frontier school president's report 2010

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FRONT ROW L-R:Mary Ethel Wooton, Nancy Hines, Jane Leigh Powell, Marion McCartney, Ken Tuggle

BACK ROW L-R:Rhonda Brashear, John Foley, Michael Carter, Michael T. Rust

NOT PICTURED:Charles Mahan

FNS Board of Governors & FSMFN Board of Directors

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TABLE OFCONTENTS

Letter from the Chairman of the Board ��4

Letter from the President & Dean ��5

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program ��6

ADN-MSN Bridge Option ��8

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program �� 10

Graduation �� 10

Faculty Report �� 11

Staff Report �� 12

Academic Affairs �� 14

Office of Research �� 15

Library Services �� 16

Student Services�� 17

Technology Report �� 18

Office of Advancement �� 19

FSMFN Alumni Association �� 20

International Health Initiative �� 22

Facilities and Finance Report �� 23

FSMFN Strategic Goals 2010 – 2014 �� 24

FSMFN Strategic Plan with Outcomes 2010 �� 26

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Letter from the Chairman of the Board

Dear Friends,

harles Dickens begins his famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities, by saying: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the

age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness....” While he penned this work in 1859, his words describe where we find advanced practice

nursing today in the United States. We have the Institute of Medicine/ Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report calling for dramatic changes in nursing education and practice while at the same time we are seeing proposed massive cuts in nursing education funds. Angst continues as the country struggles with how our healthcare system must be changed and yet no clear answers on how to pay for these changes.

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

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

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

Sincerely,

Michael Carter, DNSc, FNPChair, FSMFN Board of Directors

Michael Carter, DNSc, FNPChair, FSMFN Board of Directors

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Letter from the President & Dean

Dear Friends,

hanks to the combined efforts of a dedicated board, faculty, and staff, plus the loyal support of our many alumni, preceptors and

donors, 2010 was another great year for FSMFN. We now have over 1,000 students from across the nation and the globe who plan to deliver quality

healthcare to people in the most rural and underserved areas. We should all be very proud of the role we play in their training.

Last year saw continued growth in enrollment and detailed statistics are included in the report. FSMFN admits nearly 600 new students annually and we are very proud to report that 75% of our students reside in federally designated rural counties, and 75% reside in health professional shortage areas. We are truly making an impact on access to care for the most rural and underserved in the country.

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

Onward to another successful year at Frontier!

Sincerely,

Susan E. Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNMFSMFN President and Dean

Susan E. Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNMFSMFN President and Dean

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MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (MSN) PROGRAM

In 2010, 565 students were admitted to the FSMFN master’s program. This was a 35% increase from 2009. This increase was possible because Bridge students were no longer included in the eight Frontier Bound orientations. The Bridge students were admitted and attended a Bridge Bound held in conjunction with the four sessions of Crossing the Bridge, where the students finishing their Bridge year return to campus to present their community projects and prepare for the specialty track courses. This combination of Bridge Bound with Crossing the Bridge resulted in the successful Bridge students serving as examples and mentors for the newly admitted Bridge students. Also, it opened up over 100 spaces in the eight Frontier Bounds, allowing the FSMFN to increase admissions substantially. The number of students admitted in 2010 was more than double the number admitted in 2006 – just five years ago.

There were many applicants for all three specialty tracks, and the Admissions Committee made a concerted effort

FSMFN MISSION STATEMENT

The Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing is a private, non-profit, non-residential graduate school of nursing offering community-based, distance education programs leading to the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the Master of Science in Nursing Degree and/or post-master’s certificates in advanced practice nursing specialties. Our mission is to educate nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who are leaders in the primary care of women and families with an emphasis on underserved and rural populations.

MSN students listen to a lecture during their campus visit for Clinical Bound.

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to admit equal numbers of midwifery students as nurse practitioner students. Forty-eight percent of the new students were in the nurse-midwifery specialty while the remaining 52% were nurse practitioners: 44% pursuing the family nursing track and 8% the women’s healthcare track.

Students participate in clinical simulations during Clinical Bound.

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ADN-MSN BRIDGE OPTION

The ADN-MSN Bridge entry option to the Frontier MSN program allows nurses holding an associate’s degree in nursing to directly enter the MSN program. Over a four-term period (12 months), students complete a series of courses designed to prepare them for graduate study. During the fourth term, Bridge students attend the Crossing the Bridge intensive, which prepares them to transition out of the Bridge to complete the MSN curriculum in their chosen specialty track. Students are selected for admission based on the same criteria as other students with the exception of holding a baccalaureate degree. Because space is limited for admission to the Bridge, qualified students are selected based on the highest combined scores of two separate reviewers.

The program is extremely successful and is in high demand. Since the implementation of the Bridge entry option in January 2007, fourteen Bridge classes have been admitted, for a total of 306 students. These students were selected from a pool of approximately more than 650 qualified applicants. During 2010, we admitted 99 Bridge students to FSMFN through four Frontier Bridge Bounds, which is 13 more than

admitted in 2009. Twenty-eight of the 2010 graduates were Bridge students. Many more are in their clinical preceptorships and will graduate in 2011.

Overall retention in the Bridge continues to be strong at 88.9%. Of those 306 students who started the Bridge option, 25 withdrew during the Bridge year (8.0 % attrition) and 10 more withdrew after having completed the Bridge year (4.0% attrition), which is less than the attrition rate for students entering as post-baccalaureate students. The great majority of students (71%) who withdraw during the Bridge year do so within one-to-two terms, with the predominant reasons being “family issues/illness” and “personal

Dr. Trish Voss, Director, ADN-MSN Bridge, pictured with Bridge Class 80.

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illness” (88%). Only three students left the program due to academic failure—and even that was attributed by the students to “poor time management” and/or “family/work issues” rather than a lack of academic ability. This excellent retention rate (88.9%) can be attributed to the increased attention that we provide to these students.

Faculty focus on assuring that Bridge students have close attention in both their advising and their courses. Bridge students are placed in a cohort and work together in that cohort throughout their program of study. The Bridge option is carefully evaluated to monitor its success and make improvements where indicated. For example, we use an active advising plan for the Bridge students where 20-25 Bridge students are assigned to an advisor, which is smaller than the typical advising assignment for faculty not teaching in the Bridge. Students are assigned a specific advisor who they meet when they attend Frontier Bound, and advising begins when students are notified of their acceptance to the program. Once the students have started their program of study and are enrolled in courses, the advisors have at least bi-weekly contact with them.

