Frontier Nursing University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

. It was established by the

Frontier Nursing Service The Frontier Nursing Service was founded in 1925 by Mary Breckinridge and provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives. The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Ma ...

in 1939 as the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing.

History

Frontier Nursing University was founded in 1939 as the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery. The Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery graduated its first class in 1940. In 1970, the school was renamed the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing with the opening of the nation's first

family nurse practitioner A family nurse practitioner (FNP) provides continuing and comprehensive healthcare for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and body systems. Primary care emphasizes the holistic nature of health and it is based on knowle ...

education program. In 1989/1990, as a joint effort of the Frontier Nursing Service, Case Western Reserve University, the Maternity Center Association, and the National Association of Childbearing Centers, the Community-based Nurse-midwifery Education Program was born. Hence, Frontier became the first graduate school of nurse-midwifery to offer

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

. In 2005, the Community-Based Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner option was added. In 2011, Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing became Frontier Nursing University to underscore the distinct graduate-level programs while reflecting the institution's history and vision.

Academics

Frontier Nursing University focuses exclusively on distance nursing education with a strong focus on training nurses to provide advanced care to rural and underserved communities. It offers a

Master of Science in Nursing A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is an advanced-level postgraduate degree for registered nurses and is considered an entry-level degree for nurse educators and managers. The degree also may prepare a nurse to seek a career as a nurse administr ...

, post-Master's certificate, and

Doctor of Nursing Practice The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a professional degree in nursing. In the United States, the DNP is one of three doctorate degrees in nursing, the others being the research degrees PhD and the Doctor of Nursing Science. Internationally, ...

(DNP) with speciality certification leading to education as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, Women’s Healthcare Nurse Practitioner, or Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

The school is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

, and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. The institution is tied number 53 overall in "Best Nursing Schools: Master's" in U.S. News & World Report's 2022

rankings A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak order or total preorder of o ...

. Four of the institution's programs are individually ranked: * #67 in Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs * #3 in Best Online Family Nurse Practitioner Master's Programs (tie) * #37 in Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice * #27 in Nursing-Midwifery (tie)

Campus

The campus moved from its original home in Hyden, Kentucky, to a wooded setting in Versailles, Kentucky in 2020.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Nursing schools in Kentucky Private universities and colleges in Kentucky Universities and colleges established in 1939 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Leslie County, Kentucky 1939 establishments in Kentucky Historic districts in Kentucky School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Leslie County, Kentucky Education in Woodford County, Kentucky