For nearly a half century the Frontier Nursing Service has been demonstrating that by the effective use of nurses an economically deprived area can get good health care. Recently, it has expanded its midwifery school to prepare. hence give formal recognition to, the "Family Nurse"-someone able to assume a constantly expanding ro!e in the provision of primary health services to a whole family. The advantage FNS has over many other agencies on a similar bandwagon today is that it has been proving the appropriateness of this role since 1925, and it has rich experiences on which to draw to refine it. For, in actuality, the FNS nurses have always been the primary health care givers to the people up the creeks, over the mountains, back in the hollows of Leslie County. Kentucky. Those who know the FNS, however, must concede that there's more to preparing a nurse to give safe and effective primary care than suLpplenmenting her basic education and assigning her to her own clinic. For the FNS. where these nurses are learning and practicing. is a concept as well as a health service.