Further, since the Bridge students move through the Bridge year as a cohort, the Bridge faculty are more easily able to track individual student progress—and alert the student’s advisor and the Bridge Director if a student begins to struggle or fall behind. This allows us to immediately reach out to the student before he or she becomes seriously delinquent.

A big change for the Bridge option began in 2010 with the combining of Frontier Bound for new Bridge students (Bridge Bound) and the Crossing the Bridge intensive for returning Bridge students. Further, both Bridge Bound and Crossing the Bridge were shortened by one day, so this has been a major modification of the schedules for both experiences. A major advantage is that this new combined schedule provides a better opportunity for experienced Bridge students to mentor new Bridge students. Student evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive, particularly from the new students who receive mentors. The Crossing students also rate the combined intensive positively, often commenting that they wished they’d had the opportunity for mentors as well. The Bridge Director will continue to monitor and evaluate this change, particularly to see if the Peer Mentoring relationship endures beyond the Bridge year.

Trish McQuillin Voss, DNP, MSN, CNM, continues to serve as the Director of the Bridge entry option, and teaches the N404 Statistics course in the second term. Laura Hollywood, DNSc, CNM, FNP, has been a full-time faculty member teaching in the Bridge courses since January 2007. She is the course coordinator for the first two courses in the Bridge year—N400 Physical Assessment and N401 Communication & Introduction to Scholarly Writing. Sharon Hunsucker, MSN, FNP, joined FSMFN in August 2009. She teaches N407 Theory and Research for third-term students and N409 Community Health Practicum for the fourth-term students. Ms. Hunsucker also started work toward her Ph.D. in Nursing at the University of Kentucky in 2010.

Cynthia Turner, DNP, FNP, was hired in December 2009 and began teaching in Winter term 2010. Her courses are N406 Leadership for second-term students and N408 Community Health for third-term students. In 2010, two more full-time faculty members joined the Bridge team. Jacqueline Brooks, MSN, CNM, WHNP, is course faculty in N401 and N406. Barbara Hignite, DNP, FNP, is course faculty in N407 and N408. Dr. Voss remains course coordinator for N404, N406, N407, N408 and N409, and she, along with Dr. Hollywood and Ms. Hunsucker, mentors these two new faculty members.

Students from Bridge Class 74 participate in sessions with students from Crossing the Bridge.

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DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE (DNP) PROGRAM

The post-master’s DNP is an offering compatible with the mission of FSMFN, the concept of community of inquiry, and national efforts for capacity building in nursing leadership. The purposes of the DNP degree are to prepare advanced practice nurses to promote evidence-based practice, to implement change in the practice environment, and to improve healthcare outcomes. In the short duration of the DNP program at FSMFN, DNP graduates have already demonstrated change in the clinical setting.

The curriculum sequences toward the individual capstone project. While the program is short (18 months), it enjoys excellent support from administration, faculty, and staff within the School. In the past seven months, there has been increased faculty participation in capstone activities, development of a faculty mentoring program for chairing capstones, and earlier focus by DNP students in identifying and implementing capstone projects. Interdisciplinary collaboration with other universities and healthcare professionals from various disciplines has been promoted through invitations to serve on the capstone committees.

In 2010, 23 students in the DNP Program graduated. Currently 11 of 14 DNP3 cohort students have completed all requirements for graduation and additionally 12 students in DNP4 cohort are on track to graduate in October 2011. These 12 students present their capstone proposals in March 2011. DNP5 students (n=14) are beginning capstone activities and the newest class, DNP6 (n=18), attend DNP Bound in March 2011. Applications are in process for DNP7 (September 2011) cohort with a robust number of inquiries. DNP inquiries comprise 30% of all inquiries to FSMFN.

National discussion around the DNP includes 1) the ongoing debate clarifying the role of the PhD and the DNP prepared advanced practice nurse; 2) the positions assumed about role preparation by various advanced practice nursing specialty organizations, national nursing organizations, state regulatory agencies, and employers; and 3) the discussions about the straight-through DNP from the associate’s or bachelor’s level. FSMFN is actively engaged in this national dialogue and looks forward to curriculum development offering multiple options and entry points for the DNP.

GRADUATION

FSMFN had a total of 217 graduates in 2010. Sixty-three students completed the nurse-midwifery (CNEP) track. Of the sixty-three, 62 received a Master of Science in Nursing degree and one received a post-master’s certificate. Seventy-seven students completed the family nurse practitioner (CFNP) track. Of these, seventy-five received a Master of Science in Nursing degree and two received a post-master’s certificate. Twenty students completed the women’s healthcare nurse practitioner (WHCNP) track. Of these, thirteen received a Master of Science in Nursing degree and seven received a post-master’s certificate.

Twenty-eight of our graduates began in the Bridge option. Of these, eleven completed the nurse-midwifery track, sixteen completed the family nurse

DNP Bound Class 5 students pose for a photo while they attend their on-campus

orientation.

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practitioner track and one completed the women’s healthcare nurse practitioner track. FSMFN also had twenty-three students complete the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Six of these graduates were FSMFN alumni.

First time pass rates for FSMFN graduates taking national certification exams

FACULTY REPORT

Along with the student body, the faculty continues to grow and currently totals 67 nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners plus two librarians and one instructional designer. FSMFN made some significant changes to the administrative structure in 2010. These changes better reflect the degree of responsibility shared amongst administrative positions. The Department Chair positions were promoted to Associate Dean of Family Nursing and Associate Dean of Midwifery and Women’s Health. These two positions continue to be filled by Julie Marfell, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, and Suzan Ulrich, DrPH, CNM, FACNM, respectively. Joyce Knestrick, PhD, FNP, FAANP, is now the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. A new position, Associate Dean of Research, was added to the faculty and filled by Janet Engstrom, PhD, APN, CNM, WHNP-BC. The faculty continues to include one President and Dean, one Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery, program directors for the Bridge option and DNP program, Course Coordinators, Course faculty, Regional Clinical Coordinators, Teaching Associates, a Director of Library Services, Information Services Librarian, and Instructional Designer.

A total of twelve new persons joined our faculty during 2010. We were pleased to welcome Barbara Anderson, DrPH, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, as the DNP Program Director. Janet Engstrom, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, accepted the newly created position of Associate Dean of Research. Several new Course Faculty were hired including Jacqueline Brooks, MS, CNM, WHCNP; Susan Calloway, PhD, FNP-BC; Karen DeCocker-Geist, MSN, CNM; Joy Elwell, DNP, FNP-BC; Barbara Hignite, DNP, FNP; Nancy Pesta Walsh, DNP, FNP; and Sally Tom, EDM, CNM, FACNM. Victoria Baker, PhD, CNM, joined as a Course Coordinator and Marietta Cahill, MSN, CNM, MPH, as a Regional Clinical Coordinator. Zach Young, MSLS, was hired as the new Information Services Librarian.

