Frontier Holds First Annual Day of Giving Event

Frontier Nursing University held its first FNU Day of Giving on Wednesday, October 26. The day-long event was conducted both on campus and on social media, with events and reminders about students’ need for financial support as they pursue their advanced nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education.

“Our students are graduate students, meaning that most of them are already working as registered nurses while they work toward their advanced degrees,” said FNU Chief Advancement Officer Bobbi Silver. “It is a demanding pursuit in terms of both time and money. These donations provide critical support to our students and the university.”

Whether donating online or via mail, FNU donors can designate their gifts to support FNU and its students in several ways, including scholarships, clinical training supplies, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and more.

“Today, we have been learning the basics of suturing and advanced musculoskeletal assessments,” said Courtney Smith, an FNU Family Nursing student, via a video recorded as part of the student takeover of the FNU Instagram account during the Day of Giving. “Without your generous donations, scholarships would not be available to students, and many of us wouldn’t be able to continue with our education. We are so appreciative!”

Courtney and other students on campus for Clinical Bound delivered messages about the importance of giving and shared pictures and videos of their activities on campus. Clinical Bound is a week-long skills-intensive event that prepares students to begin clinical experiences with preceptors in their home communities. Students and faculty from the nurse-midwifery, family nurse practitioner (FNP), women’s health care nurse practitioner (WHCNP), and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) programs participate in Clinical Bounds. Students learn foundational skills, such as hand maneuvers for attending births, suturing techniques, and performing patient histories and physical exams that will prepare them to enter clinical sites. Students also practice conducting patient visits using clinical simulations performed under the observation of their instructors. These simulations allow students to experience patient interactions in a simulated environment.

“Without scholarships and donations, many of our students would not be able to finish their education,” said Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN. “Because of donors like you, the Office of DEI is able to offer scholarships, we are able to pair students with faculty mentors so they are able to attend national conferences, and we are able to offer tutoring services to our students.”

The importance of the Day of Giving is magnified by FNU’s role in addressing the nationwide shortage of nurses and the health disparities in diverse, rural, and underserved communities. FNU educates 40 percent of the nation’s nurse-midwives, and 49 percent of FNU students come from underserved communities. By completing most of the coursework online, they are able to continue to live and work in these underserved communities while they work toward their advanced degrees.

“I want to thank everyone for their generous support,” said Silver after the Day of Giving raised $21,275 from 51 donors. “The money raised during the Day of Giving impacts our students in many ways, including scholarship support, DEI programs, and overall support of our campus. These areas, and more, are critical to providing the best graduate nursing and midwifery education programs and support that Frontier Nursing University is known for. Because of you, this single Day of Giving will make a lifetime of difference.”