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Commencement 2022
Frontier Nursing University Holds Commencement In-Person For First Time Since 2019
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Dr. Tim Raderstorf, DNP, RN, delivered the keynote address.
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) celebrated the 1,064 students who graduated in 2022 at the university’s first in-person commencement ceremony since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 ceremonies were held virtually due to the pandemic. All graduates from 2020 and 2021 were also invited to attend the 2022 ceremony, which was held at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday, September 24. Approximately 1,500 people were in attendance, including 264 graduates, over 1,000 family members and friends, and FNU faculty and staff.
“The past two years have been incredibly difficult for so many people, and we are very proud of the determination and desire you have displayed in earning your degree,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN. “We can all agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the invaluable roles that nurses and midwives play in providing healthcare around the globe. After today, each of you will be able to say you graduated during an unforgettable time in our history. You are ready to make a significant difference and contribution to your community, and that is what Frontier Nursing University expects from all members of our community. We make a difference by answering the call to serve.” Dr. Slager went on to introduce the keynote speaker, Dr. Tim Raderstorf, DNP, RN. Dr. Raderstorf is the Talent Partner for AndHealth, a digital health company focused on helping people reclaim their lives from chronic illness. He also holds volunteer positions as the Head of Academic Entrepreneurship at the Erdős Institute and the Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit NursesEverywhere. He is a member of the American Nurses Association’s Innovation Advisory Board. In his previous role, Tim was the Chief Innovation Officer at The Ohio State University College of Nursing.
Dr. Raderstorf is also the founder of the Innovation Studio, a maker space that democratizes innovation, providing every interprofessional team that pitches their innovation with the funding, tools, and mentorship needed to turn ideas into actions.
His new textbook, co-authored with Bern Melnyk, Evidence-Based Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Nursing and Healthcare: A Practical Guide for Success, was a #1 new release on Amazon and the American Journal of Nursing’s
Management & Leadership Book of the Year. Dr. Raderstorf was recently inducted into the 2020 Class of 40 under 40 by Columbus Business First and was inducted as a 2021 Fellow at the American Academy of Nursing.
“Your voice matters. If nursing collectively as the largest healthcare profession can unify our voice, then we have the capacity to change the country,” Dr. Raderstorf said in his keynote address. “I hope to see you impact the lives of many throughout the communities that you serve.”
The commencement ceremony also included the presentation of the university’s annual leadership awards, honoring the students who provided exceptional leadership to their peers. Here are the 2022 FNU Student Leadership Awards winners: Kitty Ernst Nurse-Midwifery Student Leadership Award: Joanna Wilder
CNEP, Class 189, Tigard, Oregon “As an African-American person who proudly identifies as a woman of color, I desire to open an APRN-led independent practice targeting underserved minority members of my community.,” she said. Family Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Catherine Underwood
FNP, Class 189, Wahiawa, Hawaii
Shauntey Singletary
WHCNP, Class 196, Seaford, Delaware
Joanna Wilder closed her homebirth practice in Arizona after eight years in order to focus on her studies to become a certified nursemidwife. Her family moved to Oregon and she joined the Oregon affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, serving on the Board as the student representative for Frontier Nursing University. “My clinical experiences in rural Oregon serving immigrant and Old Order families fostered a commitment to provide healthcare to underserved areas of Oregon after graduation,” she said. “I pursued multiple scholarships and am graduating with no debt, so that I can move seamlessly into serving the immigrant community.” Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award:
Shauntey Singletary’s leadership extends beyond FNU to a number of nursing organizations. She is a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the Delaware Nurses Association (DNA), Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH), Delaware Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (DCNP), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). She served as a Frontier Nursing University student council representative for the CWHCNP class 196 since 2020. After completing her graduate coursework at Frontier in January 2022, Catherine Underwood began working as a nurse practitioner at a community site aimed at providing free COVID testing to residents and visitors of Oahu. The goal of the clinic is to provide free, accessible testing and education about symptoms, disease management, vaccination, and treatment options for COVID. She resides on the island of Oahu and hopes to focus on serving the local Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population.
“Many of the Hawaiian and Pacific Islander families live in rural areas of the island where access to health care services is limited,” she said. “The members of this community are commonly affected with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. A community health program aimed at
providing free or low cost early intervention through screening and education could help decrease the burden of healthcare on these families and promote lifestyle changes to decrease the risk of chronic disease.”
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Kaitlyn Rychlowsk
PMHNP, Class 191, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
In April 2022, Kaitlyn Rychlowski joined Marshfield Medical Center in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, as a Behavioral Health Nurse Practitioner. The community did not have mental health services prior to her arrival.
“Throughout Marshfield Clinic Health System, my mentors have commended my advanced knowledge and skill, noting that my success reflects the rigorous education provided, with desire to hire additional Frontier Nursing University graduates,” she said.
Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Leadership Award Dr. Estella Wetzel
DNP, APRN, FNP-C DNP, Class 39, Beavercreek, Ohio
Since 2016, Estella Wetzel has been a nurse practitioner at Beavercreek Family Physicians in Beavercreek, Ohio. She is also regional clinical faculty at FNU. For three years, she was the lead provider in a clinic that provided free health care for students and staff in a rural community college. Under her guidance, the scope of the clinic expanded from handling only acute issues to including care of some chronic conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, keeping students in the classroom more consistently. She has also been active in researching prescriptions and their impact on patients.
