Chaminade University of Honolulu

Nursing & Health Professions

Triennial Aircraft Disaster Exercise

by

First responders put skills to the test during emergency response drill

Imagine an aircraft explosion on landing and the immediate aftermath. The moments after an airplane crash are undoubtedly critical, as nursing student Sigfried Halili ’23 learned firsthand during the Triennial Aircraft Disaster Exercise. This every-three-year, mandatory certification requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration tests airfield disaster preparedness and response by simulating a full-scale aircraft emergency disaster. The drill tests and evaluates the operational capacity of emergency response in a stress environment.

Mock patients in moulage (make-up) are treated by Chaminade nursing students during the Triennial Aircraft Disaster Exercise.

Divided among four groups colored Red, Green, Yellow and Black, Chaminade nursing students treated patients with varying injuries, with the Red group receiving the most seriously injured, the Green team tending to those with superficial abrasions and contusions, the Yellow team looking after patients in between Red and Green, and Black team announcing mortality.

“The firefighters and EMS would perform triage and assess where the injured passengers would be taken,” explained Halili, the senior representative of the Student Nursing Association. “Of the five patients I treated, one was mortally injured, another belonged to the Green category and the three others were in critical condition.”

This triennial, multi-agency exercise involved hundreds of volunteers—including 175 nursing students from Chaminade University—and airport personnel who acted as injured passengers. Participating agencies included Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Airports Division staff, HDOT Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) units, Securitas, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, City & County of Honolulu Fire and Police Departments, Emergency Medical Services, American Medical Response, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam Federal Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Hawaii Department of Public Safety and airline personnel.

Volunteers portrayed passengers who were injured, uninjured, unresponsive, fainting, deceased, family, friends, responders, medical personnel and other miscellaneous roles. Make-up (moulage) was applied to simulate varying injuries, from deep lacerations to serious tissue wounds. Participants were also asked to “role play,” pretending to cry, scream with injuries and yell confusedly. Others acted grief stricken, angry and demanding information. All these roles were to simulate a real-life event to help responders to be better prepared. This exercise is an opportunity to get an on-scene and behind-scene view of a real-life emergency simulation.

The main focus for the nursing students during the exercise was to practice use of the Incident Command System— a systemic tool used for the command control and coordination of emergency response—and perform disaster triage and treatment skills. The event was a great opportunity for nursing students from three local nursing schools—including Chaminade—to work cohesively in an intense and stressful environment, an experience most of them had never encountered.

“This was the first triennial exercise that I participated in,” said Halili, who will graduate in December and take the National Council Licensure Examination to become a fully licensed Certified Nurse. “It was amazing to see how many people get involved when an emergency happens on an airport tarmac.”

Board Appointment

by

Dr. Rhoberta Haley Elected to AACN Board of Directors

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has announced that Rhoberta Haley, Ph.D., RN, FNP, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at Chaminade University of Honolulu, has been elected to the AACN Board of Directors. She will serve as a Member-at-Large through March 25, 2024. AACN held a special election in August/September to fill an unexpired term on the Board with votes cast by member deans.  

“As the national voice for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, AACN is committed to transforming health care and helping to lead the drive toward health equity,” said AACN Board Chair Cynthia McCurren, Ph.D, RN in a statement released in February after the organization’s announcement of the results of its 2023 election to fill seats on the AACN Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. “I look forward to collaborating with the new and returning members of the AACN Board and Nominating Committee to magnify the impact AACN has on ensuring quality in nursing education, research and practice.”  

AACN is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors, which includes four elected officers (Chair, Chair-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary), seven at-large members representing schools of nursing, and two members representing practice. AACN’s President and Chief Executive Officer serves on the Board as an ex-officio member.  

Haley currently serves on the AACN Doctoral Conference Planning Committee, and previously served on the Finance Committee. She has participated in 13 CCNE evaluations for either initial accreditation or re-accreditation as a faculty member, director/dean or consultant. She has been dean at Chaminade University, School of Nursing and Health Professions since 2019.  

