Chaminade University of Honolulu

Nursing & Health Professions

Nursing Seniors’ Virtual Celebration

With this year’s graduation ceremony postponed to December due to COVID-19, Chaminade faculty and staff have found new ways to celebrate and recognize graduating seniors.

On Saturday, May 9, for instance, the School of Nursing and Health Professions held a zoom celebration to honor the 65 students who were graduating this term.

Chaminade alumni attended a virtual event to gain insider tips for updating their space during stay-at-home orders

“We wanted to do something really special for them,” says Dr. Edna Monroe-Magpantay, professor in the School of Nursing and Health Professions and the event host. “They are dedicating their entire careers to caring for others. They are the ones who are going to be on the frontlines of this pandemic, keeping our communities safe and healthy. They deserve to be recognized.”

The event was a much-needed release for the students after a long final week of virtual mock interviews, standardized testing and virtual NCLEX exam preparation. All of the graduates are certified nurse aides, and as soon as testing centers open in their respective states, they will be able to take the nursing licensure exam to earn their nursing certification.

The event began with a prayer and an opening message from Dr. Haley.

“We’re here to celebrate your accomplishments and we’re very proud of you,” began Dr. Haley. “You’re joining a worldwide professional family of nurses. We’re known for our compassion, our expertise and our trustworthy service to others. It’s a tough time to come into nursing and you couldn’t be needed more.”

Before reading the names of all of the graduates, the annual senior awards were announced to outstanding students. Upon those who received awards were Meghan Chilton, Micaela Mariano, Spencer Lee, Ofa-Helotu Koka, Vivianne Verceluz and Kaleiui Hosaka.

The inaugural DAISY Faculty Award, a recognition established by The DAISY Foundation to honor nursing faculty members for their commitment to and inspirational influence on their students, was presented to Dr. Jeremy Creekmore. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Student went to Spencer Lee.

At the end of the celebration, the graduates followed classmate Micaela Mariano in reciting the Nightingale Pledge. Created in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, the Nightingale Pledge is a statement of ethics and principles taken by nurses in the United States.

“In full knowledge of the obligations I am undertaking,” repeated the graduates, “I promise to care for the sick with all the skill and understanding I possess, without regard to race, creed, color, politics, or social status, sparing no effort to conserve life, to alleviate suffering and to promote health.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2020–we wish you the best of luck on your NCLEX exams and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. We look forward to officially celebrating you in December!

A Leader of Leaders

Whether it’s treating a Chaminade alumnus to lunch, spending her own time tutoring students for the nursing certification exam or serving as a faculty advisor to a student club, Chaminade professor of nursing Edna Magpantay-Monroe is notorious for going the extra mile.

Edna Magpantay-Monroe

“Once Dr. Monroe knows who you are,” says fourth-year nursing student Spencer Lee, “she won’t forget you…[she] often sacrifices her own time and money to provide services for students that better their education.”

That’s why he nominated her for the 2020 Weingarten Leader of Leaders Award. Each year, the National Student Nurses Association presents the award to a dean, faculty member or state consultant who goes above and beyond to support nursing students. Having worked with Professor Monroe as the president for Hawaii State Student Nurses Association and a former the Chaminade Student Nurses’ Association, Lee knew she was the perfect example of a Leader of Leaders.

“She was a key figure in revamping the Hawai‘i Student Nurses’ Association years ago, and since then has served as a faculty consultant and has mentored many future leaders in healthcare,” says Lee. “She has fostered the professional and academic development of all of the students she has interacted with.”

Professor Monroe was beyond touched when she learned she had won the award. “I was ecstatic when I opened my email congratulating me on this award,” says Monroe. “The nomination means a lot because it came from students.”

