quarterlY Bulletin

Introduction to Frontier Nursing Service

Mary Breckinridge spent her early years in many parts of the world –
Russia, France, Switzerland and the British Isles. After the deaths
of her two children, she abandoned the homebound life expected of
women of her class to devote herself to the service of others, particularly mothers and children.
Mary Breckinridge founded the Frontier Nursing Service in 1925
after several years of studying and practicing nursing and midwifery
in the United States, England, Scotland and France. It was the first organization in America to use nurses trained as midwives collaborating
with a single medical doctor/obstetrician, based at their small hospital
in Hyden. Originally the staff was composed of nurse-midwives trained
in England. They traveled on horseback and on foot to provide quality
prenatal and childbirth care in the client’s own home. In 1939, Mrs.
Breckinridge established a school of nurse-midwifery. The school
provided graduates, many of whom stayed to offer care to families in
Leslie County, Ky.
Today, Mrs. Breckinridge’s legacy extends far beyond Eastern
Kentucky through Frontier Nursing University (FNU), which offers a
Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and a Master of Science in Nursing degree with tracks as a Nurse-Midwife, Family Nurse Practitioner
and Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner. FNU has students and
graduates serving all 50 states and many countries.
Mary Breckinridge’s home, The Big House, located at Wendover, is
a licensed Bed & Breakfast Inn. For more information or reservations,
call (606) 672-2317 or e-mail: michael.claussen@frontier.edu.
Mary Breckinridge said: “Our aim has always been to see ourselves
surpassed, and on a larger scale.” (Wide Neighborhoods, 1952)
www.frontier.edu

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