Congratulations are in order to the following faculty members who completed their doctoral studies in 2010:

2010 2009 2008 2007

American Midwifery Certification Board (CNEP graduates)

Not yet available

96% 87% 94%

American Nursing Credentialing Center (CFNP graduates)

Not yet available 97% 92% 100%

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (CFNP graduates)


National Certification Council (WHCNP graduates)


Graduates celebrate after our annual October Commencement.

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• Andrighetti, T. (2010). Simulations at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing Clinical Bound (Unpublished doctoral capstone project). Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Hyden, KY.

• Couch, K. (2010). Revealing wellness to perform: Establishing a worksite wellness program (Unpublished doctoral capstone project). Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Hyden, KY.

• Fliris, C. L. (2010). Implementation of a disease management program to enhance self-care behaviors of rural adults with heart failure (Unpublished doctoral capstone project). Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, UT.

• Hoeger, A. (2010). Increasing participation in preceptor training at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing by incorporating a user-friendly course and student assistance into the clinical practicum (Unpublished doctoral capstone project). Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Hyden, KY.

• Osborne, K. (2010). Pushing techniques used by midwives when providing second stage labor care (Doctoral dissertation). Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database. (UMI No. 3397553)

• Pesta Walsh, N. (2010). The adaptation and implementation of cross-cultural cognitive behavioral group therapy sessions for the treatment of depression in women at a rural health clinic (Unpublished doctoral capstone project). Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Hyden, KY.

• Urquhart, G. E. (2010). Short-term medical missions: A toolkit of resources (Unpublished doctoral capstone project). Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Hyden, KY.

In the last five years, FSMFN has encouraged faculty to earn doctoral degrees. Tuition support and relief time

to complete dissertation and/or capstone projects have been provided in order to increase the number of faculty with terminal degrees. Great progress towards these efforts has been made. Twenty-two faculty received their doctoral degrees during the years 2006-2010. There were eight PhDs and fourteen DNPs.

More than one-half (n=8) of the DNPs were from schools other than Frontier. Those schools include the University of Kentucky (n=2), Arizona State University (n=2), University of Minnesota, Oakland University, The Rocky Mountain School of Health Professions, and Case Western Reserve University.

The PhDs were awarded from University of Virginia, University of Colorado, Columbia University, Medical College of Georgia, Touro University International, Stony Brook University, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and Marquette University.

STAFF REPORT

The Frontier School has a staff that is driven by our mission and dedicated to students’ success. 2010 proved to be another year of growth among the staff as eight new staff positions were added to our team.

The heart of Frontier continues to beat on our bustling campus in Hyden. Sherri Davis, Registrar, and Sharon Feltner, Executive Assistant, were very busy this year processing over 1,500 applications. The application process is currently going through improvements as we transition from a paper-based to online admissions process. Once those applicants become students, Katie Moses takes care of their experience on campus as our Academic Resource Coordinator. Chasity Collett, Admissions Assistant, is the newest member of our team in the Hyden office on campus. Susan Morgan, Campus Services Coordinator, continues to lead the housekeeping and cooking staff. They fed and housed over 1,100 students, faculty and staff in 2010. The hardworking staff of housekeepers and cooks consists

Faculty members gather for a shot during DNP Bound.

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of Hallie Hall, Samantha Joseph, Darlene Maggard and the newest addition, Linda Sawyers. Lonnie Brown is our dedicated maintenance person tending our beloved historical facilities.

With the increase in applicants and enrollment, the Student Services staff was also busy and growing in 2010. Stephanie Boyd, Director of Recruitment and Retention, oversees the student services staff and ensures we are providing adequate support to our current students and actively recruiting new students from rural and diverse populations. Debra Turner, Student Services Coordinator on campus, assists students during their application process and orients them to life as a Frontier student. Kimberly Trammell, MPA, joined the student services team in 2010 in the new position of Student Services/PRIDE Coordinator, working out of the Lexington office.

The Frontier School is driven to keep tuition at a reasonable cost and wouldn’t be able to meet this goal without the hard work of our Development Team. Denise Barrett, MBA, leads these efforts as our Director of Development and Alumni Relations. In order to provide more attention to fundraising efforts two new staff positions were added to the development team. Kelli Patrick, MA, joined Frontier as a Development Officer in Lexington, assisting Denise with writing grants and keeping in touch with alumni. Michael Claussen, Development Coordinator, moved from the Wendover offices to campus and continues to give historical tours and assist our Development Team in keeping in contact with alumni and donors. You can read more about the great work this team is doing in the Advancement section of this report.

In 2010 our staff in the Lexington office continued to grow. Our Vice President of Finance, Michael Steinmetz, MBA, added another Senior Accountant to his Team, Charles West, who joins Starla Selby, Controller, and Catherine Swartz, Senior Accountant. In 2010, we wished our Financial Aid Director, Brandi Tauffener, luck as she left to pursue her PhD. We were happy to fill her shoes with Rainie Boggs, MBA, who joins us with over seven years experience administering financial aid in higher education. Rainie leads a staff of two Financial Aid Officers, Michelle Lawson and the new Officer, Andrew Dezarn.

The Clinical Credentialing Office quickly became busy in 2010 as 325 students attended a clinical experience and 405 students attended Clinical Bound on campus in preparation for beginning their clinical experience. In order to oversee this department and lead the effort to handle the increased workload, a Director of Clinical Credentialing was hired. Mandy Reichert, MA, filled this role and joins us with over four years experience in higher education administration. She works out of our Lexington office and hired two new Clinical Credentialing Coordinators, Kaleena Burnett and Jodi Dickey, to her team.

Several administrative positions are also located in the Lexington office. Shelley Aldridge, Chief Operations Officer, continues to manage the operations of the school in Lexington and on campus. In 2010 she welcomed a new Administrative Assistant, Karen Powell, and a Marketing Coordinator, Brittney Edwards, MBA. Jeretta Hall, MSLS, Library Technician, is a part-time staff member who assists the two faculty appointed librarians in meeting our students’ library services needs. And last, but not least, we found it necessary to have a staff member dedicated to taking care of all the new additions to the Lexington office. Janet Piechowski filled that role as the Lexington Office Assistant.

As an online program we are dependent on our Multimedia Team to lead our technological efforts. In order to concentrate this effort we created the new

Faculty member Jana Esden, consults with students during Clinical Bound.

