. “DNP Director Dr. (Jane) improvement project is a carefully planned Houston (DNP, CNM) always said we can’t make this ‘DNPand executed patient-focused initiative that requires weeks lite’. We were very committed to making sure the students of planning and preparation. Students identify a tool kit, had a rigorous process.” guideline, or algorithm that can be implemented to improve the health of a defined patient population, a commodity The virtual projects the students were able to choose difficult to come by in a pandemic. from included COVID-19 prevention; preventative health and wellness; end of life planning; and virtual One of the few bits of good fortune during that time wellness. Conducting these projects virtually, students was that the pandemic essentially hit during the term recruited participants from the community rather than break between courses. It wasn’t much time, but FNU’s their patient base.

DNP faculty were determined to find a way to allow their students to proceed without interruption. Fortunately, “The process of creating and implementing these even before the break, DNP clinical faculty Diana Jolles, projects embodied every aspect of the Culture of Caring, Ph.D., CNM anticipated the potential threat of the every aspect that we think about mutual support and pandemic and began a brainstorming session with other communication,” Dr. Houston said.

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“The students were so grateful they didn’t have to stop their programs. Because they hadn’t been part of the planning process they didn’t understand where we were even heading with this. But they made it work. That was what made it incredible. They showed true adaptability and perseverance.”

-- Kimberly Couch Sybilla Myers, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, had planned to do a quality improvement project to implement the case management system where she works as an International Health Coordinator for a Federal Organization. The arrival of COVID meant all of the organization’s volunteers were evacuated home and she wouldn’t have any new medivacs with which to implement her project.

Rachel Sherman

Sybilla Myers

A DNP student last spring and now a DNP clinical faculty member at FNU, Dr. Rachel Sherman DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Class 36, has seen both sides of the student-faculty dynamic amidst the pandemic. Sherman was working at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Prince George’s, Maryland, last spring. The hospital housed the highest number of COVID-positive patients in the state and, at the height of the pandemic, Dr. Sherman was losing five to six patients per day during her 10- to 12-hour shifts. She also has two children who were attending school from home and she organized and attended daily social justice protests in the city. Finding a way to adjust her DNP project in such a short time frame was added stress.

“I was worried because I didn’t know how I was going to get people to volunteer to talk about advanced care planning when they were already so consumed with everything else that is happening in the world,” Dr. Sherman said. “I was worried I wouldn’t have the response that I needed to have a good project. I’m watching my patients die through glass doors. I can’t hold their hands. I’m calling their family. So I’m dealing with the trauma of that and I still have to maintain a focus on my project and my kids. I thought maybe I needed to sit out for a semester, but then I got so excited to see how things were coming along and how the faculty supported me.”

“It would not have been possible to continue at my site,” said Myers, who chose the virtual wellness project. “My entire experience with FNU has been organized and thoughtful and I didn’t know what, but I knew something would fall into place that would allow me to continue the project. I sat back and waited and it didn’t Jane Houston take long for them to come up with the virtual projects. FNU stepped up to the challenge of Perhaps that support from faculty was so strong seamlessly continuing our doctoral education despite the because they themselves were dealing with the struggles unexpected and sudden impact of the pandemic.” brought on by the pandemic.

“We had to do it,” Dr. Houston said of the 47 DNP students who participated in the virtual projects. “We had to allow them to continue and be successful. It helped build resiliency among both the students and the faculty that we could move forward together on this.”

“We were going through the same experiences they were in some ways,” Dr. Kennedy said. “We were trying to grade their work or look at their assignments while we had kids online. Some of us had our clinic jobs, some had increased demands, some had decreased demands, so we were living the same things they were.”

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Goal 1 They were living the same thing but understood that no one’s situations or experiences were exactly the same. Neither were their views or beliefs in reaction to those experiences. More than ever, learning and understanding became central to not only the student-faculty relationship but also to communities across the country.

The DNP clinical faculty remained committed to ensuring the projects were no less stringent than in non-pandemic times. They wanted the projects to have meaning, to have sustainability, and to be worth the time and effort of the students and their participants.

were able to build stronger connections within their communities and develop a greater understanding of community needs.

“They were leveraging their roles as community leaders,” Dr. Jolles said. “It just proves the point that the future is making sure our workforce looks like the communities they are serving.”

Dr. Sherman found that, in talking to community members about advanced care planning, she was able to play a much-needed role that she would never have been able to do in a clinical setting.

Nena Harris

“They met their goal of making sure it was rigorous,” Dr. Myers said “I feel like I received the vigorous program that I signed up for. It wasn’t light. It wasn’t a shortcut.”

“These students had to gather the data, analyze it correctly, and do every single assignment that any other student going through the program was doing,” Dr. Houston said. “Without this solution, those 47 students would have had to be on a hiatus and that would have been catastrophic for many of them.”

The DNP clinical faculty were quick to credit assistant professor Dr. Nena Harris, CNM, FNP-BC, CNE, Ph.D., for reviewing the projects to ensure their rigor and structure, which was vital to the projects being approved by FNU’s Institutional Review Board.

Kimberly Couch

To say the virtual projects went off without a hitch would be unfair. The timeline was too short, the changes too significant for it to have been a seamless solution. But to say it was anything but a remarkable achievement and resounding success would also be untrue.

Khara’ Jefferson

While these projects did not persist as options for DNP students past the spring term, they proved to be highly effective and impactful in communities across the country.

An unplanned benefit of the virtual structure was that, by finding project participants from the community via social media rather than within their clinics, many students

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“I wasn’t serving in the role of clinician because these weren’t my patients, they were community members,” she said, noting that she had 85 participants in her project. “I wasn’t giving medical advice or writing prescriptions, so it was unique to step out of that role of white coat and prescription pad and be a community worker.

That’s truly what community health looks like.”

“Everybody was elated when they came up with the virtual project possibilities for us,” Myers said. “This is a once in a 100-year pandemic and they gave us the opportunity to continue.”

“Some of these students have continued their projects, maybe not in the virtual reality, but they have transferred what they did in their projects to their telemedicine functions,” Dr. Couch said. “I’m really proud of them. They did a great job.”

Innovative FNU Faculty Adjust to Students’ Needs During Crisis

By Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN Dean of Nursing Just as FNU teaches our students to understand and address the needs of the communities they serve, our faculty and staff are keenly aware of the needs of our student community. Those needs are ever-changing, never more so than during the pandemic. I am incredibly proud of how our faculty and staff acted with tremendous efficiency, professionalism, and care to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students.

As the wave of COVID-19 grew and spread, FNU began receiving notices from many of our clinical partners that they were either limiting or eliminating clinical rotations for students. By April 24, 140 clinical organizations had suspended all student rotations and 13 clinical organizations had implemented restrictions but had not suspended all student rotations. Thus, 289 students had rotations impacted by COVID-19 restrictions or cancellations between March and July.

Some of our students were about to travel to spring clinical bounds and begin the last leg of their FNU journey. Some students were abruptly without clinical sites in the middle of their clinical experience, and some could see the finish line, but no longer had the opportunity to complete their final clinical hours. In the DNP program, carefully planned quality improvement projects imploded as patient visits decreased or priorities shifted in the sites.

Faced with these urgent issues, the FNU team rapidly went into problem-solving mode. As President Stone reminded us, with our expanding use of technology to develop and refine a quality education program for students all over the country,

while maintaining a sense of community, we have prepared for this for years.

Within a few short weeks, the following programming and policies had been developed: • Regional Clinical Faculty and didactic faculty developed simulated and web-based activities that can be counted as clinical hours, thus allowing progress in clinical courses.

Students who have met a minimum of 500 face-to-face clinical hours can use these experiences to complete their required clinical hours and graduate.

• Policies allowing telehealth visits in the family nurse practitioner, women’s health nurse practitioner, and midwifery programs were approved.

• The number of telehealth hours permissible in the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program was increased.

• Virtual clinical bounds were developed for all programs.

Students joined faculty via telecommunication sessions and practice skills in preparation for clinical.

• The DNP faculty developed four virtual quality improvement projects (see story on page 8) allowing students to continue progress toward their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

• For students unable to engage in either clinical or didactic work, academic hiatuses were approved and are not counted against the number of allowable hiatuses in a year.

