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Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing
195 School Street
PO Box 528
Hyden, KY 41749


The Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing

The Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing (FSMFN) has been educating nurse-midwives since 1939 and nurse practitioners since 1970. Its innovative, community-based, distance education, graduate program enables registered nurses to earn their master's and/or doctoral degrees and advance in exciting health care professions while remaining in their home communities.

The Frontier School offers:

  • Distance education via a rich, web-based community of faculty and learners
  • Clinical experience with practitioners in your own community
  • New classes starting eight times each year
  • Full-time (24-month) and part-time (36-month) study options for the MSN (+12 months for the ADN-to-MSN Bridge student)
  • Five-term (15 months) to earn the doctor of nursing practice for qualified applicants

Distance Education

The Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing is committed to providing education via distance learning allowing students to remain in their communities during their graduate education. Students are required to attend two on-campus sessions during their two-year (full-time) or three year (part-time) course of study. These sessions include a four-day initial orientation session and an eight-day advanced skill building session prior to starting the clinical experience. On-campus sessions are held on the beautiful historic campus in Hyden, Kentucky. Students complete all other coursework and their clinical experience in their home community. The Frontier School recognizes that students learn at different rates and with different styles. The MSN curriculum is designed in a modular format and can be completed in a series of 12-week terms. Students develop a timeline with their faculty advisor that works for them.

The faculty provides students with guidance via computer forums, e-mail and phone. Support, explanations and information are as close as your computer and phone line. We also foster interaction with the school community through our web-based communications portal, which processes over 4000 messages daily. Many assignments are designed to encourage interaction in the community in which students live. Clinical preceptors are sought within the student's own community whenever possible, allowing students to learn in their home area. We have over 1000 preceptor sites across the United States with more added on a regular basis.

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