According to Haley, the benefits of serving as a Board of Director are many and include: a high level and significant role in advancing excellence in academic nursing; engagement in discussions about strategic goals and priorities, higher education and healthcare issues, and challenges facing the nursing profession.  

AACN is the national voice for university and four-year college education programs in nursing. Representing more than 560 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN’s educational, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelors and graduate degrees in nursing education. The governing body also assists deans and directors to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research and practice. Task forces are appointed by the AACN Board of Directors as issues arise that require study and action.  

AACN’s work to inform members about key issues in higher education includes: offering conference sessions and webinars focused on trends in higher education, including a special panel presentation at the Academic Nursing Leadership Conference in October featuring thought leaders; and advocating for legislation that supports higher education and schools of nursing.

Kenneth and Diane Matsuura Foundation

by

Scholarship fund helps future nurses

After consistently hearing about the need for nurses during the pandemic, Kenneth and Diane Matsuura decided to do something about it. Rather than park their money in investments, the couple was driven to establish a foundation that would support future healthcare workers, knowing the essential role nurses play in and outside of hospital settings.  

“During the pandemic, we saw the perseverance of nurses,” says Diane Matsuura, a retired music teacher. “I could never do what they do; they work tirelessly to help their patients heal. And we’re fortunate enough to be able to start this foundation to help future nurses attain their degrees.”  

The COVID-19 pandemic was not in sight when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, with a goal to raise awareness of the need for “nine million more nurses and midwives to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.”

In Hawaii, there are currently 1,000 vacant nursing positions across the state, according to the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. State data further shows the demand for more nurses will grow by more than 100 positions each year.  

Tiannah Ohta and Genie Reutirez heard that calling and decided to answer it by applying to Chaminade’s nursing program. As part of the cohort of students in the accelerated track to earn a bachelor of science in nursing, Ohta, Reutirez and their fellow nursing students will complete their degrees in five back-to-back terms (20 months, as opposed to the traditional four years) through a rigorous academic schedule.

“When I read the email that I received a scholarship from the Kenneth And Diane Matsuura Foundation, I started to bawl,” Reutirez told Diane Matsuura and son Keven Matsuura over lunch. “It was such a huge surprise and a major financial help.”  

Ohta was in disbelief when she learned about her scholarship, thinking at first, that the email was a prank. “I wasn’t expecting it all; I had to read the email a few times because I thought I was reading it incorrectly.” said the 24-year-old Waipahu native and two-time nominee for a U.S. Presidential Scholars Medallion. “This helps me a great deal financially because we can’t work and go to school at the same time. It’s just not possible.”  

With an increasing emphasis on preparing nurses at the baccalaureate and higher degree level, one innovative approach to nursing education is to offer an accelerated degree program for non-nursing graduates. These programs build on previous learning experiences and provide a way for individuals with undergraduate degrees in other disciplines to transition into nursing.  

Having already completed her undergraduate degree in public health, Reutirez decided to pursue her nursing degree, a goal of hers even when she was completing her first bachelor’s. “It’s just a little later than I expected,” said the Ewa Beach resident. “I guess though it’s better late than never.”      

Geared to individuals who have already proven their ability to succeed at college or university, accelerated baccalaureate programs accomplish programmatic objectives in a short time by building on previous learning experiences. Instruction is intense with courses offered full-time with no breaks between sessions. Students receive the same number of clinical hours as their counterparts in traditional entry-level nursing programs.  

“Even when I was completing my bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Las Vegas, I knew I wanted to be in the medical field,” Ohta says. “This program will help me get there.”  

And so will her Kenneth and Diane Matsuura scholarship.  

“It’s rewarding to meet these young women who have so much passion to become nurses,” Diane Matsuura says. “My husband is currently hospitalized so I see what these nurses have to go through day in and day out. They work long shifts and the job is physically demanding. So, I commend anyone who goes into nursing.”            