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position of IT Manager and are actively recruiting the position for our Lexington Office. The team consists of three Design Coordinators, Cherie Bunch, Brandon Fields and Chris Coots; a Network Administrator, Brian Smith; and a Multimedia Assistant, Bryon Gray.

Jeanette Woods continues as the FSMFN Admissions Counselor, counseling prospective students who are considering FSMFN as their choice for graduate education. Other valuable and important staff services are provided through agreement with Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. and include Human Resources, Chief Information Officer and Facilities Management.

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP): Implementing a Community of Inquiry (COI) at FSMFNAs reported initially in the 2008 President’s Report, FSMFN has adopted the Community of Inquiry (COI) in an effort to improve teaching and learning. The Community of Inquiry model integrates three presences: 1) Social Presence, the ability of the learners to feel socially and emotionally connected in the online environment; 2) Teaching Presence, the design, facilitation and direction of the cognitive and social processes for the realization of personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes; and 3) Cognitive Presence, the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm learning through sustained reflection and discourse (Garrison et al, 2000). The overall QEP process is unfolding as planned.

• Action 1: Make key stakeholders charter members of the Community of Inquiry and give them the skills to include students in the community via teaching presence and social presence. This will be completed with the final course revisions.

• Action 2: Introduce prospective and new students to the Community of Inquiry. This has been introduced and is ongoing.

• Action 3: Provide students opportunities to acquire and refine the skills necessary to fully participate in the COI. Preliminary data shows improvement in the presences in the courses. In addition, revised courses contain assignments that require reflection and use of the e-portfolio. Reflection assignments have been added to Frontier Bound, Bridge Bound, DNP Bound, Clinical Bound, Crossing the Bridge and DNP Intensive. Reflection assignments for students completing the clinical rotation will be in place for the alpha class (Class 73). Simulations have been added to Clinical Bound and the evaluations have been positive. In addition, questions will be added to the end of term surveys related to the simulation activities.

• Action 4: Aid students in the transition from acquiring new skills and knowledge to applying what they have learned within the community of inquiry framework. Since the alpha groups are beginning to enter Crossing the Bridge, Clinical Bound and DNP Intensive, no data on the reflection have been collected. The rubric is being refined to meet the needs of the faculty reading the reflections.

• Action 5: Work with clinical preceptors to continue the community of inquiry in the clinical setting. Currently processes to implement the plan with the Regional Coordinators and preceptors are in development.

The course redesign process has been ongoing and the fifth workshop is currently in progress. To date, twenty-two courses have been redesigned using the COI model, eight courses are in development and fifteen courses are on schedule for the next workshop. The final workshop for course redevelopment will be offered in the spring 2011. As data is collected on the new courses, changes based on the student feedback

Dr. Deborah Karsnitz provides instruction to students during their visit to Hyden.

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will be incorporated into the courses. Very preliminary data at this point indicate a positive improvement in each of the presences, teaching, social and cognitive within the revised courses.

Institutional Assessment:The Summative Assessment Plan is being implemented using the following three tools, R-SPQ-2F, Process of Inquiry Rubric and the Graduate and Exit Surveys. In June 2009, the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire was instituted in all courses to collect baseline data. Early data indicates deeper student learning in the redesigned courses. The Process of Inquiry Rubric tool will be used as both a process and an outcome measure. Students upon completing their clinical experience and prior to taking their comprehensive exam will complete a final reflective assignment describing a clinical situation that they have dealt with during their clinical time. They will be asked to describe the triggering event, the exploration, the integration and the resolution. This assignment will be graded by the Regional Clinical Coordinator. The implementation plan is under development. Two questions will be added to FSMFN Exit Survey and Graduate Survey to assess whether students have acculturated the values of living and working in a community.

The Associate Deans continually review the overall program and course assessment plans. Discussion has occurred related to the use of the e-portfolio to measure student outcomes related to professional essentials, criteria and hallmarks. The assessment information is shared with faculty to make improvements in the courses, course delivery and course design.

FSMFN continues on the leadership path for nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education as we embark on the development of the BSN/ADN to DNP

program development. The initial planning process for the move toward creating a curriculum that has multiple entry points and is streamlined yet robust has begun. Entwined with the strategic planning goals of becoming a center of excellence in nursing education for nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners, the development of this new curriculum will help FSMFN to fulfill its mission to provide nursing leaders who deliver primary care to all populations but especially the poor, underserved and vulnerable.

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

The 2010 year was an exciting year for faculty scholarship at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. This year brought the establishment of an Office of Research which was designed to facilitate the scholarly work of faculty and students.

Following the establishment of this office, Janet Engstrom, PhD, APN, CNM, WHNP-BC, FACNM, was recruited to serve as our first Associate Dean for Research. Dr. Engstrom was most recently a Professor and Department Chairperson of Women, Children and Family Nursing at Rush University in Chicago, Illinois, and was previously the Coordinator of the Nurse-Midwifery Educational Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Engstrom is a well-known scholar and researcher with over 60 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and numerous funded research projects. Her research focuses on interventions that help mothers of premature infants initiate and maintain their milk supply to maximize the amount of human milk fed to their infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Dr. Engstrom’s research has also focused on the reliability and validity of physical measurements such as infant anthropometric measurements (weight, length, head circumference, growth velocity), measures of human milk intake during breastfeeding for premature infants, and methods of easily assessing the lipid and calorie content of human milk in the clinical setting.

Kathryn Schrag at AABC Conference

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The past year was a productive year for faculty scholarship at the FSMFN. Faculty members had 15 publications. Six of those publications were original articles in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, Nursing History Review, and Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries. These published papers included reports of original research as well as scholarly reviews of the literature. Faculty also published two book chapters and were the authors of two manuals relevant to midwifery including How to Start a Birth Center and the ACNM Exam Prep Workbook for 2010. Other publications also included editorials, media reviews, contributions to books, and white papers for professional organizations. Also noteworthy were the number of doctoral dissertations and Doctor of Nursing Practice capstone projects completed this year. Seven faculty members completed their doctoral degrees with one completing a dissertation and six completing Doctor of Nursing Practice capstone projects.

In addition to publications, faculty had a productive year for presentations. Faculty gave 20 podium presentations and presented 14 posters last year. Almost all of the poster and podium presentations were at national or international meetings such as the American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, National League for Nursing, American Public Health Association, and the International Forum for Women in E-Learning annual conferences. One poster presented by our faculty was awarded the “Best Electronic Poster Presentation” at the National Organizations of Nurse Practitioner Faculties’ meeting in Washington DC.