The efficient and well-planned development and implementation of these measures were vital to our students, many of whom would have had to go on hiatus or even drop out if these options were not available to them.

As the year continued to be challenged by the pandemic, the adjustments that were developed to enable students

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Goal 1 to continue to progress in their clinical education provided some valuable insight and lessons for the faculty and students. The faculty discovered that some of the skills taught during on-campus clinical sessions could be improved using the technology employed during the virtual clinical bounds. For example, demonstrating suturing techniques on a large display screen was more beneficial than when a single instructor circulated around a room of students practicing this skill. The simulated clinical scenarios that were taught in a virtual environment demonstrated the value of incorporating simulations into the clinical bound courses and the mega course to enhance students’ exposure to infrequent clinical presentations or to facilitate evaluation or remediation.

instruction led by faculty in a simulated environment and the remainder of the hours are fulfilled in the clinical sites.

In all tracks, the initial clinical courses (712) were converted to a virtual format taught by a combination of didactic and clinical faculty. Students practiced foundational clinical skills such as history taking, critical thinking, and clinical reasoning guided by expert faculty. The feedback from students and their preceptors revealed that students demonstrated more confidence and were better prepared for clinical experiences after completion of the virtual 712 courses. As clinical sites began reopening to students the tangible evidence that some clinical preparation beyond the one-week intensive clinical bound week was beneficial led to the development of a hybrid approach to the clinical courses. Currently, all students receive from 30-60 hours of virtual clinical

While telehealth as a care delivery modality preceded the pandemic, its utilization has expanded exponentially, especially in rural communities. Recognizing the need to prepare our graduates to deliver care via telehealth, software was purchased which will facilitate the incorporation of simulations into our programs across the curriculum as well as enable us to teach students how to provide healthcare via telehealth.

Virtual Frontier and Virtual DNP Bound - Student Responses

Virtual Frontier and Virtual DNP Bound - Student Responses

Indicate your level of connection to the following during orientation:

Do you feel like connectivity would have been greater during an on campus orientation?

(Does not include the on campus Bounds that occurred in Winter 2020)

80%

66.40%

20% 0%

30.58%

(Does not include the on campus Bounds that occurred in Winter 2020)

46.08% 36.08%

32.54% 3.02%

0%

Presenters

Very connected Connected 12

While many universities struggled with the challenges associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic, FNU seized the opportunity to adapt, learn and improve our programs.

These examples of flexibility, creativity, and resilience are part of our heritage.

58.97%

60% 40%

Prior to the pandemic, the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students spent about 10% of their clinical time providing care via telehealth. Although discussions about including telehealth in the other program tracks had occurred, no provisions for this had been developed. Many clinical practices rapidly converted to providing some visits via telehealth which accelerated the development of policies and procedures that allowed students in all tracks to participate in telehealth visits with their preceptors. In the PMHNP program, the utilization of telehealth increased to 70%.

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7.69%

15.29%

0.79%

Students

Somewhat connected Not connected at all

2.55% Definitely

Probably

Probably not

Definitely not

FNU Delays Straight-Through BSN-DNP Implementation

By Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN Dean of Nursing In January of 2020, the FNU community and the Board of Directors approved a 3 year (2020-2122) Strategic Plan.

Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan is: Continue to develop, evaluate, and improve programs and services that further our mission.

Objective # 1 of Goal 1 was: Develop a plan for pathways to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree for potential implementation for 2022. This goal was developed in response to the 2018 National Organization for Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) commitment to “move all entry-level nurse practitioner (NP) education to the DNP degree by 2025. A workgroup was formed to begin to explore our current and future pathways toward obtaining a DNP. Frontier has offered a Post Masters DNP since 2008 for applicants who completed their Master’s Degree at FNU or another organization. In 2017, FNU began offering the Companion DNP which allowed FNU graduates who began their programs of study after January of 2014 to proceed directly into the DNP having completed the first 9 credits of the DNP degree in their Master’s curriculum at Frontier. If the DNP were to become the entry-level degree for nurse practitioners, FNU would need to offer a BSN to DNP program, particularly for students in one of our 3 NP tracks Family Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner).

During the January 2021 strategic planning sessions, Objective 1 of Goal 1 for 2021 was: Implement BSN-DNP programs of study for 2022. An initial meeting of FNU faculty and staff representatives met to begin to plan for the implementation of the straight-through BSN-DNP. During that meeting questions and concerns from the group were raised that caused university leadership to reconsider the wisdom and feasibility of moving toward developing the BSN-DNP. Of primary concern was imposing a longer and more costly program of study on our students. Secondly, NONPF was the only national organization to fully advocate for the DNP as an entry-level degree for NPs. Accreditation bodies, national certification organizations, and the state boards of nursing have made no move toward making the DNP a requirement for national certification or state licensure.

Additionally, most employers were not requesting that clinicians have a DNP to practice. Finally, FNU provides graduates from our MSN or Post Graduate Certificate (PGC) programs with an opportunity to complete a DNP degree at FNU. For these reasons, FNU decided to delay the plan for implementation of the straight-through BSN-DNP and continue to offer an MSN for all tracks and maintain the Companion DNP program as an option for graduates.

In 2020 a preliminary program of study was developed for all programs with projected implementation in January of 2022.

This included a BSN to DNP with an optional MSN stop out for students in the nurse-midwifery program since the level of support for the DNP as an entry-level degree was not as robust as for nurse practitioners.

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Goal 2 Create an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion and promotes the success of all community members.

A Decade of the Diversity Impact Program

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have been a fixture in FNU’s strategic plan over the past several years.

FNU’s intentional focus on DEI began in 2006 when the university made it a priority to increase the diversity of its student body in an effort to diversify the advanced Geraldine Young practice nursing and midwifery workforce. In 2010, the Diversity Impact Program was created and a year later, the first annual Diversity Impact Conference was held.

The effectiveness of the Diversity Impact Program is evident in a number of ways, but most prominently in the percentage of students of color enrolled at FNU --

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the data point that was the genesis for FNU’s DEI focus.

In 2009, students of color made up 9 percent of FNU’s enrollment. By 2020, that number had increased to 25 percent. Additionally, the rate of retention for students of color has risen to 84 percent, exceeding the strategic plan goal of 80 percent.

Since then, aided by funding by the Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the university has expanded its DEI efforts with the creation of the three-person Office of DEI led by Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Geraldine Young, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CDE, FAANP. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the keys to the future success of our nation’s health care delivery system,” Dr. Young said. “In order to create a diverse health care workforce to provide culturally competent care, we know it is important for our entire university to be diverse. Our

A Closer Look at FNU’s DEI Initiatives Following is a more detailed look at FNU’s many ongoing initiatives that illustrate the institutional commitment to our DEI efforts.

• The Diversity Impact Program hosts quarterly speakers throughout the year on various topics aimed at increased awareness of DEI issues, health equity, and anti-racist work.

DEI initiatives have expanded to increasing the diversity of our faculty, staff, and volunteers. We also have implemented university-wide DEI training for all faculty, staff, and students.”

FNU’s ever-expanding DEI efforts have led the university to be selected as a three-time winner (2018, 2019, 2020) of the INSIGHT Into Diversity Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award.

“FNU is taking a systemic approach to thread DEI and anti-racism throughout the university,” Dr. Young said.

“We are actively expanding institutional capacity for DEI and anti-racism work. To accomplish this, some changes are able to be made quickly, and others will unfold over time. This work must be strategically developed, implemented, and evaluated to achieve our DEI and anti-racism goals, and most importantly to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives.”

Health

Professions

2020

• Recruitment of faculty and students via in-person attendance at conferences (prior to COVID-19) from professional nursing organizations representing underrepresented groups.

• DEI faculty and staff training designed by a nursing consultant with expertise in DEI and health equity issues.

• Implicit Bias Education and Training for the President’s Cabinet and Board of Directors.

• The FNU Comprehensive Mentoring Program is designed to support and retain students of color by meeting their specific professional and academic needs.

• The Professional Organization Mentoring Program offers students of color the opportunity to be mentored by faculty members at professional nursing conferences to expand their educational and professional experiences.