‘Sudisfaction’ Guaranteed

by

Brothers establish essential men’s care

In 2020, Jacob Fernandez ’23 was in flight school until he was grounded by a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. With only 50 hours left to earn his private pilot license, the California native made, what he described, “as a spontaneous decision” to fly in a completely different direction—towards Hawaii.

“I had a friend who was going to Chaminade, and he told me it was a great school,” Fernandez says. “So, I decided to do my due diligence, and I looked into the nursing program, which I’ve always been interested in. Ironically, my friend decided he didn’t like nursing so he dropped out, but here I am in my final year.”

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic took higher education into unprecedented times. The necessary pivot from in-person to online teaching and learning proved to be difficult for many students, educators and administrators. Undergraduate nursing programs faced an even more complex decision because large portions of the curriculum rely on hands-on clinical experience. Ultimately, most programs completed the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester remotely, while the Fall 2020 semester looked different for many programs, some moving forward with in-person learning, others virtual.

Jacob Fernandez holds one of Broessentia’s handmade soaps.

On a positive note, there were opportunities for students to develop interventions and improve their experience, including changing the environment, learning via virtual gatherings, responding to the flexibility of faculty, undertaking supplemental learning and pursuing intentional self-care. 

That last point of self-care resonated with Fernandez and his older brother, Chris Fernandez. “Growing up, our mother would make natural, personal care products, which made us more conscious of what we used on our bodies,” says Jacob Fernandez. “So, my brother and I started a company that focuses on men’s personal care, and called it Brossentia.”

A portmanteau of brother and essential, Brossentia officially launched online on May 17, 2020, offering a line of natural, handcrafted bar soaps, which are made with a base of olive, coconut, jojoba or sustainable palm oil.

In between his nursing studies and starting an online business, Fernandez decided to enroll in the one-year Hogan Entrepreneurial Program, which he now credits for teaching him some valuable business skills. 

“The Hogan Program has provided insightful experiences through listening to entrepreneurs and hearing their journeys towards success,” Fernandez says. “It was inspiring to hear them speak about how they overcame their diversities and challenges.”

At the April 2023 Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program Induction/Graduation Ceremony, Fernandez was honored with this year’s “In the Arena” Award for outstanding entrepreneurship. It was a well-deserved recognition, according to Hogan Entrepreneurial Program Director Roy Panzarella, Ph.D.
“Jacob will be a senior in the nursing program, which is one of the toughest and most demanding programs we have at Chaminade today,’” Panzarella says. “He’s also the first nursing major to be a Hogan Entrepreneur.”

Along with the objective to create a business and a product, the brothers conducted market research, which ranged from consumer type and market size to earth-friendly packaging and trends. Unlike commercial brands, Jacob and Chris Fernandez handcraft each bar in-house—literally, in their mom’s Hermosa, Calif., kitchen—to ensure the highest quality control. They also developed their own molds, using material that they bought from Home Depot. 

Their cold-process soap is made by combining oils and sodium hydroxide lye, which causes a chemical reaction called saponification. In the process, they get to choose the oils, scents, colorants and any other ingredients. Their line of soaps includes Bay Citrus, Black Moss, Crisp Mint and the popular Goated, which is made with oatmeal, a combination of oils, shea butter, essential oils of spearmint and eucalyptus and, yes, goat’s milk.

“Our competitors use drop-ship soap, which means they buy their soaps from a manufacturer and brand it as their own,” Jacob Fernandez explains. “Our cold-process soap is tedious, and it takes about a month for our soaps to cure.”

As Brossentia business takes off, Jacob Fernandez remains grounded, following the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program’s motto, “Doing business things that make social sense. Doing social things that make business sense.” 

“I would say that our business aligns with the Marianist value of family spirit,” the 22-year-old says. “Through shared experiences, we plan to partner with grassroot organizations that promote and expand quality mental healthcare for men, donating one percent of our sales to nonprofits.