Plans for the Research Office for the coming year include a focus on increasing faculty publications and presentations by providing programs and resources to support faculty scholarship. Longer range goals are to increase the number of research projects and to secure funding for those projects. A preliminary assessment of the strengths of the school and its faculty demonstrate great potential for further increasing the scholarly work. The strengths of the faculty include their high level

of information literacy, extensive experience writing for students in their online classes, and their ability to work effectively in teams at a distance. The faculty members also bring expertise in teaching and research methods that can be highly effective in designing and evaluating educational innovations and distance-learning strategies. Additionally, the school has many outstanding resources to facilitate scholarly work, particularly the multimedia team, library resources, development office, and academic staff. Together these resources and skills will be the foundation for making significant scholarly contributions to the science of midwifery and family nurse practitioner education.

LIBRARY SERVICES

The library continued to improve its services to keep up with growing demand from students and faculty. In addition to meeting with students during their time in Hyden, the library staff is available by phone and email to assist students with finding necessary research for their coursework. The library offers a variety of electronic resources and tutorials for students to utilize from their home community. This year the library added another full time professional position. Zach Young was hired as the new Information Services Librarian and has been a great addition to both the library team and the faculty. Zach completed his MSLS at the University of Kentucky in spring 2010 and joined us in August. He has experience with health science libraries, having worked in various positions at the University of Kentucky Medical Center Library. A new Library Technician was hired in 2010 as well. Jeretta Hall also came to Frontier from UK, and handles all the document delivery and Interlibrary Loan needs for Frontier students and faculty.

Joan Ohawa poses for a photo during a Frontier Bound session held in the Alice

Whitman Memorial Library.

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The library’s electronic resources continued to grow over the past year, with a particular emphasis on materials for our DNP and clinical students. In 2010 over 40 electronic journal titles and one new database were added to the collection. Access to full text articles was also enhanced by the addition of services that provide direct links to articles. Direct access to full text articles in the library collection is now available in EBSCOhost databases and PubMed.

In conjunction with Alumni Services, the library began offering special database access to interested alumni this year. Library access has been a frequent request from alumni and we are pleased to be able to offer this service.

The library has been very involved in the School’s mobile learning initiative. Librarians meet with students at each Clinical Bound to demonstrate reference resources that can be used on a mobile device. These resources provide pertinent information at the point of patient care. Many library resources are available on mobile platforms for all students, and the library keeps a running list of suggested mobile apps for both education and healthcare.

STUDENT SERVICES

Student Services staff worked diligently in 2010 by focusing on retention programming to stay at pace with our student growth. The Director of Recruitment and Retention, Stephanie Boyd, along with Debra Turner, Student Services Coordinator, worked together to enhance current retention programming as well as begin new programming for students at Frontier. They continued to work closely with Student Council representatives to ensure students have a positive Frontier experience. Both attend Student Council meetings each term to assist in addressing issues important to the representatives and their classmates. Staff also works closely with all advisors to ensure students are receiving the best services possible to enhance their academic experience.

New to the programming this year, staff began hosting live webinars for students on topics such as time management, test preparation, study skills and successful student habits. In this way, students are able to get information they want as well as meet with the staff “in person.” Students who cannot make the live webinars are able to access recordings of the webinars later. Staff also meets with students on an individual basis to provide supportive resources to the students as they work toward their academic goals.

The A.R.C. (Academic Resource Center) continues to grow. This center is housed in ANGEL and serves as a repository for resources related to writing skills, test taking strategies, study skills and more. Students can view instructional videos and webinars at their convenience as well as find links to the library and bookstore. Student Services staff strive to keep the ARC updated and add new content as it is available for all students to access.

The S.A.G.E. (Supporting Achievement in Graduate Education) Mentoring Program continues to grow. This program, created by students for students, grew to 110 participants this year, up from 66 in 2009. Stephanie Boyd works closely with participants to help them feel connected and supported as they navigate their way through distance learning at Frontier. One student in the program states, “To me, the support from one another in a distance program makes ALL the difference. The connections really matter, just like the connections with our patients.” Student Services will continue to grow this program with the hopes of retaining students by providing academic and emotional support as they adjust to graduate nursing education.

Our Wide Neighborhoods Ambassador Program was created in hopes of providing a program that allows students to maintain a strong connection to the school. It is also a way for our students and alumni to be recognized for sharing their Frontier experience with prospective students. In 2010, there were a total of 62 students and alumni who actively participated in this program. They visited local nursing schools and conferences to share their Frontier stories with future students and continue to

Frontier Bound students learn about student services available to them.

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share the vision of Mary Breckinridge with people across the United States.

Also new to Frontier this year is the PRIDE (Promoting Recruitment and Retention to Increase Diversity in nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner Education) Program. This program is designed to promote diversity in nursing by recruiting and retaining underrepresented students with the goal of becoming nurse-midwives or nurse practitioners. FSMFN acknowledges the fact that there is a lack of diversity in healthcare that contributes to health disparities experienced in this country. In light of this, FSMFN aims to increase the enrollment of underrepresented students in its programs though the PRIDE program’s recruitment and retention efforts. In 2009, FSMFN reported 63 enrolled minority students, with an increase to 96 minority students in 2010. The ultimate goal is to increase the enrollment of underrepresented students to 15% by 2013 and ensure the attrition rate of underrepresented students drops to 10% by 2013. To assist in these efforts, Kimberly Trammell joined our staff as the PRIDE Program Coordinator in November of 2010. She began her work by contacting numerous nursing programs in rural areas to develop partnerships with the aim of recruiting new students to Frontier. She will work directly with PRIDE students, providing them with services and information aimed to support them through their program of study. We are excited about this new opportunity to partner with nursing programs from across the country and change the future of nursing education.

A vital role of Student Services is to foster student learning and development by providing the highest quality services that enhance students’ educational experiences and that prepare students to fulfill the mission of FSMFN. In 2010, our overall attrition rate held steady at 8% and the percentage of students enrolled that withdrew decreased from 19% in 2009 to 17% in 2010. We continue to work closely with students, faculty, staff and alumni to provide services that will support our students as they achieve their dreams of becoming a nurse-midwife or nurse practitioner.

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

Throughout 2010 the School continued to implement and maximize use of our new PowerCampus student management system and ANGEL learning management system. These two enterprise-based systems have greatly improved efficiencies and data reliability for the School. Accurate reports to analyze enrollment, attrition, graduates and more are readily available for faculty and staff. Additionally, detailed student records are easily maintained by the admissions and registrar’s office.

