Chaminade University of Honolulu

Nursing & Health Professions

Nursing Doctoral Students Put Theory Into Practice

Stepping away from their online learning, Chaminade Doctor of Nursing Practice students gathered on campus last month for an immersive week of hands-on instruction and collaboration.

“The DNP immersion allows students to connect with their faculty in-person and network with peers and community members,” said Pamela Smith, Ed.D., APRN-Rx, FNP-BC, director of the DNP program and associate dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions.

“The immersion also allows students an opportunity to practice skills they would not be able to experience virtually.”

Parts of the immersion schedule included all DNP students, but there were also track-specific breakouts.

For example, Family Nurse and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track students attended sessions in suturing, case studies and advanced health assessments. Meanwhile, students in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track attended workshops on therapy technique.

DNP students gather annually for the immersion experience.

And Smith said that while skills building and application are front and center, there is also plenty of time set aside for connecting with fellow cohort members and for strengthening relationships with faculty mentors.

Those in-person connections were a highlight of the week for Amy Olsen, DNP ’26.

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“I know there is a lot of planning that goes into the immersion week,” said Olsen, who is in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track. “All the professors make sure we feel seen as individuals and plan meaningful group events for us. I love being on Chaminade’s beautiful, peaceful campus, surrounded by fragrant flowering trees and stunning architecture.”

Olsen is pursuing a DNP after two decades in the profession.

She is seeking the advanced degree to build on her leadership and clinical skills.

“Being a nurse is how I give back to the community, and it has enriched my life in many ways,” she said. “So I decided to challenge myself by going back to school, and now I’m excited to be a DNP because it’s still fundamentally nursing and I’ll be able to have a more powerful impact on people’s lives.”

Michelle Burns, DNP ’26 (left), who is pursuing the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track, said the immersion program helped her build stronger connections with her fellow students.

Michelle Burns, DNP ’26, who is pursuing the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track, said that completing proctored skills assessment during the immersion program was a rewarding challenge.

“I am truly grateful to have such a supportive Nursing program administration team and it reflects Chaminade University’s mission to provide education in a collaborative learning environment,” Burns said, adding she also appreciated catching up with friends and professors.

Burns, a school nurse at Our Lady of Good Counsel School as part of a new pilot program with Chaminade, said the immersion experience is a “great way to bring all the DNP students together and put our learning into practice.”

“We all come from different backgrounds and levels of expertise, and it’s nice to have the opportunity to come together and learn from and support each other.”

Nursing Students Mark Pinning Ceremony

Graduating Nursing students at Chaminade gathered Friday for the time-honored Pinning Ceremony, which commemorates the completion of their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.

Some 74 Silverswords received their BSN stoles and nursing pins at the gathering, held at Chaminade’s Richard T. Mamiya Theatre. They also recited the International Pledge for Nurses, “sparing no effort to conserve life, to alleviate suffering, and to promote health.”

“It’s really important to bring these nurses into the workforce. At the moment, we have a strong need in our community and we prepare nurses for all walks of nursing,” said Lorin Ramocki, DNP, RN, interim dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions.


Natasha Gourlay ’25 is among the graduating students who participated in the Pinning Ceremony.

“It’s a super important part of completing Nursing school, probably even more than Commencement. Pinning is kind of the end of the road, but also the beginning of our new chapter as nurses,” said Gourlay, who plans to pursue a career in public health nursing.

The Pinning Ceremony symbolizes the end of students’ formal education and the beginning of their nursing careers and serving the community. The roots of the Nursing Pinning tradition date to the 1860s, when Florence Nightingale—the founder of modern nursing—was awarded the Red Cross of St. George. Pinning ceremonies later grew to mark the beginning of a nurse’s career.

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“The pinning ceremony is a heartfelt tradition that symbolizes students, hard work and dedication throughout their coursework and clinical training,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D., a nurse herself. “Healthcare is more than just a profession. It’s a calling and a passion.”

Babington continued, “We congratulate our nursing students and hope they will become transformational and compassionate leaders in the medical community.”

Alumna Spotlights Importance of Public Health

Alexandrea Cole Patino ’24 enjoyed studying Nursing at Chaminade and excelled in her studies.

But after clinching a prestigious summer research opportunity at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore—with the help of Chaminade’s Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs office—Patino realized her passion was addressing society’s health challenges in a different way.

“I loved how research questions tied into so many other areas—science, exploration, demographics,” she said. “I went to my Nursing program advisor and explained what I was thinking. He was so helpful and helped me transition into the Public Health program at Chaminade and I wholeheartedly never looked back. Public health was absolutely the right choice for me.”

In pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health, Patino found similarities with her advanced studies in nursing. She even realized that her experiences in patient care were valuable, including for a competitive population health internship she secured at Hawaii Pacific Health.

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She said Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs also helped her secure that opportunity, and she was grateful to find real-world applications for what she was learning in her classes. “We were doing hypertension monitoring,” she said. “It was all about public health.”

