Episode 7 of the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) All-Access Podcast introduces a fascinating discussion about the importance of advocacy and what it means to be an advocate for nursing care and autonomy. FNU faculty member Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, details her experiences as an advocate for nurse practitioners in Florida, where she lives and practices.

Dr. Stone-Gale details how she was first introduced to the idea of advocacy and how that led her to begin speaking out publicly about the healthcare gaps in Florida and the role that nurse practitioners could play in resolving those issues. She details her meetings with legislators, public speaking engagements, and collaboration with physicians to ultimately bring about new legislation and essential change.

Dr. Stone-Gale also explains her motivation for becoming an advocate, the importance of finding allies, and the role that other faculty, practitioners, students, and supporters can play in their own communities.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

• What it means to be an advocate and how to become one.
• Why advocating for legislation to increase nursing autonomy matters and how it impacts the overall health of the community.
• How advocacy led to new legislation in Florida allowing for autonomous practice for nurses.
• Why Dr. Stone-Gale won the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) State Advocacy Award for 2022.

Episode 6 of the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) All-Access Podcast features an in-depth look at birth centers and their place in the healthcare system. Frontier faculty Drs. Jill Alliman, DNP, CNM, and Diana Jolles, Ph.D., CNM, are joined by Kate Bauer, MBA, from the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) in a discussion about a research project in which they were all involved. They share the findings of the project and what the data reveals about birth centers, including overall health outcomes and disparities, and the need for more midwives of color leading birth centers.

The conversation also includes an explanation of the differences between hospital-based birth experiences and birth center-based birth experiences. Additionally, the differences between midwifery-based maternity care and physician/hospital-based maternity care are discussed.

The trio also talks about the deep connection between FNU and the AABC, the role of the AABC, and their own roles and experiences at FNU and AABC, respectively.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

• The difference between maternity care in birth centers and hospitals
• The study that Kate Bauer and Drs. Jill Alliman and Diana Jolles participated in, its purpose and findings
• What the data reveals about the impact of birth centers in overall health outcomes
• The need for more birth centers led by midwives of color
• The role of the American Association of Birth Centers and how to join the organization

Episode 5 of the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) All-Access Podcast takes a close look at Frontier’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program. Dr. Khara’ Jefferson, FNU’s DNP program director, and DNP clinical faculty Dr. Diana Jolles join the podcast to explain what makes FNU’s DNP program so unique and successful. The DNP is the highest degree for clinical nursing practice. Frontier Nursing University’s DNP program, which began in 2008, focuses on preparing students to make a change that better serves the people in their community.

Drs. Jefferson and Jolles also discuss the DNP projects which students complete as part of their curriculum. These projects teach students to implement change in clinical settings. The students partner with clinical sites and customize their projects based on the needs of their own communities and clinical settings.

As it has in virtually all aspects of daily life, the pandemic has impacted the DNP program and the DNP projects. Drs. Jefferson and Jolles explain how FNU faculty and staff managed to adjust quickly and ensure that students could stay on course and complete their DNP projects.

Drs. Jefferson and Jolles also discuss the unique affordability of the DNP program and the many ways earning a DNP can positively impact students’ careers and lives by building them into leaders in their communities and professions. They describe, too, how students are able to build life-long friendships through FNU’s Frontier and Clinical Bounds during which students come to campus and are able to meet their classmates in person.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

• The structure and purpose of the DNP Program
• How the students’ DNP projects are guided by the needs of the clinical site and customized for their communities
• How the DNP program builds leadership skills and advances careers
• How the pandemic has impacted the DNP program
• The many ways in which FNU’s DNP program is unique and different from all others
• How Drs. Jefferson and Jolles came to Frontier and the leadership roles they have assumed