The ANGEL learning management system was purchased by Blackboard. FSMFN has plans to convert the curriculum to the Blackboard system in 2011. ANGEL continued to serve students and faculty well throughout 2010. This system houses all courses, assignments, discussion forums and more. Student can log-in to ANGEL to see their grades, set up meetings with their professors, participate in classroom discussions and stay on top of all assignments in their course. The system also helps organize courses similarly so that students do not have to orient to many different course layouts.

Several new products were added to the suite of tools available to faculty, staff and students in order to enhance learning. With grant funding from the Virginia Clark Hagen Charitable Trust, FSMFN purchased Elluminate virtual classrooms and accompanying video monitors and web cameras. This new technology allows up to 100 students to attend online sessions in virtual classrooms. Instructors can present lecture via video capabilities. Students can interact throughout the session via the chat function and instructors can allow students to speak or share video one at a time. This has added value to the synchronous sessions attended by students. Faculty and staff also find these classrooms valuable for meetings and online workshops.

FSMFN continued utilizing mobile devices for instruction. This application of a device commonly used in our society and particularly in healthcare is very

The use of mobile devices such as Apple’s iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone help

students learn while not being tied to their computers.

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beneficial for our students. Students begin using mobile devices in their learning immediately after attending Frontier Bound. Students can download a variety of instructional material including videos, required readings and podcasts to their mobile devices so they can study on-the-go. When students reach Clinical Bound they learn about the variety of apps available for healthcare providers. They practice utilizing these resources during their clinical practicum. Students can also utilize their mobile devices to record their clinical experiences, transmitting them electronically to their Regional Clinical Coordinator. Students graduate with a firm grasp on the capabilities of a mobile device for acquiring resources at the point of care, recording their work, and myriad other helpful uses.

FSMFN also completed the change to an online application. The online application makes perfect sense for our distance learning format, and greatly reduces workload for admissions staff which helps streamline the entire admissions process.

Maximizing use of technology, the backbone of our institution, would not be possible without a strong Multimedia Team. FSMFN has created a new position of IT Manager which will manage the Multimedia Team and is currently recruiting for this position. The IT Manager will have the pleasure of working with a talented team of professionals that includes three Design Coordinators, a Network Administrator and a Multimedia Assistant.

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT

The FSMFN Office of Advancement is led by Denise Barrett, Director of Development and Alumni Relations. We were pleased to welcome two additional team members in 2010, Kelli Patrick, Development Officer, and Michael Claussen, Development Coordinator. The advancement staff works closely with the President and Dean, faculty and staff to secure grant funding

and private donations to carry out the programs and initiatives of the School.

FSMFN was awarded $1,573,028 in new grant funds in 2010 from federal and private sources. FSMFN also received continuation funding for two ongoing grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). FSMFN continues to seek grant funding from both private and federal sources.

The Advanced Nursing Education program of HRSA awarded FSMFN a three-year continuation of the ADN-MSN Bridge grant totaling $1,034,265. This continuation allows FSMFN to expand Bridge enrollment to 150 students per year and introduce targeted recruitment and retention for rural and minority students. Funding from this grant supports the FSMFN PRIDE (Promoting Recruitment and retention to Increase Diversity in nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner Education) program. This program reaches out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges, as well as targeted rural schools, to increase diversity in FSMFN enrollment. It also introduces new programs designed to retain these students and help them be successful students and graduates of FSMFN. The ultimate goal of the grant is to increase the number of practicing nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners particularly in rural and other underserved areas and to increase the diversity of the workforce.

Continuation grants from the Advanced Education Nursing program of HRSA include year three of the DNP grant, which was awarded to provide access to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to advanced practice nurses in rural and underserved areas and enhance the rural and medically underserved populations’ access to quality healthcare. The program aims to recruit and retain students for the DNP program with an emphasis on minority students and to improve student learning outcomes through the enhancement of technology. Year three of a grant from the Nursing Education Practice and Retention program of HRSA was funded for the “Emerging Medias in Distance Education”

FSMFN Development staff include Denise Barrett, Director of Development, Michael Claussen, Development Coordinator, and Kelli Patrick, Development Officer.

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project. The primary goal of this project is to enhance the curriculum by introducing new technologies throughout the plan of study for graduate students. This grant was awarded to provide FSFMN with critical funding that supports several projects that comprehensively enhance the FSMFN educational process. The overarching goal of the grant is to graduate technologically competent advanced practice nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to provide quality healthcare throughout the country with a focus on rural and medically underserved areas.

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

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

FSMFN received several grants to fund various smaller projects at the School. The Virginia Clark Hagen Charitable Trust awarded FSMFN $20,000 to purchase virtual classrooms powered by Elluminate. The Mars Foundation supported FSMFN’s international clinical experience with a $5,000 grant. The Margaret Voorhies Haggin Trust provided an additional $20,000 for dormitory renovations. FSMFN is pleased to be the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Berea College Appalachian Fund that funds scholarships for Appalachian students. The advancement staff are continuously seeking new funding to support these efforts.

In addition to grant funding, FSMFN receives generous support from alumni, faculty, staff, preceptors and

friends across the country. FSMFN remains involved with various city committees across the country. In 2010, city committees in Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York and Rochester met to learn about developments at the School and to encourage support of programs. Over $100,000 in private donations were received from nearly 250 donors. These funds provide general operating support to FSMFN, as well as, restricted support for scholarships, facilities, and alumni programs.

FSMFN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

We continue to strive to connect with our alumni through communications and events and by introducing new programs to meet the needs of our graduates. The FSMFN Alumni Association is directed by the Alumni Council. The Alumni Council was established in 2008 with the formation of an Executive Committee. This committee meets monthly to provide guidance to the Office of Alumni Relations staff and generate new ideas for alumni programming. Thank you to the following alumni that are currently serving as officers of the Alumni Council: Kitty Ernst – Honorary Alumni Association Chair, Brooke Flinders (CNEP Class 39) – President, Tia Andrighetti (CNEP Class 9) – Vice-President, Cathi Duggan (CNEP Class 39) – Secretary, and Lisa Stout (CNEP Class 39) - Treasurer. Alumni also volunteer as part of FSMFN’s Wide Neighborhoods program. In 2010 we were thankful for the twenty-two alumni volunteers to this program. These graduates promote FSMFN in their communities and represent FSMFN at various events in their regions.

Communications and Events:The Office of Alumni Relations produces and distributes Beyond the Frontier magazine. This annual publication includes feature stories of graduates and news from the school. An e-newsletter is delivered to over 1,000 alumni

Kitty Ernst presented Catherine Miller-Shields with the award for Distinguished

Service to Alma Mater.

