Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 6, 1 June 2010 — OHA assists Chaminade nursing program [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA assists Chaminade nursing program

Program to address nursing shortages in loeal communities

By Kapono Ryan

Chaminade University will open its doors to its first nursing students this fall 2010 - with a focus on Native Hawaiian students and their communities. The four-year program will underscore cultural competency in caring for Native Hawaiians and Paeihe Islanders. Approximately 72 students are expected to enter Chaminade University in August in hopes of becoming first-class nurses, earning their Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing, or BSN, by 2014. Graduates will have foundational nursing knowledge and skills necessary for the profession, have the abilities to provide quality patient care and be prepared for the National Council Licensure Examination. The university received approval to launeh its program from the Hawai'i State Board of Nursing in March. "We are grateful for the board's approval. Our nursing program will specifically address nursing shortages in our loeal communities," said Chaminade Dean for Nursing Stephanie Genz, EdD, MSN, RN. The Catholic, Marianist iden-

tity of Chaminade emphasizes preparation for life, service and career success, and it is within this framework that the BSN program will prepare dedicated RNs, or registered nurses, for work in a variety of healthcare settings within Hawai'i. "The nursing profession gives our students excellent career opportunities in a dynamic field where they ean serve with significance," said Dr. Genz. "This makes the nursing vocation a perfect fit, well-aligned with our mission and identity as a university whose goal is to prepare students for life, careers and for service." Nearly 23 percent of the ineoming nursing students are of Native Hawaiian descent. Chaminade is a federally designated Native Hawaiian-serving institution, and in general, Native Hawaiians make up more than 12 percent of the school's overall populahon. "We hope that our emphasis on cultural competence and on the significance of post-graduate contributions to communities will lead Chaminade nursing graduates to contribute to heahh and wellness of their communities and to a reduction of healthcare disparities in the Native Hawaiian populations," Genz said. The nursing program will be housed in the Dr. Lawrence K.W. and Mrs. BoHing Chan Tseu Center for Nurse Education, a

See CHAMNADE on pagE II

The nursing program at Chaminade University will have an emphasis on cultural competency. - Photo: Courtesy ofChaminade

Continued from page 05 leading-edge physieal faeility for nursing, whieh ineludes two nursing skills laboratories, dedieated eomputer and instructional rooms, state-of-the-art human simulator suite, standardized patient laboratory, faculty offices and 10 newly renovated teaching research laboratories for the biomedical sciences. In November 2009, Dr. Tseu made a eapital gift of $1 million for the hnal construction of the nursing center, ensuring its opening in fall 2010. Named The Sallie Y. Miyawaki School of Nursing in honor of the late wife of Dr. Edison Miyawaki, who endowed $5 million to the program in November 2009, Chaminade's nursing program will uniquely focus its curriculum on: • highly sophisticated, simulated patient-care experiences • the informatics age and the acquisition of elinieal informatics skills • genomics and the ability to process and convey information, previously reserved for specialized geneticists • cultural competency in the care of Native Hawaiian communities (Chaminade is a federally designated Native Hawaiian-serving institution.)

• geriatrics to care for an aging population • leadership in advocating for the populations they served Curriculum will include patient-center care, interprofessional teams, patient safety, professionalism, lifespan, and end-of-life care. Inspired by gifts supporting Chaminade University's nursing program from two Chaminade regents honoring their wives and the nursing profession last November, J. Miehael Windsor in April donated $100,000 for the first endowed nursing scholarship in his late wife's name, Mary. Windsor, who serves on the university's board of govemors, lost his wife, a nurse, last summer. In 2006, the vision for the program was ignited by former Chaminade president Mary Civille "Sue" Wesselkamper, DSW. In July 2009, the torch was passed on to Genz, who is happy to monitor the excitement. "We are only five months away from greeting our first students and ean hardly wait," she said. For information, eall Ashley Wiswell, nursing program assistant, at 735-4813 or email ashely. wiswell@chaminade.edu, or visit chaminade.edu/ nursing. The application process for fall 20 1 1 starts in September 2010. ■ Kapono Ryan is director ofuniversity eommunications at Chaminade University.

OHAMINAPE