Mentees and mentors are expected to continue their relationship after the conference.

• In the 2020/2021 Health Resources and Services Administration Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant year, a total of ten SOC have received scholarships in the amount of $7,500 each. An additional ten students will receive scholarships before the end of the current grant period.

• Tutoring and writing support for a select number of courses in the curriculum is offered to all students, but has benefited SOC and increased learning and retention.

• An emergency assistance fund for students in need of urgent financial relief. This is offered to all students, including our SOC facing financial barriers to continuing their education.

®

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Goal 3 Build strategic relationships and partnerships with clinical sites and preceptors, focusing on rural areas.

Precepting During the Pandemic

The pandemic forced a great deal of change in all walks of life. It changed how we shopped, socialized, traveled, worked, and went to school. FNU prides itself on being adaptable to the health care needs of the country and on preparing our students to be adaptable to the needs of the communities in which they work and live.

That adaptability was tested in many ways.

In-person Clinical and Frontier Bounds had to become virtual for the first time in University history. Modifications allowed DNP Quality Improvement projects to be conducted virtually (see story on page 8).

Through it all, FNU and its students persisted.

Enrollment remained strong and the number of students forced to go on hiatus was limited thanks to the university’s quick response to the pandemic and the financial assistance provided by the Student Emergency Fund (see story on page 24).

Audra Cave

Despite working daily on the front lines of the pandemic, FNU graduates also played their part to help the university continue to succeed. Many of these alumni, along with other health care professionals, made the commitment to not only continue their work but also to be a preceptor for an FNU student.

The demand for preceptors is constant, even during a pandemic. On average, an FNU student utilizes three clinical sites in order to complete their requirements. In a typical term, the number of students in clinical courses and in need of preceptors totals anywhere from 800 to 1,000.

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FNU’s Clinical Outreach and Placement Unit helps both the students and preceptors navigate the process, even during a pandemic.

“We have a large network of preceptors across the country,” said Director of Clinical Outreach and Placement Stephanie Boyd. “We maintain a Community Map that helps students identify preceptors close to them. We are continually growing our database and recruiting potential preceptors while making sure our existing preceptors understand how much they are valued and appreciated. We try to make the experience for both students and preceptors positive and hassle-free, but we’re also here to help when it’s not so smooth.”

Precepting during the pandemic was anything but smooth. Many hospitals and clinics shut down or were limited to certain personnel, further limiting the options for students. They say necessity is the mother of invention and, while telehealth wasn’t invented during the pandemic, the breadth of its use grew significantly.

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the pandemic first took hold in the United States, telehealth visits increased by 154% during the last week of March 2020 compared to the same period in 2019*. This opened a door for some students, who were able to complete some of their clinical hours with their preceptor via telehealth.

“For the students who have found a good situation with a preceptor, it has really been convenient for them to do telehealth from their own home,” said FNU Regional Clinical

how to manage and create protocols for patients who were exposed and/or positive for COVID, and how to manage the flow of our regular patients,” Dr. Cave said. “We also had to learn how to manage telehealth. All in all, it was a good learning process for us in the clinic and for students.”

Faculty (RCF) Jeff Anderson, DNP, MS, PMHNPBC, who works with Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students. “We have had students do clinicals in which they stay at home and they log in to a Zoom meeting with the patient and the preceptor. We have also had the situation where the preceptor is still going to their office and the student meets them in their office, so the student and preceptor are both in the office but the patient joins via telehealth.”

“Part of what makes FNU unique is our ability to develop a sense of community in the virtual environment and our faculty engage students through a variety of technological platforms.”

-- Dr. Jess Calohan

Jess Calohan

In a letter to preceptors. FNU President Dr. Susan Stone expressed her gratitude for their willingness to continue to share their expertise, even during the most trying of times.

“The COVID-19 Pandemic has revealed what we already knew -- that midwives and nurses are invaluable members of healthcare in the United States,” Dr. Stone wrote. “FNU is incredibly proud of our graduates and students who represent all 50 states, providing care to those in need. We are also proud of preceptors like you who continue to give your time and mentorship to help prepare these students who are answering the call to serve.”

Jeff Anderson FNU recruits preceptors from the following specialties: Certified Nurse-Midwife; Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner; and Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

As the university continues to grow along with the country’s Understandably, the PMHNP program lends itself better to demand for health care providers, so too will the need for telehealth than some other specialties, but the increased preceptors. Dr. Cave encouraged others to precept by use of technology was prevalent across all departments explaining that it is a learning experience for both students and programs. and preceptors alike.

“Part of what makes FNU unique is our ability to develop “I want to be a preceptor because I get as much from a sense of community in the virtual environment and our students as I give,” she said. “I learn from students every faculty engage students through a variety of technological time I precept. The payoff is that I get to see the end result platforms,” said PMHNP Department Chair Dr. Jess Calohan, of a long process of student growth and learning.”

DNP. RCF Audra Cave, DNP, FNP-BC, works at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Spindale, North Carolina. * Koonin LM, Hoots B, Tsang CA, et al. Trends in the Use of Telehealth During Despite the many challenges that COVID presented, she the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, January–March 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1595–1599. DOI: http://dx.doi. continued to serve as a preceptor. org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6943a3

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Goal 3 Students Find Creative Ways to Connect with Preceptors You only get one chance to make a first impression.

For FNU’s advanced-degree nursing students seeking a preceptor, that first impression is often made in person.

In 2020, however, the COVID-19 Pandemic limited those face-to-face meetings. As virtual meetings became the new normal, students were faced with the challenge of finding a new way to connect with potential preceptors.

Not surprisingly, where others might see only hurdles, FNU students saw opportunities.

rather than regional direction. She was instrumental in getting me started. Because I would be reaching out via email rather than in person, she recommended I compile something that would make an impression. She sent me the link to YouTube videos and websites done by other students for their clinical search.”

Cannon created her own website with her contact information, curriculum vitae, clinical requirements, and information about the benefits of precepting. Her site’s

Working with FNU’s Clinical Outreach and Placement Unit, students began thinking outside the box in their search for preceptors.

“The clinical site search has been tricky with COVID. I appreciate FNU’s assistance knowing my institution supports me.” -- Parris-Marie Cannon

“We started seeing students meeting potential preceptors virtually,” said FNU Clinical Advisor Jamie Wheeler. “We also encourage them to connect with potential preceptors on professional social media outlets such as LinkedIn and to network with other FNU students using our directory and Community Map of preceptors.”

content also included a personal message about herself and her mission, as well as a one-minute video in which she explained what opportunities she was seeking in a clinical site. While working in Connecticut as an RN at a birth center, she was hoping to secure a site in northern California.

Some students like CNM student Parris-Marie Cannon, BSN, RN created their own personal websites, offering a unique way for preceptors to learn more about the students.

“The clinical site search has been tricky with COVID,” Cannon said. “I appreciate FNU’s assistance knowing my institution supports me.”

“I met with Carisa Lipp, clinical advisor for the CNEP/WH programs,” she said. “I reached out to her because I am considering relocation and needed broader assistance,

Fellow CNEP student Crystal Miller, RN-BSN, also credited the university for providing the resources she needed during her search for a clinical site. The Community Map is one resource students can use to identify potential preceptors in their search radius. Students can create contact lists from this resource.

“I found the Clinical Outreach and Placement Office very helpful in helping me navigate what steps I should be taking next and as a sounding board for my ideas and concerns,” Miller said.

Parris-Marie Cannon created her own web page to help prospective preceptors learn more about her.

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In addition to sending out resumes, Miller also provided potential preceptors with a bit of entertainment. She created

“As a mother of two teenagers, making TikTok videos became a bit of family pastime when we were all hiding in our houses last March.” -- Crystal Miller

“I coach students on how to market themselves to potential preceptors other than just writing a simple email that gets lost,” Lipp said. “Finding creative ways to connect with preceptors reveals a bit of their personality and helps set them apart from the crowd.”

a 60-second video resume on TikTok that included dancing to the Beatles hit “Help” while her qualifications flashed on the screen.