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each month. The e-newsletter spotlights one alumnus or donor each month and provides a venue for the very latest news to be shared. Alumni communications are also frequent via the Banyan Tree forums, Facebook alumni group, the FSMFN Facebook fan page, a LinkedIn alumni group, and through Twitter updates. Other outreach efforts include a session at each Clinical Bound that introduces future graduates to the services and benefits they can enjoy as alumni.

The Office of Alumni Relations coordinates events at national conferences throughout the year. Frontier receptions, hosted by the Alumni Association, were held at the annual meeting of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives, and the annual meeting of the American Association of Birthing Centers. Alumni are encouraged to attend regional Case Days, hosted by the Regional Clinical Coordinators, which are held throughout the year. The Alumni Association also encourages participation by having a presence and distributing information at the reception following commencement.

The Alumni Association accepts nominations for annual alumni awards that are presented during the annual commencement ceremony in Hyden. Catherine Miller-Shields was honored with the 2010 Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award. Catherine flew in from the West Coast to accept the award in person during commencement. Over the last sixteen years Catherine has mentored nine FSMFN students, six other midwife students, and multiple nurse practitioner students. As director of Deaconess Women’s Clinic, Catherine was instrumental in taking on students who needed clinical experience and making sure the Hallmarks of Midwifery were close to their hearts. She never let a student forget the art of midwifery and made certain that students understood the importance of presence, compassion, and continuous unfailing support. At commencement, she encouraged new graduates to give back by precepting the Frontier students to come.

The Alumni Association recognized Nadene Brunk with the 2010 award for Distinguished Service to Society in recognition of her compassionate commitment to the ideals of FSMFN. Brunk was not able to attend commencement to be recognized in person, but said she felt honored to receive the award. Nadene graduated from Frontier in 1996, completing her nurse-midwifery training as a member of Class 8. Since her Frontier days, Nadene has worked as a certified nurse-midwife in Virginia. In 2004, she founded Midwives for Haiti, a non-profit organization with the goal of reducing maternal and infant mortality in Haiti, deemed the most dangerous place in the western hemisphere for women to give birth. Nadene embodies the philosophy of care passed on by Frontier – to care for the mother and baby, which leads to care for the entire family, the neighborhood, the community, the region, the country and the world.

Special Projects:The Pioneer Project is an oral history project which began in 2006 to collect the stories of alumni that graduated between 1939 and 1989. Phase I of the project included conducting all of the interviews. This phase concluded in 2009 with nearly 100 Pioneer alumni being interviewed by nurse-midwifery students. In May 2010, the Pioneer Project committee, comprised of faculty, staff and volunteer alumni, reviewed proposals from several potential authors and selected Dr. Anne Cockerham to work on the publication. Dr. Cockerham is a current full-time faculty member and alumna of the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. Her immersion in the culture of the FSMFN will be a tremendous asset in understanding and adhering to the intent of the Pioneer Project Committee and in honoring the accomplishments of the Pioneers who are sharing their stories. Dr. Cockerham is collaborating with Dr. Arlene Keeling, one of the most prominent nurse historians in the United States. Dr. Keeling is the director of the Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Cockerham and Dr. Keeling made great progress on the book throughout the remainder of 2010. The

Students make life-long friends during their visits to campus.

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introduction and 1940s chapter drafts are complete and the 1950s and 1960s chapters are nearly complete. Dr. Cockerham visited the University of Kentucky archives and the Berea College archives to review primary documents that provide more context and authenticity to the vivid stories told by the pioneers and captured in the essays. Dr. Cockerham presented a paper presentation on the 1940s chapter of the book during the Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science conference that was held in Memphis in March 2011. Completion of the draft publication is slated for June 2011 with publication in 2012. We are very excited about this project and look forward to sharing it with Pioneers, alumni, friends and new students.

The FSMFN Alumni Association welcomes nearly 300 new graduates each year with an introductory packet of information and a personal welcome from Council members. Our alumni family is growing rapidly and we encourage graduates to stay in touch via alumni communications, events and programs. Frontier graduates can be found in all fifty states and every corner of the globe. Our network is vast, and together we can accomplish great things!

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

2010 brought the expansion of our International Health Experiences. We had planned to begin working with Midwives for Haiti (www.midwivesforhaiti.org), an organization begun by Nadene Brunk, one of our graduates. The devastating earthquake in January led us to cancel our first trip, and instead send faculty Cara Osborne on a fact-finding mission in March to determine the best opportunities to be of assistance and provide a safe, quality experience for our faculty and students.

In August, we took our first students, Carol Devine SFNP, and Rachel Spikes SFNP, to Haiti, accompanied by faculty

Cara Osborne and Rhonda Arthur. It was an intense week, working in difficult conditions with desperate needs. It opened eyes, challenged abilities, and touched the hearts of the participants. One of the intentions of the trip was to assess whether this should be a continuing on-going partnership for our faculty and students. Haiti’s poverty and political unrest, coupled with the earthquake, made individual safety and personal contributions challenging. After feedback from the students and faculty, the decision was made that for the near future, our students would be better served by going to countries less in crisis. We hope to continue collaborating with Midwives for Haiti, and in the future revisit going on trips.

In late October faculty member Kathryn Schrag, FNP, students Christine King and CNM Melissa Poole began an elective four week clinical experience in Guatemala. Since our last trip Tropical Storm Agatha resulted in mudslides, deaths, road destruction, and the loss of food crops. Guatemala also continues to experience increased malnutrition and accompanying health problems due to the world wide economic downturn, and rising costs of food. To be of service to our neighbors to the south and to receive a rich cultural and medical experience was a privilege.