National Public Health Week is April 7 to 13 and for Patino, who is a fellow with Elevate Us Studios, it’s an opportunity to underscore the critical importance of public health in a world still recovering from the impacts of the COVID pandemic. She said public health can inform policy, research and patient care—and ultimately help build stronger, healthier communities.

As a fellow with Elevate Us, a national nonprofit, Patino is focused on developing a culturally-inclusive menstrual health education course for Hawai’i schools. During her internship at Johns Hopkins, Patino participated in research on menstrual health and she also explored the topic for Chaminade’s Summer Research Institute, an undergraduate research internship.

Patino said menstrual health education is a personal research passion in part because of her personal experiences. When Patino had her first period, at age 12, “I thought I was dying.” She remembers struggling to get answers about what she was experiencing.

Her goal is to prevent other girls from going through what she did, she said.

While she completes her fellowship, Patino is also looking for other employment opportunities, including with government and not-for-profits. She hopes to secure a job in public health research.

In the meantime, she’s championing Chaminade’s Public Health program.

She says in addition to small class sizes, the program features an “integrated, close-knit community” led by professors who “truly want to see you succeed.” She added, “They have your interests at heart and they want to encourage you to pursue opportunities.”

“I wouldn’t trade the experiences I had at Chaminade for anything.”

Nursing Students Mark White Coat Ceremony

Chaminade University’s School of Nursing and Health Professions held its annual White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, February 22 to recognize 76 nursing students as they begin their clinical education.

As part of the tradition, Chaminade Nursing faculty assist students with donning their white medical coats.

The gathering is considered a rite of passage in a person’s journey toward a career in nursing.

After receiving their coats, students recited the International Council of Nurses pledge, committing to uphold nursing ethics and provide exemplary care to patients.



Dr. Lorin Ramocki, RN, interim dean of the Chaminade School of Nursing and Health Professions, said the white coat celebration bridges classroom learning with clinical practice.

“This is a really exciting point in their career and this is really their first opportunity to care for patients in the clinical setting,” she said.

Ramocki added that students are preparing to enter the profession as a critical shortage of nurses continues.

“We’re hoping with each graduating class that many of these nursing students will stay here in the islands and work in our healthcare facilities to help care for our patients,” she said.

Following the ceremonies, students received lei from family and friends outside of the Sullivan Family Library.

Nursing Students Honored in Pinning Ceremony

In a “heartfelt tradition,” 21 Nursing students at Chaminade gathered with loved ones Dec. 7 for a Pinning Ceremony, which marks the ceremonial completion of their bachelor’s degree journeys and the start of their professional careers.

During the gathering, students received their nursing stoles and pins.

They also recited the International Council for Nurses Pledge, promising to:

“Care for the sick with all the skills 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.”

Hermaine Beltran ’24 was among the students honored.

“I’m feeling very happy, very exhilarated, very grateful for this moment,” said Beltran, who will be a nurse in the mother-baby unit at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. “We worked very hard to be here.”

Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D., a nurse herself, said the students are launching their careers amid a significant need for nurses in Hawai’i and nationally.

“We are proud that our students are answering the call,” Babington said.

She added, “The pinning ceremony is a heartfelt tradition that symbolizes students’ hard work and dedication throughout their coursework and clinical training.”

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Chaminade School of Nursing and Health Professions Interim Dean Lorin Ramocki explained that the roots of the Nursing Pinning Ceremony tradition date back to the 1860s when Florence Nightingale, known as the founder of modern nursing, was awarded the Red Cross of St. George.

Pinning ceremonies grew to mark the start of a nurse’s career.

Tree Planting Honors School of Nursing

Kukui trees are traditionally a symbol of knowledge and enlightenment

There’s a new addition to the indigenous flora on Chaminade’s verdant campus.

In a special ceremony Nov. 22, University President Lynn Babington, Ph.D. joined School of Nursing and Health Professions students, faculty and staff along with others across the University to plant a kukui tree and dedicate a special plaque.

The inscription on the plaque begins with a Hawaiian proverb: “Ka malu hālau loa o ke kukui.”

The saying, which means “the long shelter of the kukui tree,” refers to the way in which a healthy grove of kukui trees can provide adequate shelter—much like a house. Kukui or candlenut trees are also a traditional symbol of knowledge because the nuts were once used to burn for light.

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The plaque’s inscription continues: “This kukui tree is planted in dedication to the faculty, staff and students within the School of Nursing and Health Professions.”

Chaminade Provost Lance Askildson said in planting the kukui tree, “we are honoring the strong foundations of Chaminade’s School of Nursing and Health Professions while recognizing our shared responsibility to ensure its continued success and growth in the years to come.”

“At Chaminade, we are incredibly proud to be preparing nursing and public health leaders who are inspired to serve their communities and help build a healthier Hawai’i.“

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