Alia Alexander, RN, BSN, echoed the need to find the right way to share her message. She started by trying to create a video but found that she felt camera shy and uncomfortable with the video. Her husband suggested she try creating a website instead.

“As a mother of two teenagers, making TikTok videos became a bit of family pastime when we were all hiding in our houses last March,” Miller said. “When it came time to start reaching out to preceptors, I wanted to create something memorable.

Especially during COVID quarantine time, when you can’t walk into an office and shake someone’s hand. I wanted to create something that showed my personality. I felt like a TikTok video would be a more entertaining way of displaying my resume and showing a little creativity.

“I coach students on how to market themselves to potential preceptors other than just writing a simple email that gets lost. Finding creative ways to connect with preceptors reveals a bit of their personality and helps set them apart from the crowd.” -- Carisa Lipp Miller ultimately found a preceptor through a work connection and began her clinicals with Alta View Midwives in Sandy, Utah, last June. Miller now works in the Maternal & Child Services Unit at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

“I am not sure if the video was a success or not, but it sure was fun to make,” she said.

Videos and websites may well persist as tools to reach potential preceptors, even after the pandemic comes to end.

Alia Alexander created a website as part of her efforts to connect with preceptors.

Crystal Miller’s family helped her create a fun TikTok video that communicated her search for a clinical site.

“I’m not sure if the website was the deciding factor, but I think it might have helped,” she said. “I found a site and three preceptors at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, Virginia. It’s been especially difficult to find sites and I want other students to try to stay positive and know that things will work out for the best with a little effort and flexibility.”

While the videos, websites, and other creative ways to reach out to preceptors have proven to be effective tools, there is no denying the challenges that some students face, particularly during the pandemic.

“We know that finding a preceptor can sometimes be a stressful task,” said Clinical Advisor Katie Graves. “We just want to make sure that our students know that we are here to help them any way we can. We have tools and resources to help them conduct their search and are always happy to hear their success stories.”

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Goal 4 Continuously improve and maintain facilities to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff.

Frontier Nursing University Turns Full Focus on Versailles Campus After Donating Hyden Property to Leslie County On September 20, FNU announced that it donated its campus in Hyden, Kentucky, to Leslie County. The gift included all land and buildings, a value of nearly two million dollars. The property, which was home to FNU since its founding as the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery in 1939, was accepted by the County with hopes it would be used for the good of the community. The decision to make the goodwill offer was made by the FNU Board of Directors at its meeting on July 22.

“We are proud of our roots in Leslie County, and it will always be our treasured birthplace,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “This gratitude and respect for our birthplace led the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors to make the decision at our July Board Meeting to honor Mary Breckinridge and the history of our institution by offering the Hyden, Kentucky, campus to Leslie County as a gift of goodwill. The county officials have graciously accepted this gift on behalf of the people of Leslie County, and we are confident that they will do wonderful things to support the community with the property.”

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The move allowed FNU to devote its full attention to the completion of the campus in Versailles, Kentucky, so that it would be ready for on-campus activities once it was safe to do so post-pandemic.

FNU Board Recognized for Leadership During Campus Transition In December, the FNU Board of Directors was recognized for its leadership by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB). The Board, which is led by Board Chair Dr. Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP/GNP-BC, received honorable mention for the AGB John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership. The award embodies the vision of AGB by recognizing boards that are indispensable, strategic partners with their institutions, helping to advance student success and well-being and enhance institutional vitality.

FNU’s Board of Directors was recognized in particular for its leadership during the process of purchasing and rebuilding the Versailles campus.

“We received more than 35 entries for the award, all of which were compelling and competitive,” AGB President and CEO Henry Stoever said in a letter announcing the recognition. “The selection committee was challenged to select only six boards from such a strong group. While Frontier Nursing University’s board was not selected as one of the award recipients this year, the selection committee believes that your submission deserves special recognition for its contributions to the larger community. We appreciate your board’s ongoing commitment to good governance.”

“The decision to leave the long-time home of the university was an emotional one for the FNU community, including many of us on the Board of Directors. However, the duty of the Board was to do what was best for the university and its mission,” Dr. Carter said. “It has been a long journey, difficult at times, but ultimately rewarding and in the best interests of FNU students and health care in the United States.”

Versailles Campus Ready for Safe Return While campus activities were put on hold with the arrival of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020, the preparation of the Versailles campus continued throughout 2020. By the end of the year, the building renovations and new construction projects were complete with only a few exceptions that were on track to be completed early in 2021. Those included the construction of a pavilion near the dining hall, a bridge replacement, and a paved access way for delivery trucks that would route them away from the central campus area.

While these finishing touches were being made, the student dormitories, classrooms, offices, and lab rooms were being finalized in preparation for the eventual return of students, faculty, and staff to campus. FNU leadership has consistently placed the top priority on the health and safety of all involved, being mindful of the number of students and faculty who travel from all over the country for on-campus events. As 2020 came to a close, the approval of COVID-19 vaccines gave hope for a return to campus sometime in 2021.

“While we are eager to be able to welcome students, faculty, and staff back to campus as soon as possible, we are committed to waiting until we are confident that it is safe to do so,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “We will continue to follow CDC, national, and local guidelines to assist in our decision-making process.”

In lieu of campus activities such as Clinical Bound and Frontier Bound, FNU developed virtual events that proved to be very successful and well-received by their participants (see story on page 11). With no students on campus, most FNU staff have been working from home since the start of the pandemic but will resume an on-campus presence once it is deemed safe to return.

Among the many highlights of the scenic rural campus is a 5K walking trail which will be completed in 2021 with the assistance of a trail-design firm.

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Goal 5 Use technology to ensure improvement and attainment of service excellence to the community.

Data Collection and Analysis Powers Informed Decision Making

With FNU’s structure of shared governance, all faculty, staff, and the committees on which they serve are empowered and expected to make informed decisions. Accordingly, FNU has made information gathering and accessibility a priority.

“Several years ago we included in our strategic plan our intent to be a data-driven university,” said FNU Executive Vice President for Finance and Facilities Michael Steinmetz, CPA, CMA, CSCA. “That objective led us to clean up our data and exposed the need to have a good reporting interface that could easily be accessed by all university employees.”

In March 2019, FNU selected Sisense to be that reporting interface. The analytics software shares data in easy-to-digest visual formats that can be accessed by FNU faculty and staff members. The software enables the creation and download of charts and graphs for presentations and reports, but more importantly, it is an essential tool in helping the university track its progress towards its strategic plan goals.

less time. Being able to find and use the data in real-time allows me and my team to make data-driven decisions and create more meaningful retention initiatives.”

Abby McCarthy

Decisions that might have been made via anecdotal information in the past are now driven by data that is constantly being updated and monitored.

“Having the Sisense dashboards has really transformed my ability to share retention data with the rest of the community,” said FNU Director of Student Retention & Records Abby McCarthy. “Using our previous methods it would often take weeks to identify, collect, and clean the data I was looking for. Now I have more information at my fingertips and can turn around data requests in significantly

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“The software is a data analytics tool that is used to combine multiple data sources and create interactive dashboards that can be shared with multiple users via the web,” said FNU Enterprise Systems Manager Chris Coots.

“The data and dashboards can also be accessed from any mobile device.”

Marc Weitlauf

“It is graphically appealing and simple to interact with,” said FNU Senior Grants Management Officer April Tabor.

“It makes the process of viewing the demographics of our student body quick and effortless.”

22

The data has helped FNU identify the points in their program at which students are most likely to withdraw or falter, which degree paths have the highest retention rates, and which retention methods are most effective. The data is equally effective at identifying successes and opportunities for improvement in a number of areas across the university, including recruitment, enrollment, diversity, and fundraising.

“Playing with the data creates new awareness, like turning the lights on in a room. We are making decisions based on data rather than anecdotal information. This is the tool we needed.” -- Marilyn Lyons

All FNU employees, students, and external constituents have access to view the University Statistics Dashboard.

Additionally, all employees have access to view the following dashboards via the FNU’s Assessment and Data Reporting page: • Term Stats at a Glance • Trends by Academic Year • Trends by Calendar Year

step in that process is FNU’s search for a new student information system.

