12 minute read
Alumni Notes
Alumni Spotlight: Megan Simenc Carries on FNU Legacy at Boise VA Medical Center
As we all learned in high school, whether it’s good or bad, reputation matters. Within the Boise VA Medical Center, it’s safe to say Frontier Nursing University has a good reputation. In recent years, four FNU graduates have been nurse practitioner residents at the medical center.
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“The director of the Boise VA Medical Center nurse practitioner residency said she is consistently impressed with the FNU graduates who have come to our residency program,” said Megan Simenc, MSN, FNP-C, Class 155. “I was the third FNU graduate in the residency and one of the current residents, Elizabeth Ballweg (FNP, Class 158) is also a proud FNU alumnus. Liz and Megan Fitzmaurice (FNP, DNP, Class 20) are the reason I found the program and I owe a lot of my success to them.”
Simenc completed a one-year nurse practitioner residency in primary care at the Boise VA Medical Center in July prior to moving into her current role providing primary care and nurse practitioner residency leadership at the Boise VA Medical Center and the Caldwell VA Community Clinic.
“Thanks to the cohesive, collaborative interdisciplinary model at the VA, primary care providers like myself take on more care of complex conditions than I originally expected from my education and clinical experience,” Simenc said. “Since I work so closely with specialists at the VA, I am managing more complex conditions with the specialists’ input, and referring out less, which is a great learning experience.”
She passes that knowledge on to the current participants in the residency program. “I serve as a mentor for this year’s residents, set up didactic learning opportunities, do some teaching, and will be taking on the scheduling of specialty rotations,” Simenc said.
The Boise VA Medical Center receives patients from across Idaho and eastern Oregon, many of whom live in rural, isolated areas. According to Simenc, the majority of veterans seeking care at the Center are older white males with complex and overlapping medical conditions, including socioeconomic and mental health conditions. Common challenges including low health literacy, very low income, complex comorbidities, mental health conditions, and geographic barriers to care.
Simenc relates to her patients by drawing on her own rural upbringing in the small town of Dillon, Montana. She also credits FNU for helping prepare her for the challenging patient population and the added complications brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“I think FNU attracts some of the best future nurse practitioners and our education helps us blossom into strong, thoughtful, dedicated patient advocates and independent providers,” Simenc said. “I am constantly amazed at how well I was prepared to enter the workforce as a brand new nurse practitioner, thanks to my FNU education. Not only did FNU build up my clinical knowledge, but my education taught me to look further and not discount the critically important piece of socioeconomics in our delivery of healthcare.”
Understanding a patient’s perspective is an important part of connecting and communicating with them while administering care. Simenc noted that her patients have been split regarding the pandemic, most being aware of the risks and the importance of safe practices, but many are skeptical of the seriousness or even legitimacy of the pandemic. Rather than engaging in a debate or trying to convince patients they are wrong, Simenc takes a more tactful approach.
“In these situations, I try to avoid judgment and instead elicit their perspectives, their concerns, and highlight that, regardless of their beliefs or their mistrust of the science presented to them, the outcome of taking these recommended precautions is helping protect other veterans around them,” she said. “This usually goes over quite well because our veterans have a very strong sense of pride and are almost always happy to help another vet.”
Simenc said she now only sees about 25 percent of her patients in person during the pandemic, with the remainder of the appointments taking place via secure video or phone calls. Many days she works from home to limit the number of people in the clinic.
“These changes have greatly impacted residency programs like our NP residency,” she said. “We are working on ways to maximize learning opportunities for our residents by holding didactics via video, and seeking unique opportunities to still get safe, face-to-face patient care experience like working in episodic and urgent care more often.”
There are many lessons to be learned, and Simenc is hopeful they will carry over after the pandemic is over.
“This global pandemic is highlighting the critical need for our country to recognize and support our frontline and essential workers – especially our nation’s healthcare workers like nurses, cleaning services, food services, clerical staff, and primary care providers,” she said. “I hope that our nation will learn that we need to support these essential workers not only in times of crisis, but to nurture these dedicated workers in good times as well.”
Note: For more information about the Boise VA Medical Center nurse practitioner residency program, visit
vaboisenpresidency.com.