The award was to be presented at the annual National Student Nurses’ Association convention this month, but the gathering was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Hawai‘i Student Nurses’ Association, for which Dr. Monroe serves as the faculty consultant, also won both the national Newsletter Contest and the State Excellence Award.

 won in our category of schools for both the Newsletter and State Excellence

“Seven years ago, when a group of students asked me to help rejuvenate the state’s Student Nurses Association, I said yes but I did not have a clue what laid ahead,” said Monroe. “I have ended up loving this role as a faculty consultant and advisor. I feel proud as I see the students grow in front of me.”

Dr. Monroe serves as the president of the Sigma Theta Tau International Gamma Psi-at-Large Chapter, co-adviser of the Chaminade Health Occupations Schools of America (HOSA) club, and co-adviser of The Filipino Club at Chaminade University. Additionally, she was recently a co-author of an abstract publication, “Student Perceptions of Just Culture in Nursing Education Programs: A Multi-Site Study,” that received the 2020 Generating Evidence for Nursing Education Practice Award presented by Sigma and the National League for Nursing.

Alumna Travels to Samoa for Humanitarian Mission

In late 2019, a team of more than 60 Hawaii healthcare professionals traveled to Samoa with Lt. Gov. Josh Green to assist with a measles crisis that had killed dozens of people, mostly children.

Chelsea McKee ’14 was among the 55 nurses who volunteered for the humanitarian mission, putting their own lives on hold to help with the massive vaccination and public health effort.

“I felt this was an opportunity to help others in need,” said the Chaminade Nursing graduate, an oncology nurse at the Queen’s Medical Center and clinical adjunct at the University.

McKee said while she traveled to Samoa to give her time and medical expertise, what she didn’t expect is just how much she’d gain in return.

“On our daily vaccination visits, people welcomed us with hugs, laughter and a lot of food,” she said.

The group from Hawaii was charged with vaccinating tens of thousands of Samoa residents in hopes of stopping the spread of the preventable disease.

McKee said doctors and nurses hit the ground running.

They started their days early in the morning, heading out to neighborhoods with vaccines and supplies. “A local nurse, a co-worker and I vaccinated over 360 people on our first day there,” said McKee.

“The nurses made an assembly line in the van to prepare the syringes and gauze, draw up the vaccination, and the other to administer. Just as fast as you could imagine vaccinating 10 people we would go onto the next house and the next until the evening.”

McKee is no stranger to public health nursing.

In fact, she had her first experiences serving the community with healthcare needs as a student at Chaminade. When she was seeking her degree at the University, she was able to travel to the Philippines and the Big Island on public health missions.

“In the Philippines I had the opportunity to work in the hospital setting, live with a family in a rural mountain community where we performed health screenings, learned about alternative medicine and much more,” McKee said.

“These experiences I gained from the nursing program exposed me to public health. By volunteering, I gain so much more than I can give.”

McKee was on the Samoa trip with another Chaminade Nursing graduate: Chandler Arce ‘16, a psychiatric nurse at the Queen’s Medical Center.

Speaking recently, McKee said she’d jump at the chance to help more families in Samoa.

“I still remember on the drive back to the airport thinking, I only hope we made a difference,” she said. “We hope we made an impact and prevented more deaths.”

Building a Framework for School of Nursing Excellence: A Marianist Way

Chaminade Nursing Professor Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe presented her research on building a Marianist framework for nursing education at a national conference in the nation’s capital recently.

Edna Magpantay-Monroe

More than 2,000 nursing professionals attended the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society biennial conference in November. Magpantay-Monroe was among those invited to present her research in a poster presentation. She also attended the conference as a nursing honor society delegate.

Magpantay-Monroe’s research came out of an 18-month project with the Sigma Theta Tau International’s Emerging Educational Administrator Institute, a highly-selective program designed to mentor experienced faculty who aspire to become administrators in higher education.

Her research project ― “Building a Framework for School of Nursing Excellence: A Marianist Way” ― focused on the unique ways Marianist institutions like Chaminade University can prepare aspiring nurses for successful and fulfilling careers in healthcare and inspire them with a strong public service mission.

