News and Notes 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.
Through a competitive, rigorous application process, a committee of elected Fellows review hundreds of applications and select new Fellows based on their contributions to advance the public’s health. Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within the profession.
FNU Associate Professor Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale and her daughter Dr. Jennifer Stone Make Florida History In October, FNU Associate Professor Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, and her daughter Jennifer Stone, Dr. Jennifer Stone (left) DNP, APRN, and Dr. Vicky StoneFNP-BC Gale became the first APRNs licensed as autonomous advanced practice registered nurses in the state of Florida. They received the good news after a house bill permitting select APRNs to practice in primary care was signed into law by the Florida governor earlier this year. The Autonomous Nurse Practitioner practices in primary care settings permitting the APRN to be independent of physician general supervision to provide care throughout Florida. “This has been a long time coming for APRNs in Florida,” Dr. Stone-Gale said. “There are many of my Florida colleagues that were alongside me working on these efforts to make this bill pass successfully. It definitely was not a single effort and we still have more work to do for CNMs and other specialties. To be able to pave the way for not only the seasoned APRNs but for all of our younger colleagues to be autonomous moving forward in their careers is amazing.
22 Frontier Nursing University • Quarterly Bulletin
My daughter and I received our DNP together and talked about the day this would happen. Now it is a reality and I am not only proud to share this with her, but am excited for her future as an autonomous APRN.” Dr. Stone-Gale and Dr. Stone both practice in primary care in Fort Lauderdale. A longtime nursing advocate, Dr. Stone-Gale is the President of the South Florida Council of Advanced Practice Nurses (SFCAPN). Following in her footsteps, Dr. Stone is the practicum coordinator for the nurse practitioner program at Walden University and serves as the Nominating Committee Chair on the board for the SFCAPN.
Dr. Jess Calohan and Dr. Geraldine Young Speak at NONPF Conference
Dr. Jess Calohan (left) and Dr. Geraldine Young FNU Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Geraldine Young, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CDE, FAANP served as a conference committee member and speaker at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Conference in November. FNU Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Department Jess Calohan, DNP, MN, PMHNP-BC, also spoke at the conference.