“Chaminade has put me in a better position to become a registered nurse,” Jacob Fernandez continues. “Balancing life, studies, clinical hours, a part-time job and Brossentia can be demanding. Going into my fourth year, I feel like I need to fit a few more pieces into the puzzle before graduating, but I am excited for the future.”

As Brossentia’s tagline goes: Sudisfaction Guaranteed.

Doctor’s Orders

by

Laica Arcibal enters first year of residency at SIU

She will be the first to concede that becoming a physician is both a privilege and a responsibility. And for Laica Arcibal ’19, attending medical school meant being one step closer to achieving her lifelong dream of becoming a practicing physician. Now in her first-year residency at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine in Quincy, Ill., the Waianae native earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) in the spring.

“Chaminade provided the foundation to my medical career,” Arcibal said. “I am especially thankful to OHPAUR (Office of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research, now known as the Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs) for the opportunity to widen my exposure to different healthcare careers.”

Despite an interest in research when she was in high school and during her first two years at Chaminade, Arcibal decided to pursue a medical degree instead. After shadowing a doctor of osteopathic medicine at Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, she witnessed how osteopathic manipulation treatment could alleviate people’s pain almost immediately.

Laica Arcibal informed Dr. Amber Noguchi that she started her residency.

“I shadowed a DO who was able to provide some relief to a patient with a persistent cough, and saw how appreciative the patient was,” Arcibal recalled. “That was when I told myself, ‘I want to be a DO.’”

Thanks to an articulation agreement that Chaminade enjoys with A.T. Still University, Arcibal was allowed early admission to the Kirksville College of Osteopathic, her school of preference since, she said, it felt just like Chaminade.

“I knew medical school would be grueling, so I wanted a place to safely challenge myself, and ATSU-KCOM reminded me of my experience in Chaminade,” Arcibal said. “I also like the fact that ATSU focuses on whole person healthcare, scholarship, community health, interprofessional education, diversity and underserved populations, which Waianae is.”

 At its essence, an Articulation Agreement document is between two colleges or universities, and lays out a transfer plan between two program offerings. Depending on the program and degree, students can set an early course to advanced studies as an undergraduate—establishing a strong academic record and completing prerequisites while at Chaminade. The agreement helps the student by ensuring all completed classes (credits) transfer and shows a clear pathway for continued advancement.

“Laica was one of my students from when I worked at Waianae High School as a pre-college advisor,” said Amber Noguchi, Ph.D., Chaminade’s Program Director with the Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs. “I first met her when she was a high school sophomore so it has been really great seeing her progress throughout this past decade.”

Arcibal decided to become a DO because she believes that DOs bring a unique, patient-centered approach to every specialty across the full spectrum of medicine. She also appreciates the University’s curriculum, which aligns with the Marianist values she learned while at Chaminade.

Laica Arcibal, second from left, with former classmates on a field trip with Dr. Hank Trapido-Rosenthal.

The Complete Doctor, a hallmark of the KCOM curriculum, incorporates early clinical experiences with didactic study in physical exam skills, communication skills, social determinants of health, spirituality in medicine, medical jurisprudence and ethics. Reflecting the osteopathic philosophy, the curriculum also emphasizes preventive medicine and holistic patient care.

“DOs bring a whole-person approach to care by focusing on looking beyond patients’ symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors impact their wellbeing,” said Arcibal, citing the Kirksville College of Osteopathic’s program description. “The osteopathic philosophy of medicine sees an inter-related unity in all systems of the body, with each working with the other to heal in times of illness.

“As part of their education, DOs receive special training in the musculoskeletal system, your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones,” Arcibal further cited. “By combining this knowledge with the latest advances in medical technology, they offer patients the most comprehensive care available today.”

As a SIU School of Medicine Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) resident, Arcibal has many years before she completes her residency training, qualifies to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE board exam), and then becomes a fully credentialed doctor.