The first week was spent returning to work with Vamos Adelante (www.vamosadelante.org), a small non-profit organization serving 24 rural mountainous villages south of Antigua. The organization educates community women to become promotoras (health promoters). Additionally they run a one day a week clinic with a volunteer physician and pharmacy, a

Christina King, Melissa Poole, and Kathryn Schrag posed for a photo in Antigua, the

old capital of Guatemala.

http://www.midivesforhaiti.org

http://www.midivesforhaiti.org

http://www.vamosadelante.org

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malnutrition intervention program, and an after school program for children. Out team spent a day working in a clinic, and the next few days in the very humble home of one of the promotoras, where as word spread of the presence of the nurses and midwives, women, men and children with an assortment of medical concerns began appearing to be evaluated. They ended the trip with teaching a workshop to the promotoras on identifying high risk pregnancies. Vamos Adelante was grateful for the donations we brought of prenatal vitamins, digital thermometers, and nebulizers

The final three weeks were spent at Hospitalito Atitlan (www.hospitalitoatitlan.org) on the shores of Lake Antigua. With the nearest hospital two hours away, this small independent organization was opened by the community in 2006. Six months later Hurricane Stan swept through Central America, and a mudslide engulfed the neighborhood of the hospital, killing hundreds of people, and destroying homes and the hospital. The local and international response to the disaster was impressive and they have raised enough funds to build a new hospital. The timing of the trip was perfect in that our team was there for the dedication celebrations for the new Hospital. The new hospital provides daily clinic services, a 24-hour emergency room, five hospital rooms, two operating rooms, two labor and delivery rooms, a new dental clinic, and a small pharmacy and laboratory. Students/faculty saw patients in the clinic (often with a staff member who translated from Mayan to Spanish), caught a few babies, helped in the emergency room, and the last few days helped pack up the old hospital! A major component of their staffing is with volunteer doctors and nurses from around the world. We were the first nurse practitioner and midwifery volunteers to be invited to participate. This is our second trip and we plan to return twice annually in the future.

Plans for 2011 are to continue semi-annual trips to Guatemala, and explore agencies in a second country where Spanish skills are not needed.

FACILITIES AND FINANCE REPORT

Facilities:Anyone who has visited the campus of the FSMFN in Hyden retains vivid impressions of the dramatic landscape, the views of the town below, the natural beauty, and most of all, the character of the buildings that house both our phenomenal past and our exciting future of service to the nation’s healthcare community. Although these buildings are very well constructed, they can require updates and maintenance from time to time in order to serve the needs of our students, faculty, and staff.

Several significant improvement projects have been completed in 2010. Thanks to the generosity of donors two new bathrooms were built in Haggin Dorm. They include a total of six new showers and six new stalls. A house at 90 Hickory Street (near the bottom of the hill) was purchased to provide seven beds for faculty. Six HVAC units on campus and one in the new faculty house were replaced. We also conducted a site improvement project to proactively address a potential rock-slide area.

Finance:During 2010 the FSMFN established its own finance and accounting department. A CFO, Michael Steinmetz, was hired in 2009. During 2010 three members of the Frontier Nursing Service accounting staff transferred to work full-time for the school. They are Controller Starla Selby, and Senior Accountants Catherine Swartz and Charles West. Establishment of this department allowed the FSMFN to fully segregate financial management from the finances of the rest of the Frontier Nursing Service.

Several key improvements to processes in the department were deployed, allowing us to handle

Students pose in front of St. Christopher’s Chapel.

http://www.hospitalitoatitlan.org

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the growth of the school with the same resources. We outsourced payroll and payroll tax processing to a national processor. We also implemented the PowerCampus billing module to automate billing and cash application processes. The financial reporting process was enhanced to include cash flow analysis and other operating analysis reports. This new reporting package provides more insight to management and staff.

FSMFN STRATEGIC GOALS 2010 – 2014

FSMFN work is guided by the Strategic Plan that is developed by board, administration, faculty and staff and approved by the FSMFN Board of Directors. The five year plan approved by the Board is followed and a more detailed annual plan is developed each year. Goals and activities for the year ahead are included below. The 2010 plan with outcomes is included in the appendix to this report.

FSMFN’s success would not be possible without a dedicated Board of Directors, administration, faculty, staff, alumni, preceptors, friends and donors across the country. We look forward to another year of growth and development at Frontier!

Goal 1: Continue to expand current programs and explore new programs that support and enhance the mission of FSMFN.

Objective • Develop a post-master’s Doctor of Nursing

Practice program designed to provide second certification as nurse practitioner and/or nurse-midwife for current nurse practitioners and/or nurse-midwives.

• Develop a post-baccalaureate and/or post-ADN Doctor of Nursing Practice which includes the granting of an MSN degree. Planned date to admit first students Fall 2012. First Class starts January 2013.

• Continue bi-annual Guatemala trips during 2011.

Goal 2: Implement the Community of Inquiry (COI) program at FSMFN.

Objective • Complete the course redesign according to the

COI Model. • Incorporate technology to improve the teaching

presence to improve student engagement in the COI

• Use reflection to enhance the cognitive presence as students advance in the program

• Examine the results of the COI survey and the 2 Factor R-SPQ-2F survey for improved student engagement and deeper learning in all presences.

Goal 3: Promote excellence in faculty scholarly work.

Objective • Increase the scholarly productivity of FSMFN

Faculty• Focus on increasing publications and

presentations• Focus on increasing funding for research,

teaching innovations and other forms of scholarship

Goal 4: Ensure the effective use of administrative and technical systems to improve service.

Objective • Engage in a variety of activities for staff

professional development with a focus in service. • Facilitate the staff’s ability to effectively use

technology to improve service. • Establish a system of process analysis and

improvement for staff functions

Bridge students “Circle-Up” before the bell ringing.

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Goal 5: In collaboration with other FNS stakeholders and the Leslie County Community, develop and implement a county wide program designed to prevent and decrease substance abuse.

This goal is currently on hold as we evaluate the future of FNS.

Goal 6: Further develop a successful and diverse student body with excellent scholarly abilities.

Objective • Develop the scholarly ability of students. • Increase the number of students from

underrepresented groups from 9% to 15%.• Decrease attrition equal to or less than 15% for

each class.

Goal 7: Facilities

Objective • Maintain Wendover as the historic headquarters

of FNS and operate as a bed and breakfast and nursing retreat center.

• Current plans for facility renovations and new facilities are implemented.

Goal 8: Raise, invest, and distribute funds to support the programs and operations of FSMFN.

Objective • Further design and implement a program to

encourage alumni giving. • Increase annual giving, major gifts and planned

gifts to FNS Foundation.• Secure grant funding. • Invest and distribute funds of the FNS

Foundation.

Goal 9: Develop a long-range financial plan to support the strategic planning process.

Objective • Enhance the generation of cash flows for the

funding of future program development and other development projects.

• Financial Forecasting

Class 70 pose for a group photo on the lawn in front of Aunt Hattie’s Barn.

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FSMFN Strategic Plan

with Outcomes 2010

FRONTIER SCHOOLOF MIDWIFERY & FAMILY NURSING

195 School Street • Hyden, KY 41749 PHONE: 606.672.2312 • FAX: 606.672-3776

w w w . f r o n t i e r s c h o o l . e d u

frontier school president's report 2010

Documents

family nursing

nursing msn program

advanced practice nursing

faculty report

nursing education funds

fsmfn strategic plan

staff report

dedicated board