“My experience working with the large number of overprescribed patients drove me to begin researching how drug test interpretation is taught,” she said. “With all the interventions that health care providers are asked to do to monitor patients prescribed controlled substances, I hope to make this easier for anyone who wishes to listen.”
Doctor of Nursing Practice Exemplary Project Award Dr. Melissa Morris
DNP, Class 42, Silver Plume, CO
Melissa Morris is a family nurse practitioner/ adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner in the urgent care and emergency departments at Denver Health Medical Center. She began her healthcare career in 2012 as a bedside nurse on a telemetry medical-surgical unit at University of Colorado Hospital and then worked as an emergency department nurse. She earned her MSN from Colorado State University and began her career as a nurse practitioner in 2017 as an advanced practice fellow in hospital medicine at University of Colorado Hospital. Since completing her post-graduate fellowship she has worked at Denver Health Medical Center as a nurse practitioner in the emergency department and urgent care.
Her project, “Increasing Effective Care for Emergency Department Patients with Opioid-Related Diagnoses Using World Health Organization Guidelines”, focused on improving Naloxone prescribing and dispensing in an area which has one of the highest opioid abuse rates in the country. “She was successful in improving care for patients, ultimately bringing medical scribes into the educator role to assist teams already experiencing significant COVID-related burnout,” said Dr. Slager.
Commencement also always features the presentation of the Excellence in Teaching Awards. Each year, the Student Council leads the student body in selecting faculty members to receive Excellence in Teaching awards. These awards are given annually to faculty members who inspire and impact their students. The students select both an Academic Faculty Award and Regional Clinical Faculty Award. Here are the 2022 FNU Excellence in Teaching Award winners: Academic Faculty Excellence In Teaching Award
Dr. Joshua Faucett
DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, CNE
Assistant professor Dr. Joshua Faucett is a family nurse practitioner with a decade of experience in oncology. Dr. Faucett enlisted in the Army in 2005 after having spent the previous five years as a firefighter/paramedic Following two tours totaling 27 months in and around Baghdad, Iraq, he returned home after five years of service to begin the next stage of his life. He enrolled at New York University as an undergraduate nursing student and was selected as a Pat Tillman Military Scholar in 2011. Following graduation, he began his career with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and continued his education at Pace University, completing training as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2014. He then began working at the Weill Cornell Brain Tumor Center, providing care to patients with malignant brain tumors. His research focus is Veteran mental health and suicide prevention.
Dr. Faucett’s wife, Kendra, DNP, CNM, CNE, FACNM, is an FNU alumnus and also an assistant professor at Frontier.
Regional Clinical Faculty Excellence In Teaching Award: Dr. Tammy Whitehead
DNP (Class 11), FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, CNE
FNU alumnus and regional clinical faculty Dr. Tammy Whitehead is a psychiatricmental health and family nurse practitioner. Her background includes psychiatric care, emergency care, cardiology, family practice, and urgent care. Dr. Whitehead received her post-graduate certificate from Brandman University. She received both her MSN and DNP from Frontier Nursing University.
Dr. Whitehead is a board member of the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives and was also the Chair of the Editorial Committee for the group. Dr. Whitehead lives in Berea, Kentucky.
Dr. Stone’s Letter to Graduates:
Dear 2022 Frontier Nursing University Graduate,
Congratulations! I am so proud of you and your dedication to completing your degree at FNU.
We know that your family and friends share our pride, and I hope that you enjoy the opportunity to celebrate this outstanding accomplishment with them.
There is a great deal of time and commitment required to earn a graduate degree. It involves sacrifice and determination from both you and those who support you. Today is the day to celebrate your journey and to share your joy with all those who have helped you along the way.
I personally want to thank you for choosing Frontier Nursing University, and I want to thank your friends and family who have supported you along the way. I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on all that you have accomplished, the hurdles you have overcome, and the sacrifices you have made.
As the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. I hope your degree from Frontier opens many new doors for you, filled with the opportunities and fulfillment you seek. Your career choice and your decision to attend Frontier demonstrates your commitment to serving others. It is a challenging but exciting time to be in the healthcare field. The pandemic, drastic healthcare shortages, healthcare disparities, the maternal mortality crisis, and psychiatric-mental health concerns are just a few of the major healthcare challenges impacting our communities, country, and the entire world.
No one person can fix all of these problems, and it will not happen overnight, but you are equipped with the training, experience, intellect, and compassion to help countless people in your community. By answering the call, you can and will positively impact lives every day. Your skill and perseverance have earned you this amazing and wonderful opportunity to serve, and I know you will make the very most of it.
Just as you remain committed to the service of your friends, family, and community, please know that Frontier is always committed to serving you as well. You are forever a part of the Frontier community, and we are here to support you in any way we can. We love to hear from you and share your stories of the great work you are doing in your community. Please remain in touch and never hesitate to contact us. We will answer your call.
Congratulations on earning this special day. I wish you many special days ahead. I know you will do great things in service to others. Thank you for representing Frontier Nursing University and continuing to make us proud.
Sincerely,
Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN President, Frontier Nursing University