“We’re looking for a cloud-based integrated solution to provide service excellence to students while helping to streamline administrative processes,” said FNU Executive Vice President for Finance and Facilities Michael Steinmetz, CPA, CMA, CSCA.

A student information system (SIS) is used to store and track all student data needed for university personnel to manage campus • End of Program Student Learning operations. While there are different systems, Outcome (EPSLO) in general, SIS platforms will often track A “dashboard team” of three employees information such as grades, admissions Michael Steinmetz who manage the various university data information, and financial aid. They also dashboards. The team is overseen by Director incorporate a portal via which students can of Institutional Assessment Marilyn Lyons obtain information that is of importance to and includes Coots and Reporting Data Administrator Debi them, such as accessing their grades, tracking assignments, Mincks. The team has created more than 40 dashboards or communicating with faculty. to assist a variety of university departments, including but not limited to: accounting, admissions, clinical credentialing, FNU began exploring different SIS options, intent on clinical outreach, marketing, and retention. finding a tool that would help streamline communication between staff and faculty members across multiple Lyons said that the best features of the system are its departments. Additionally, the system will be expected to graphic displays, the ability to combine data from multiple provide the ability to track prospective students through systems across the university, the use of filters to drill down the admissions process. within data, and to study trend analysis.

True to the university’s dedication to making informed, data“You can change the filters and time periods within the driven decisions, FNU began the SIS search by determining dashboard on your own,” Steinmetz said. “Playing with the the primary needs and purposes of the system. data creates new awareness, like turning the lights on in a room. We are making decisions based on data rather than “We created a rating template based on each department’s anecdotal information. This is the tool we needed.” needs and wants to help narrow the search down further,” Steinmetz said.

• Diversity Stats

New Student Management System to be Selected in 2021

By the beginning of 2021, FNU had narrowed its search to four choices.

FNU is committed to putting students’ needs first. This has included being at the forefront of distance learning and the technology required to run all courses and communications with an emphasis on efficiency and ease of use. The next

“Hopefully, we will select the new SIS by fall 2021 and implementation will start in the Winter term,” said Director of IT Marc Weitlauf. “It should take 18 to 24 months to fully implement whichever SIS we choose.”

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Goal 6 Ensure the financial strength and growth is sufficient to meet the needs of the university.

Pandemic-Impacted Students Aided by Student Emergency Fund While FNU’s low tuition rates compare favorably to other institutions, any advanced education is costly. As graduate students seeking advanced degrees, FNU students are frequently working full-time jobs and raising families while they continue their education. Even in the best of times, the mental, physical, and financial toll can be significant. Add in a global pandemic, and it can be simply overwhelming.

In the past, the FNU Student Emergency Fund has assisted students dealing with hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, personal health emergencies, or other misfortunes that would otherwise threaten their ability to continue their education. Understandably, the pandemic impacted the lives of many of our students during 2020. FNU faculty members remain closely connected with their students and encourage those under stress to apply for assistance.

Angela Bailey

“I am fighting back tears as I write this,” one Emergency Fund recipient wrote. “Tears of shock, relief, but most of all gratitude. I had thought about asking for help thousands of times, but never would because I felt like I wasn’t ‘struggling enough’ to qualify. It wasn’t until my RCF (Regional Clinical Faculty) encouraged me to take the chance by assuring me that this fund was in place to help any student that the pandemic has caused significant financial strain, no matter how big or small. Now because of her and all of you, my burden will be a little easier to bear.

The words thank you feel so measly, but they’re all I have.

Thank you for standing by this baby practitioner as she takes it one day at a time. I pledge to pay it forward. Blessings and love to you always.”

Recognizing the demand for assistance would be great and that so many FNU students were supplying vital health care in their communities during the pandemic, the FNU advancement team sent letters in April 2020 to alumni and 24

| 2020 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

other supporters requesting assistance for the Student Emergency Fund. By July, 57 donors had combined to give $73,962 to the Student Emergency Fund.

As the support flew in, so did the requests for assistance as the full impact of the pandemic began to take hold on so many of us. “I am 31 weeks pregnant with twins and was recently told I cannot work in my clinic due to COVID-19,” wrote one applicant. Another wrote: “2020 has been very difficult for everyone including myself and many unexpected things happen in life in addition to the pandemic. I truly appreciate any financial assistance during these hardships that help me reach my goal of graduation.”

The impact of the pandemic was felt quickly.

In the week of April 6 alone, there were 27 applications for assistance, 19 of which were approved. As the virus spread and the cases rose, so did the need for help. From the spring through fall terms, there were a total of 141 Student Emergency Fund requests, 103 of which were approved. The total amount dispersed from the Fund during those three terms was $120,693, with the average aid per student totaling approximately $1,172.

“The support for the Student Emergency Fund is always meaningful, but it was even more so in 2020,” said FNU Chief Advancement Officer Angela Bailey, MA, CFRE. “With so many hospitals and clinics being overwhelmed by the pandemic, it was vital that we were able to support our students and allow them not only to continue their course work but also continue to provide essential care to their communities.”

The Student Emergency Fund is not a scholarship to cover tuition or the routine costs of attending FNU such as participating in classes or taking exams. These grants are given only to meet significant loss due to true emergencies

such as fire, natural disaster, catastrophic medical injuries, and/or illness. All gifts made to this fund are given directly to students. In administering the Student Emergency Fund, FNU requests documentation from each applicant. All requests are evaluated and approved by a faculty committee before being dispersed.

Pandemic Shines Spotlight on the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife In 2019, before the COVID-19 Pandemic had gripped the world, the World Health Organization declared 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. FNU proudly joined the movement to help raise awareness of the vital and increasing impact of nurses and midwives on our nation’s healthcare system. The FNU advancement and marketing teams began 2020 with plans to share monthly stories of FNU graduates serving their communities as nurse practitioners or certified nurse-midwives. We particularly intended to focus on those serving in rural and underserved communities, highlighting the growing role of these practitioners and the increasing frequency in which they serve as primary care providers in their communities.

The execution of these coordinated initiatives between FNU’s advancement and marketing departments, however, became somewhat easier because of the pandemic.

“We were intent on demonstrating the importance of nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives, the quality of care they provide, and the need to have them at the decision-making table regarding national healthcare policy and direction,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone. “Little did we know then that the COVID-19 Pandemic would sweep the globe and, in the process, bring all those points to light. All you have to do to understand the importance of the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife is look around you.”

Even before the pandemic, the role of nurse practitioners was growing rapidly, particularly in the rural and underserved populations that are at the heart of FNU’s mission. A study published in June 2018 found that nurse

“We were intent on demonstrating the importance of nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives, the quality of care they provide, and the need to have them at the decision-making table regarding national healthcare policy and direction.” -- Dr. Susan Stone practitioners “constituted 25.2 percent of providers in rural and 23.0 percent in nonrural practices, compared to 17.6 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively, in 2008.*” The same study concluded that “the use of nurse practitioners in primary care is one way to address growing patient demand and improve care delivery.” The American Association of Nurse Practitioners estimated that 270,000 nurse practitioners were licensed to practice in the United States in 2018, marking a significant increase over the country’s approximately 120,000 nurse practitioners in 2007.

“By raising awareness of the impact of our graduates in communities large and small across the country, we help people understand the importance of supporting our students as they pursue their advanced practice degrees,” said FNU Chief Advancement Officer Angela Bailey, MA, CFRE. “On average, despite our comparatively low tuition rates, our students graduate with nearly $60,000 in student loan debt. Through awareness, fundraising efforts, and scholarships, we are committed to helping alleviate that burden. We want our graduates to be able to fully focus on being essential healthcare providers in their communities.” * Barnes H, Richards M, McHugh M, Marsolf G, Rural and Nonrural Primary Care Physician Practices Increasingly Rely on Nurse Practitioners, Health Affairs, June 2018, https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1158

To make a donation to support FNU and its students, please visit frontier.edu/giveonline or contact Chief Advancement Officer Angela Bailey at 859-251-4573 or angela.bailey@frontier.edu.

