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, 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.”