FNU Alumni Association
The Frontier Nursing University Office of Alumni Relations is here to support YOU! Our purpose is to find new and meaningful ways to engage and support Alumni — from graduation throughout your career. Alumni are an integral part of FNU’s development because you demonstrate the excellence of FNU in everyday practice and because you are our primary recruiters and most loyal donors. We appreciate your commitment to FNU, and we plan to offer additional rewarding programs in return soon.
Services are open to all graduates of FNU. We currently have more 6,000 alumni in all 50 states and many countries around the world. We encourage you to explore the services, programs, and activities offered and to become involved. There are several wonderful ways to stay in touch with friends and connected to FNU including; reunions, conference receptions, case days, eNews, and our very active Facebook Group. To take advantage of all member services, please make sure we have your updated contact information by emailing us at alumniservices@frontier.edu.
Alumni Spotlight: Charles Davis Leads better-developed foundation for a successful transition to adulthood. Initiative to Open In-School Health Clinic “Where better to provide comprehensive continuous primary and preventative care, acute care, chronic illness care, and referral It’s easy to forget what life was like before the COVID-19 Pandemic, but it was just in the spring of 2019 that Charles Davis, management than the place where the students spend the majority of their waking hours?” Davis theorized. Ph.D., MSN, FNP-C, AE-C, Class 154 With the approval of the district’s leadership came up with an idea to help the students and board of education, Davis moved in the Webutuck Central School District forward to the task of complying with state in Amenia, New York. Employed as a nurse regulations requiring in-school health centers by the school district, Davis took action to to have a viable and qualified healthcare bring an in-school based health clinic into facility collaborator. By the end of the 2019-the district. 20 school year, he had “My district is a rural community in Dutchess County, New York,” Davis said. “Greater than 60% met a metric that classifies them as economically disadvantaged. Many also fit the category of being medically underserved and underinsured. Thus, Charles Davis (right) and U.S. Representative found the necessary partner in the Open Door Family Medical Centers in Ossining, New York. Open Door was an ideal choice because it is a federally qualified health center with experience operating school-based health centers in other parts of the state. these students (New York’s 19th Congressional District) With the required face many barriers Antonio Delgado (left) discuss the importance partner secured, the to getting their of school-based health centers. school board agreed, healthcare needs and the process of addressed including securing funding access to providers, transportation, and ensued. On May 4, 2020, the Foundation for the ability of parents and guardians to Community Health in Sharon, Connecticut take off work to have initial or follow-up awarded the Webutuck school district a appointments. Even parents/guardians $100,000 grant to proceed with the in-that work as professionals and that have an school clinic. This funding was combined easier time flex-timing from work still have with $50,000 from New York State, resulting challenges because the rural nature of our in the necessary dollars that will allow community means their jobs are often some construction and remodeling of the health distance away.” center’s space to occur and a target opening Davis approached the district superintendent with his idea, arguing that a school-based of the beginning of the 2020-21 school year was projected. health center breaks down those barriers. Currently, the opening of the clinic is being Furthermore, under New York State’s school- delayed by the pandemic to at least the based health centers’ operation model, all beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Davis, services are delivered to the recipient without however, continues to advocate for student cost. He presented evidence demonstrating healthcare throughout the state, recently that students with access to school-based collaborating with Webutuck Central health centers not only have better overall School District Director of Curriculum and physical and mental health but also improved Development Jennifer Eraca to present to the educational outcomes, reduced chronic New York State School Board Association on absenteeism and risky behaviors, improved the value of school-based health centers. management of chronic diseases, and a
“I wouldn’t be doing this without FNU, its faculty -- especially Dr. Lisa Chappell and the educators associated with the Family Nursing Practitioner Program, staff, and the vision and spirit of Mrs. Mary Breckinridge,” said Davis, who grew up in Coeburn, a small town in southwest Virginia, not far from FNU’s original Hyden campus. “Mrs. Breckinridge’s legacy and spirit are strong.”
Lana Bernat Named Women’s Health Nursing Consultant to Army Surgeon General
The Army Nurse Corps named Lieutenant Colonel Lana Bernat, DNP, CNM, CPHQ, Class 22, as the new Women’s Health, 66G-66W Nursing Consultant to the Army Surgeon General, effective December 1.
Bernat graduated from North Dakota State University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and was commissioned as a U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer, serving in the field of women’s health.
Bernat transferred back to civilian life in 2000, earning a Master of Science in Leadership in Healthcare Systems from Regis University in 2005. She worked in various obstetrics positions in the Army, Air Force, and civilian hospitals until 2009. Her family moved to New York where she took a position in outpatient case management, eventually becoming chief of a quality management department.