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2011-2020: A Decade of Change It is impossible to provide a thorough accounting of the events and accomplishments of the past decade within just a few pages. During that decade alone, FNU celebrated two milestone anniversaries, turning 75 in 2014 and 80 in 2019. Important, notable work is happening at FNU every day. Nonetheless, some milestones like those anniversaries stand out from the rest. With that in mind, we take a look at the defining moments of the past decade at FNU. Why

do we do this? Because, as we continue to look ahead to the next steps in the pursuit of our mission, it is important to remember where we have been and celebrate the accomplishments we have made along the way.

2011

The 2011-2020 years began with two milestone moments in FNU’s history in 2011. In the summer of 2011, FNU held its first annual Diversity Impact Conference. While FNU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives began before this signature event and have expanded since, the Diversity Impact Conference remains a centerpiece symbolizing FNU’s DEI focus. Since that first conference, FNU has created an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, established a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer position, and launched numerous programs, policies, and training measures (see page 15 to learn more about these DEI initiatives) that have furthered FNU’s goal to become a diverse and anti-racist university.

That same summer, the then-Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing officially became Frontier Nursing University. The name change better reflected the university’s status as a graduate school of nursing.

Percent of Students of Color Per Year

19.59%

2016 26

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21.60%

2017

22.33%

24.22%

25.70%

2018

2019

2020

2013 A trend throughout the past decade has been FNU’s continued growth. In 2013, the number of graduates in a single year topped 500 for the first time. By 2019 that number had grown to 852 before taking a slight pandemicimpacted drop to 817 in 2020.

With the growth of the university came a change in the leadership structure. For more than a decade, Dr. Susan Stone had served the dual roles of President and Dean of the university. Those roles expanded along with the university, and in 2013 the two positions were separated, with Dr. Stone remaining in her current position as President. Dr. Julie Marfell was named the Dean of Nursing, a position which she held until 2018 when current Dean Dr. Joan Slager was selected as her successor.

Total Enrolled by Specialty Track DNP Family Nurse Pract

2,500

Psych-Mental Health Womens Health Care

Nurse-Midwifery

2,000 162

1,500

183

861

185

845

201

842

219

822

235

804

212

768

244

749

298

749

325

717

278

699

264

291

684

664

627

897

886

856

291

293

628

297

651

824

1,000

500

0

762

69

793

70

811

71

822

78

863

110

873

145

848

859

898

893

905

250

280

321

354

367

95

98

103

106

97

168

207

236

87

91

94

874

919

420

449

110

115

491

2017-1 2017-2 2017-3 2017-4 2018-1 2018-2 2018-3 2018-4 2017-1 2019-2 2019-3 2019-4 2020-1 2020-2 2020-3 2020-4 Year-Term 2020 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

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2011-2020: A Decade of Change

2016-17

FNU’s long history of adapting to the changing needs of the health care system and the communities it serves continued with identifying the need for more mental health providers. Aware of this growing need, FNU launched the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner PostGraduate Certificate (PMHNP-PGC) program. The first applications were accepted in 2016 and the first classes began in January 2017.

FNU expanded its focus on preparing mental health providers the following year by offering a PMHNP specialty track for MSN students. Applications for the specialty track were accepted in 2017 with classes beginning in 2018.

Total PMHNP Students Enrolled 449 321 74 2017

207

2018

2019

2020

All Degress Awarded

(includes all specialty tracks and degree types)

545

640

2016

2017

822

2018

951

2019

841

2020

Total Students Enrolled

2,027

2,163

2,276

2,436

1,750

2016 28

2017

2018

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2019

2020

2017-18

With the growth in enrollment and degree offerings came the need for more faculty and staff. The need for more space to accommodate this growth also became apparent.

Additionally, the aging Hyden campus presented challenges such as rising maintenance expenses and extensive travel to and from the nearest airport. FNU’s search for a campus led to the purchase of the Versailles campus in 2017. The new property, which is located in a rural setting, offers more housing for visiting students and faculty, more office space for staff, and larger classrooms and simulation facilities. The decision to move from the historic Hyden campus was not an easy one (see story on page 20), but ultimately was deemed necessary for the future of the university and its mission.

After the purchase of the new property was finalized in 2017, renovation began in 2018 and was completed in 2020 (see story on page 21).

2020

Perhaps it is fitting that the decade ended with the celebration of one of FNU’s most significant contributions to health care in America. Though FNU launched the first Family Nurse Practitioner program in the country in 1970, the process of developing the program began in the late 1960s. The leaders of what was then the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery recognized the nation’s primary care shortage and began providing a broader-based education for nurses. The concept of educating its students to extend their abilities beyond traditional nursing and nursemidwifery roles had long been a fixture of the Frontier curriculum. The establishment of the FNP program, in essence, formalized the creation of a new nursing discipline.

The 50-year anniversary of the FNP program celebrated the more than 2,600 FNP graduates and their contributions to the health of their communities. It also served as a reminder that the shortage of primary care providers remains and that the next 50 years of the FNP program will be even more important than the first.

2014 Advising Department created

2017 CDIO position created, Dr. Maria Valentin-Welch named first CDIO

2018 FNU receives first of three consecutive Insight Into Diversity Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Awards

2019 FNU President Dr. Susan Stone inducted into the National Academy of Medicine

2020

Dr. Geraldine Young named new CDIO

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A Timeline of FNU’s Response to the Pandemic As the scope and impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic came into focus, FNU leadership communicated frequently and openly with the entire FNU community and took quick steps to protect students, faculty, and staff. Here is a timeline of the key decisions and actions:

March 3

March 13

March 16

Dr. Susan Stone sent an email addressing the FNU community explaining the university’s monitoring of the situation. At this time, there were no travel restrictions in the United States, but Dr. Stone indicated that FNU was “developing alternative plans if restricted travel becomes necessary” and urged students to contact their Clinical Director if they had any concerns about traveling to clinical sites.

Dr. Stone sent an email addressing FNU students, stating “Our goal at this time is to help you continue on your educational path successfully while understanding that some of you may need to pause to attend to the collateral issues associated with the pandemic.” She went on to add, “We will strive to be flexible to meet your needs if you encounter situations related to the pandemic that affect your academic progress.” She noted that many clinical sites were restricting access to students and stated, “We have asked all of your Regional Clinical Faculty to cease doing on-site visits so that they can be available to you for consultations with minimal delay.”

Clinical Bound sessions held virtually for the first time.

March 10 Dr. Stone sent an email addressing the FNU community announcing the decision to “convert the Frontier Bound/DPN Bound session scheduled for March 16-19 to an online workshop.” She also announced that “faculty members are busy designing an online Clinical Bound just in case we need it.”

March 13 The University announced all employees with an approved telecommuting agreement may work from home daily.

March 17 Dr. Stone sent an email to the FNU faculty and staff announcing that all Clinical Bound sessions would be conducted online through at least May 9 and that Frontier Bound orientation sessions would be held virtually through May and June. She announced that Wendover Bed & Breakfast and Retreat Center would be closed until at least May 9. Telecommuting for many FNU employees was extended through May 9. Dr. Stone expressed the need to maintain a close-knit community adhering to the Culture of Caring.

“We would like to engage in a very interactive online work environment to support each other and to support our students. I am encouraging you all to be creative and create social situations online during the workday.”

March 18 Human Resources Director LaToshia Daniel sent an email to all FNU faculty and staff announcing FNU’s COVID-19 Workplace Policy.

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March 24 Dr. Stone sent an email addressing the FNU community to announce that the spring term would begin as scheduled on April 6. She shared a video created by Dr. Jess Calohan, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Department Chair, that provided strategies for selfcare during the pandemic. She also directed the community to FNU’s Banyan Tree Portal for updated information and resources related to COVID-19.

unforeseen challenges confronting our students and their families as we all deal with the many consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

April 6 In an email to the FNU community, Dr. Stone shared information about the Frontier Emergency Scholarship Fund (see the story on the inside front cover for more information about this fund).

In the message, Dr. Stone stated, “If the COVID Pandemic has affected you financially, you can apply to the fund.”

March 25

April 28

Dr. Stone sent an email addressing FNU preceptors, sharing that FNU had “made the difficult decision to stop all clinical rotations until April 7, 2020.”