Magpantay-Monroe is a founding faculty member at Chaminade’s Honolulu School of Nursing, and has more than 30 years of experience in the field. Her research focuses on emotional intelligence, mindfulness and coaching, along with a number of patient-centered areas in healthcare. She also serves in a number of professional organizations, including Sigma Theta Tau International’s Hawaii chapter, which was founded in 1978 and is comprised of members at nursing schools statewide.

Dr. Eurina Cha Receives Bright Society Award

An international organization on a mission to promote peaceful, healthier communities recently honored Chaminade’s Associate Professor Dr. Eurina Cha for her years of work in public and community health.

Dr. Eurina Cha receives 2019 Bright Society Award

Cha was the recipient of the 2019 Bright Society Award from the Global Cooperative Society International-Hawaii chapter. Leaders from the non-governmental organization presented Cha with the honor at a special gathering in December at the Waialae Country Club.

Global Cooperative Society (GCS) was launched in Korea and is well-known across Asia.

A number of Korean and Korean-American community leaders attended the GCS awards ceremony, including representatives from the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce, Hawaii Korean Association, National Unification Advisory Council, and Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Honolulu.

Dr. Eurina Cha receives 2019 Bright Society Award

Ronald Moon, former chief justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, presented Cha’s award.

Cha, a certified advanced public health nurse, has more than 25 years of experience in nursing and frequently volunteers her time at community events. She’s also the lead faculty member at an annual event on Hawaii Island that provides health screenings and education in a culturally sensitive way.

The Bright Society Award is presented to community leaders working to make society “brighter.”

Cha said she was honored to receive the award. In her acceptance speech, she said, “I shared my pride in being a nurse educator at Chaminade and public health professional to serve the community, particularly Korean-American communities, to promote a happier and healthier community.”

Welcome Dr. Rhoberta Haley

Dr. Haley joined the Chaminade ‘ohana as dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions in May 2019.

Dr. Rhoberta Haley, dean of the school of nursing and health professions.

When Dr. Rhoberta Haley came across the job posting for dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at Chaminade University, she knew instantly it was the right fit.

“It felt like it was a blessing,” says Haley. “I think Chaminade is a great university.”

What first attracted her was the Chaminade mission and its commitment toward advancing and serving underrepresented communities
and populations.

“I love the emphasis on social justice and serving vulnerable populations. Chaminade has a wonderful mission, and nursing is a really good fit for that mission. It’s just a very nice synergy.”

Throughout her career, Haley has seen firsthand how nursing can transform communities. “A degree in nursing can be life-changing, especially if you are the first person in your family to go to college. When you become a nurse you have that healthcare knowledge, and that benefits your family, neighbors, friends and communities. You serve people everywhere you go.”

She was also drawn to the fact that Chaminade has an incredibly diverse student body. Just last year, Chaminade was listed as having the highest percentage of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students in the nation, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Haley believes nurses should represent the people they take care of, and starting with a diverse group of students is essential. “We need men and women, people from all kinds of ethnic and racial backgrounds to inform how we care for patients.”

Haley brings with her 40 years of experience in nursing and nursing education, including from academic leadership positions in California, Nevada, Illinois, Indiana and Arizona.

She sees a lot of potential at Chaminade. Amongst her highest priorities: partnering with community healthcare groups to see where Chaminade can add value, and growing the program offerings within the School of Nursing and Health Professions. She also sees an opportunity to grow the current simulation center and develop even more experiential learning opportunities for students.

“Luckily, we have a really strong faculty. They’ve been here; they’re experienced nurses and educators.” To Haley, that’s critical. “You want to have a core group of faculty that understand the university and the mission and are really dedicated to our students.”

She’s excited to work with the faculty this fall to build a comprehensive plan and vision for the school driven by research, community and regional needs, employer demands and partner support.

“We’re positioned in a really nice way. We’ve already started a really good nursing school and it’s been successful,” says Haley. “This is the time to start adding programs and growing, and offering more to our region.”