In 2013 Bernat completed midwifery education at FNU, then subsequently completed her DNP at FNU in 2017.
“During my many years as an obstetric nurse, I met many Frontier CNM alumni,” Bernat said. “FNU has an incredibly strong reputation in the midwifery community, and I saw this lived out in my CNM colleagues. I did not even consider applying elsewhere.”
Cori Gilkey, DNP, Class 18, recently joined Central Vermont Medical Center Women’s Health practice. Gilkey attends births and offers a full spectrum of wellwoman care. Before moving to Vermont, Gilkey practiced full-scope midwifery at Miriam Worthy Women’s Health Clinic in Albany, Georgia. Before that, she worked as a midwife in New Hampshire.
Camden Family Care Welcomes Kristen Orts
Kristen Orts, MSN, CNM, FNP-C, Class 175, has joined the staff of Camden Family Care in Camden, New York. Orts joins the practice after three years of providing obstetric and gynecological care in Syracuse.
“The health of a family is often interrelated,” Orts told the Rome Sentinel. “In family practice, we have the opportunity to establish long-term relationships with our patients to help them be as healthy as they can be throughout every stage of life.”
Zach Assink Joins Yakima Medical-Dental Clinic
The Yakima MedicalDental Clinic in Yakima, Washington, recently welcomed Zach Assink, MSN, FNP, Class 175, as a family nurse practitioner. He previously worked with the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic for more than a decade as a nursing assistant, medical assistant, and registered nurse.
Join the Pioneer Zoom Call on January 30
Would you like to learn about Mrs. Breckinridge from those who worked with her? Hear from Alumnae and a former staff member what it was like to work and study at Frontier Nursing Service and University in the 1950s and 1960s. Alumnae Kitty Ernst and Madelynne Kugler and former FNS staff member Noel Smith Fernandez, all of whom worked alongside Mrs. Breckinridge, will share their stories and take your questions via Zoom on Saturday, January 30 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Directions to join the call will be placed on the Banyan Tree Portal under Alumni on the Connections Tab. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Barnes, Senior Development and Alumni Relations Officer at 859-251-4592 or Linda.Barnes@frontier.edu.
FNU Alumni Celebrate National Midwifery Week in “Call the Midwife” Costumes
Darla Berry, MSN, CNM, Class 13, and Victoria Floyd, CNM, Class 74, celebrated National Midwifery Week in October in a unique way. Berry and Floyd both are part of Nurse-Midwifery Services at Indiana University Health Physicians, which opened in January 2020. As the manager of the practice, Berry caught the first baby in January. Floyd joined the practice in March.
Now, IU’s Nurse-Midwifery Services includes four nurse-midwives. That number, which matches the number of primary nurse-midwives depicted on the PBS show “Call the Midwife”, inspired Berry, Floyd, and their colleagues to dress as characters from the show to help promote National Midwifery Week. Berry and Floyd knitted the four caps used in the costumes.
“This seemed like a natural way to tie into the show and encourage people to call the midwife,” Berry said.
Pictured left to right in their “Call the Midwife” costumes: Joann Fluent-Peistrup, Victoria Floyd, Darla Berry, Tina Doyle. Photo courtesy of IU Health/Mike Dickbernd.
Coming soon: Alumni Survey 2021!
Watch for the 2021 alumni survey coming to your email on February 1, 2021. Your responses to this brief survey help us better serve you!
Become a Master/ Expert Preceptor
If you are a preceptor for FNU students, you can achieve Expert or Master Preceptor status and receive these beautiful lapel pins as a thank you for your dedication to the profession. As of June 30th, 2020, we have had several preceptors receive one or both statuses:
45 - Expert Preceptors 2 - Master Preceptors
If you would like more information on you may unlock your Expert or Master Preceptor status and receive your pin along with a certificate of recognition, please contact Stephanie.Boyd@frontier.edu
Criteria to Achieve FNU Expert Preceptor status: • Precept 3 FNU students in the last 5 years • Complete the online “Gift of
Precepting” course
Criteria to Achieve FNU Master Preceptor status: • Achieve Expert Preceptor status • Served as Primary Preceptor for 6 FNU students • Complete the online “Master
Precepting” course
