When Mary Breckinridge founded the Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, KY, she understood what it meant to be passionate about the care given to patients and the knowledge imparted upon students. Today, as a pioneer in graduate nursing and midwifery education, FNU remains at the forefront of innovation and technology, offering distance education to nurses with an interest in nurse-midwifery, psychiatric-mental health, family health and women’s health specialties. FNU provides advanced educational preparation for nurses who seek to become nurse-midwives (CNM), family nurse practitioners (FNP), women’s health care nurse practitioners (WHCNP), or psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) by providing a community-based distance graduate program leading to a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), a post-master’s certificate or a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

FNU seeks to meet the needs of prospective nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who do not want to leave their home communities to obtain the graduate education they desire to fulfill their professional aspirations. Didactic coursework is delivered using web-based, distance education courses allowing students to achieve their higher education goals without leaving home for classes. Using clinics, hospitals, and preceptors in their own community allows students to get the hands-on clinical experience required for these exciting health care professions. Two on-campus sessions are required, including an orientation prior to beginning studies, and intensive skill workshops prior to beginning the clinical practicum. Complete your online education and your clinical work in your own community while fulfilling the mission that Frontier has held for 75 years.