When she does graduate to Dr. Arcibal—and no longer a doctor-in-training after finishing medical school—she plans to return to Waianae to serve her community.

“I would not have gotten this far without my supportive family, friends and mentors, who for some, I met way back in high school,” Arcibal said. “It is only right that I come back and serve the very people who motivated me to get this far.”

Summer Research Opportunities

by

La‘a Gamiao ’25 hopes to get a head start on his master’s degree at Purdue University, where he wants to eventually pursue a doctorate in ecology. His first step toward this goal was to accept an eight-week, Undergraduate Summer Research Program at Purdue’s flagship campus in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Laa Gamiao is participating in a research program at Purdue.
La’a Gamiao was accepted accepted to an eight-week, Undergraduate Summer Research Program at Purdue’s flagship campus in West Lafayette, Indiana.

“I leave on June 2 and I have orientation on June 4,” said Gamiao, who will be among the five student-research participants from across the country. “I’ll be conducting research on Aquatic Ecology, studying predator-and-prey interactions in response to chemicals.”

Gamiao is among a group of Chaminade students who have been able to kick-start their graduate studies, thanks to agreements between Chaminade University and fellow esteemed institutions of higher education.

“Chaminade is a member of The Leadership Alliance, a consortium of 32 academic institutions dedicated to addressing the shortage of diversity in graduate schools and academia,” said Amber Noguchi, Ph.D., Chaminade’s Program Director with the Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs. “Through the program, we’ve built partnerships with universities that want to admit our students into their summer research programs.”

In the past, Chaminade students have participated in programs at Harvard, Yale, Purdue and UCLA—to name just a few. This early exposure to research is invaluable and greatly enhances a student’s graduate school application, particularly for medical schools.

This summer, Alexandra Boyce and Kaila Frank will both participate in Michigan State University’s Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP). According to the MSU website, the SROP is a gateway to graduate education at Big Ten Academic Alliance universities. The goal of the program is to increase the number of underrepresented students who pursue graduate study and research careers. SROP also helps prepare undergraduates for graduate study through intensive research experiences with faculty mentors and enrichment activities. Boyce and Frank also plan to take short courses in various subjects prior to the start of the research portion of the program.

“We also have at least one student, Tia Skaggs, who will be participating in the Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU) program at the University of Colorado Anschutz,” Noguchi said. “This program is focused on projects related to cancer, whereas Purdue and MSU offer a wide range of disciplines and faculty expertise.”

Amber Noguchi, Chaminade’s Program Director with the Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs, encourages students to participate in summer research programs at various universities.

CREU’s primary goal is to engage scientific curiosity in the next generation of scientists, challenging qualified college undergraduates to consider a cancer-related career in the future. Only 23 college undergraduate students have been selected to spend 10 weeks in the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus’ laboratories.

“Our office encourages students to apply for experiential opportunities like summer research both here at Chaminade and at other institutions,” Noguchi said. “We also encourage our pre-health students to apply for clinical experiences and also pre-health enrichment programs.”

This summer, two pre-health juniors were accepted to the Summer Health Professions Education Program: Joshua Dumas ’24, a pre-med student, who will be attending the UCLA program; and Alexis Martinez ’24, an aspiring dentist, who has a choice between UCLA and Western University of Health Sciences.

To expose students to clinical experience, Chaminade works with the COPE Health Scholars Program at Adventist Castle. Through COPE, students are able to gain 280 clinical hours by volunteering in various departments at the hospital. Students enrolled in healthcare programs require these hours to demonstrate that they understand the field they plan to pursue, and it also helps them be competitive applicants when they actually apply.

“Many Chaminade students—who have pursued health careers in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, nursing and others—have participated in COPE,” Noguchi said. “We currently have Kelsey Nakagawa ’23, a nursing major, who started the program last year, and has risen to a leadership position there. We also have Kobe Young ’23, a recent Biochemistry graduate, who will be starting this summer.”