In an email to the FNU community, Dr. Stone reported that Frontier Bounds, Clinical Bounds, and the Diversity Impact Conference would be held virtually during the summer term. The work-at-home plan was extended to May 31 and meetings were being conducted to plan for students to reenter clinical sites.

March 27 Dr. Stone sent an email addressing the FNU community with an update on clinical sites. “While all states are experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the impact is different state to state. For these multiple reasons we have decided to move forward to allow some students to return to clinical sites as we begin the Spring Term 2020 on April 6.” Dr. Stone’s message went on to state, “Any student may decide that it is best for them to take an Academic Hiatus during Spring Term. We understand there are many

July 21 Dr. Stone communicated to faculty and staff that no student events would be held on campus prior to January 2021 and extended the work-at-home plan to match that timeline.

August 25 In an email to faculty and staff, Dr. Stone announced that “we have decided to extend our date for the return of students, faculty, and staff to on-campus activities to at least the beginning of Spring Term 2021.”

November 12 Dr. Stone’s email to faculty and staff stated “we will not be back on campus in the Spring term as we had hoped and most likely not for Summer term.

We will not require employees who work on the Versailles Campus to return to the office until the start of the term when students return.”

May 14 Dr. Stone sent an email to the FNU community announcing that commencement would be held virtually on September 26 and that no on-campus sessions would be held prior to October. She reported that the virtual sessions, Frontier Bound, Clinical Bound, and DNP Bound had all received “stellar evaluations”.

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Answering the Call During the Pandemic

Answering the Call

By Innovation

Answering the Call By Boat and By Plane

Answering the Call By Serving Where Needed

Ginny Bowers, CNM, IBCLC, RC Easton, Maryland

Julie Drude, FNP, DNP Travel Nurse

Joy McElyea, MSN, CNM, RN, CNEP, DNP, Gunnison, Colorado

On March 18, 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Ginny Bowers posted her innovative idea on social media: “Mobile midwifery! Taking care of my pregnant mamas in their cars in order to help out our community.”

Julie Drude began working as a travel nurse in 2012, with her first assignment being the rural town of Bethel, Alaska.

She worked there again in 2015 and 2017, and in Valdez, Alaska in the summer of 2020. In the winter of 2021, she worked in Homer, delivering the COVID vaccine to patients in a remote village accessible only by plane or boat.

As the Head Midwife at Chesapeake Women’s Health in Easton, Maryland, Bowers recognized the need to reduce the risks of exposure to her pregnant patients. Having them come into the office for appointments added risks that could be avoided by offering a drive-up option.

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“I felt very well prepared as a Frontier graduate to do any job,” she said. “I love the emphasis on rural health and getting outside of your comfort zone and going where no one has gone before to serve. Frontier ingrains that in you.”

In non-COVID times, Joy McElyea primarily works as a CNM in an outpatient clinic. As an APRN, however, she was prepared when needed at a local hospital.

“My nursing background is corrections and long-term care. But these days, I’m standing next to ER doctors and EMS crews,” she said. “I am so thankful that Frontier continues on, adapting just like all of us on the front lines, supporting students just as we support our patients. Health care will be different after this, but the flexibility, empathy, understanding, and forward-thinking nature of the FNU community will prepare us well for whatever role we find ourselves in.

And for that, I am grateful.”

Answering the Call By Going the Extra Miles

Answering the Call

By Education

Answering the Call By Sense of Duty

Jean Volm, MSN, FNP Travel Nurse

Jaime Westlund, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, Hawaii

Julian Williams, RN, CMRSN, FNP-C Inwood, New York

Risking one’s health and safety to help others is truly heroic. That is what Jean Volm did in the midst of the pandemic. After losing her position in Wisconsin due to the pandemic, she began looking for travel nursing options. There were many to choose from, but understanding that New York and New Jersey were COVID-19 hotspots, that’s where she looked first. Soon she was on her way to Hackensack, New Jersey.

Jaime Westlund is a nurse practitioner in the general surgery department at Ali’i Health Center in Kailua, Kona. During the pandemic, she screened patients for the virus and created and distributed informative posters about COVID-19 throughout the community.

Sometimes “answer the call” means literally answering the call. When the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called in the spring of 2020, Julian Williams answered. FEMA contracted him for COVID-19 disaster response and he began working at Coler Rehabilitation and Nursing in New York City.

“I was contacted by a recruiter regarding an eight-week, 48-hours per week RN assignment at Hackensack University Medical Center,” she said. “I arrived here on April 15 and started working 12-hour night shifts on April 16.”

“We live on an island so it is truly rural health care at its finest. I took an oath to answer the call, and I have been doing that within my community,” she said.

“I came into this position knowing the inherent risks associated with exposure to COVID-19,” he said.

“I won’t lie and say that I did not have my reservations given my own risk factor -- an underlying heart abnormality -- but I knew that my training, clinical expertise, and my commitment to healthcare necessitated my need to respond and help my new community.

FNU taught me to ‘Answer the Call’ whenever and wherever I am needed. This was no exception.

It was my pleasure and duty to respond when called.”

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2020 Events and Honors Commencement 2020 Goes Virtual In a year of firsts, it was no surprise that FNU’s annual commencement ceremony was held virtually for the first time. On Saturday, September 26, 817 nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, Master of Science in Nursing degree, or Post-Graduate Certificate in 2020 were honored for their accomplishments.

Despite the change in structure, the event was no less special for the graduates and their families, who were treated to a keynote address by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. RADM Trent-Adams served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health from January 2019 until August 2020.

In this position she shared responsibility with the Assistant Secretary for Health for planning, coordinating, and directing substantive program matters; policy and program development; and determining and setting legislative and program priorities covering the full range of public health activities within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

She served as the Acting Surgeon General from April 2017 through September 2017, Deputy Surgeon General from October 2015 through December 2018, and as Chief Nurse Officer of the USPHS from 2013 through 2016. RADM Trent-Adams has held various positions in the United States Department of Health & Human

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Services, working to improve access to care for poor and underserved communities. As a clinician and administrator, she has had a direct impact on building systems of care to improve public health for marginalized populations domestically and internationally.

A Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Class of 2018, RADM Trent-Adams urged the graduates to be present in their communities, and compassionately serve those who need it most.

“We as a profession stand in the crossroad of community and healthcare systems,” RADM TrentAdams said. “We have an obligation to deliver the best possible care that includes being self-aware and conscious of our actions, our word, and our intent.” -- Trent-Adams

“We as a profession stand in the crossroad of community and healthcare systems,” RADM Trent-Adams said. “We have an obligation to deliver the best possible care that includes being self-aware and conscious of our actions, our word, and our intent.”

FNU President Dr. Stone praised the graduates for their perseverance and reminded them to be leaders amidst times of fear and chaos, such as the pandemic.

“You represent the calm in the storm,” Dr. Stone said. “You are the stabilizing force, the givers of care, and of hope.”

In addition to these special presentations, commencement also included the traditional highlight of the presentation of the annual awards. The following award winners were recognized for their exceptional performance and leadership: Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Leadership Award: Dr. Minyon Outlaw, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNEP

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Kristin McColly PMHNP

Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Gina Kristiansen, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC

Exemplary DNP Project Award: Dr. Kristin Gianelis, DNP, ANP, WHNP; PM-DNP

Family Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Brandy Camperlino, MSN, FNP-C

Student Choice Excellence in Teaching Academic Faculty Award: Dr. Eileen Thrower, Ph.D., CNM

The Kitty Ernst Nurse-Midwifery Student Leadership Award: Autumn Fuselier, MSN, APRN, CNM, CNEP, DNP

Student Choice Excellence in Teaching Regional Clinical Faculty Award: Dr. Kevin Scalf, PMHNP-BC

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2020 Events and Honors

FNU Receives INSIGHT Into Diversity Health Professions Higher Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for Third Consecutive Year For the third consecutive year, Frontier Nursing University received the 2020 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The Health Professions HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to review each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

“Being selected as a recipient of the prestigious HEED Award for a third consecutive year is an incredible honor for Frontier Nursing University,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone. “Amidst the current social justice movement in our

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Professions

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country, it is imperative that FNU serve as an agent for change. We know that culturally competent care improves health outcomes and begins with a more diverse healthcare system. We are proud to be taking a leadership role in this movement by educating an increasingly diverse student body, but fully recognize that we have much to learn and areas in which to improve. The HEED Award confirms that we are continuing to move in the right direction and to make meaningful progress.”

FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager Inducted as American Academy of Nursing Fellow Frontier Nursing University Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) in a virtual ceremony on Saturday, October 31. Dr. Slager was selected for the AAN Fellowship in acknowledgment of her outstanding contributions and impact on nursing and health.

Dr. Slager was a member of FNU’s first Community-based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP) graduate class in 1991 and proceeded to complete her Master of Science in Nursing in 1993. Early on in her career, Dr. Slager helped to establish Bronson Women’s Service in Kalamazoo, Mich., which is now the state’s largest midwifery service. Dr. Slager has spent over 20 years practicing as a full-scope midwife and has served as a preceptor for over 100 FNU students; she became the school’s Dean of Nursing in March 2018.

“I am very honored to have been inducted as an AAN Fellow,” Dr. Slager said. “AAN is an organization that promotes nursing leadership to advance health policy and practice in the U.S. I am excited to be part of this prestigious organization and to contribute to the continued evolvement of nursing practice.”

The American Academy of Nursing selected a total of 230 distinguished nurse leaders to join the 2020 Class of Fellows. The Academy is currently composed of more than 2,700 nursing leaders who are experts in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia that champion health and wellness, locally and globally.

FNU Well-Represented Among ACNM Leadership FNU Assistant Professor Catherine Collins-Fulea, DNP, CNM, FACNM was inducted as the new president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) at the organization’s annual meeting in May 2020. ACNM is the professional association that represents certified nursemidwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the United States. Collins-Fulea, who also received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from FNU, succeeded FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, as ACNM’s president. Stone, who has been president at FNU since 2001, served as the ACNM president for the previous two years.

After completing her basic nursing and midwifery education in England, CollinsFulea opened an in-hospital birthing center at Grace Hospital in Detroit in 1981, when only five other CNMs were practicing in the entire state. She joined the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit in 1991, where she started a new practice with six other CNMs. Over the years, she grew this practice into one of the most respected in the state, leading 22 midwives at two hospitals and practicing in 8 outpatient centers.

“I am deeply honored to be the president of ACNM,” CollinsFulea said. “I am grateful to Dr. Stone for her leadership over the past two years, and I look forward to building upon her great work. There are many challenges ahead, and I am eager to begin this journey.”

In addition to Collins-Fulea’s induction as the new president, FNU CNEP faculty members Anne Cockerham, Ph.D., CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, and Kate Woeber, Ph.D., CNM, MPH, FACNM were inducted as ACNM Fellows at the annual meeting.

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2020 Events and Honors

Dr. Maria Small Joins Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors Dr. Maria J. Small, MD, MPH, was unanimously approved as the newest member of the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors during the Board’s meeting on July 22. Dr. Small is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist within the field of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University Medical Center.

“I am honored to join the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors,” Dr. Small said. “I have long been impressed by FNU’s history of educating nurses and midwives. FNU’s work is more important than ever. I look forward to collaborating with the other members of the Board of Directors and FNU leadership to build upon FNU’s nationwide impact.”

Born in Durham, N.C., Dr. Small earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University, then completed medical school at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. She completed an internal medicine residency at Yale University’s New Haven Medical Center and an OB-GYN residency at Temple University Hospital.

She went on to perform a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Yale University and has a master’s degree in public health from Yale.

Dr. Small, who joined Duke University Medical School in 2007, is currently an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Prior to returning to Durham, Dr. Small served

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in a variety of instructional positions, including assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yale University’s School of Medicine and adjunct faculty and associate head of the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rwanda.

In addition to her professorial endeavors, Dr. Small also sees patients at Duke Birthing Center in Durham, N.C. She is board certified by both the American Board of Obstetrics/ Gynecology, Maternal & Fetal Medicine, and the American Board of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Dr. Small, who speaks Portuguese and Spanish in addition to English, has a special interest in high-risk maternal medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and preeclampsia.

“Dr. Small’s extensive knowledge and experience in both education and maternal health is an ideal combination and she promises to have a significant impact on the future of FNU,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone.

“I have long been impressed by FNU’s history of educating nurses and midwives. FNU’s work is more important than ever. I look forward to collaborating with the other members of the Board of Directors and FNU leadership to build upon FNU’s nationwide impact.” -- Dr. Maria J. Small

Annual Awards Every fall, Frontier Nursing University presents its annual awards for service. The following alumni, volunteers, and supporters were selected as the 2019 honorees:

Distinguished Service to Alma Mater: Rebeca Barroso, DNP, MSN, RN, CNM, FACNM

Distinguished Service to Society: Rachel Lien, FNP

Distinguished Service to Alma Mater: Rebecca Feldman, CNM, PMHNP

Courier Program Unbridled Spirit Award: Ellen Bayard

Distinguished Service to Society: Melva Craft-Blacksheare, DNP, MS, RN, CNM

Mary Breckinridge Lifetime Service Award: Dr. Jon Kucera and Dr. Susan Graham

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2021 Strategic Plan 2021 Strategic Plan Goals Goal 1: Continue to develop, evaluate, and improve programs and services that further our mission.

Goal 2: Create an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and promotes the success of all community members.

Goal 3: Build strategic relationships and partnerships with clinical sites and preceptors, focusing on rural areas.

Objectives

Objectives:

Objectives:

● Implement BSN-DNP programs of study for 2022.

● Increase the percentage of students, faculty, staff, (preceptors), Board of Directors, and administrators from racially and other underrepresented groups and rural communities.

● Identify data-driven incentives to increase the number of Alumni who become preceptors.

● Develop CEU Program for alumni, faculty, and others.

● Integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as core values throughout the community.

● Investigate opportunities to partner with health systems to expand FNU’s clinical site network.

● Reaccreditation of the DNP Program Winter 2022.

● Ensure a curriculum that includes diversity, equity, and inclusion.

● Expand and further develop the clinical site support system.

● Implement strategies to retain at least 85% of enrolled students.

● Provide targeted outreach to rural health care sites, systems, and prospective preceptors.

● Integration of Simulation across the Curriculum- to include concepts of Telehealth learning, assessment, and application.

● Increase faculty and staff satisfaction and retention with a focus on underrepresented groups.

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● Create a positive environment for preceptors.

Goal 4: Continuously improve and maintain facilities to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff.

Goal 5: Use technology to ensure improvement and attainment of service excellence to the community.

Objectives:

Objectives:

● Complete the reconstruction and furnishings of the Versailles Campus by June 1, 2021.

● Evaluate, choose and set an implementation date for a new Student Management System.

● Implement Campus Operations, Maintenance, and Security on the Versailles Campus (Food Service, Housekeeping, Gift Shop, Security, Maintenance, and Activities Management).

● Assess technology needs for clinical lab settings on the new campus.

● Implement facility support for program management on the Versailles Campus (e.g., logistical support, housing assignments, transportation to campus and on-campus, appropriate room assignment, dietary restrictions, equipping of rooms, room access, dorm room assignment). ● Create a facilities master plan for the Versailles campus which includes future development, capacity planning, security, and maintenance. ● Investigate future opportunities for Wendover facilities.capacity planning.

● Develop an implementation plan and support plan for SimIQ for telehealth. ● Expand the awareness and usage of our current software products across the FNU community. ● Expand the awareness and usage of our current software products across the FNU community.

Goal 6: Ensure the financial strength and growth is sufficient to meet the needs of the university.

Objectives: Advancement: ● Review all procedures and systems for fundraising to ensure compliance and adherence to best practices. ● Increase all donations and grants by at least 3%. ● Restart the Courier Program with the Versailles Campus as its home. ● Increase the profile of FNU as a leader in advanced practice nursing education and midwifery education. ● Increase the public knowledge and understanding of the definition and scope of practice of the CNM/CM.

Finance ● Evaluate the feasibility of revenue streams supporting the FNU mission. ● Establish a periodic vendor review process to ensure optimal operating efficiencies.

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