UH Statewide Nursing Consortium Recognizes First Special Class of Graduates
Contact: Desiree L. Yamamoto, (808) 956-2904
Community Development Officer, School of Nursing
Posted: May 22, 2013
The first Bachelor of Science (BS) degree Nursing graduates of the University of Hawaii Statewide Nursing Consortium recently received their degrees from UH Manoa. The Nursing programs at multiple campuses designed a pathway to the BS degree that is referred to as a “3+1” model.
Students enrolled at UH Maui College and UH Kauai Community College, and following completion of their associate degrees (AD), immediately began their senior classes using a hybrid delivery approach with clinical learning taking place on their home islands. The 12 graduates joined the 66 direct-entry UH Manoa class to receive their BS degrees. Additionally, a group of six Kapiolani Community College and two Maui College AD graduates also received their BS degrees from UH Manoa after completing bridge courses to enter UH Manoa’s program. Kapiolani Community College has adopted the common curriculum and will enroll its first consortium pathway students this Fall.
- UH Maui College graduates are Megan Antunez, Mary Bonner Naylor, Cathy Cho, Anita Kaina, Elizabeth Marsh, Robin Garrison and Tanya Takatani-Apo.
- UH Kauai Community College graduates are Brandi Baretto, Fritha Milliken, Bowen Pan, Kayla Santa Ana, Elena Tangonan, Tania Tasic and Susan Yim.
- The names of the 66 direct-entry UH Manoa graduates are available to media upon request.
The nursing programs at UH Manoa, Maui College and Kauai Community College developed a common curriculum offered across the campuses. Faculty met twice a year to plan the program, hear from national experts and build shared goals. Over time, they became friends as well as colleagues. Now they share in celebrating the success of all the graduates.
Said UH Manoa Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing Dean Mary G. Boland, “A statewide UH system of nursing education meets Hawaii’s need for well-educated, culturally sensitive, and caring professionally competent nurses. At the same time, we provide opportunity for students to remain in their community and advance their education. By offering multi-campus nursing education, we avoid unnecessary duplication of UH programs and streamline the delivery of nursing education throughout the State. This educational program model is an efficient use of State of Hawaii resources.”
The increasing complexity of health-care delivery requires that nurses be skilled in coordinating care across hospital, community and home. To respond to the changes in the delivery of services and meet the changing needs of patients, nurses must achieve higher levels of education. Research shows that patients have better outcomes when care is delivered by an RN with a bachelor’s degree. Such nurses are known for their ability to communicate well with other disciplines, mastery of complex systems, and advocacy for patients and families.
Previously in Hawaii, only about 5% of AD nurses completed their BS degrees. This transformative pathway has increased access for the neighbor island nurses who wish to continue their education.
This group of BS graduates was joined on stage by 33 Executive AD-RN to BS graduates at the Hawaii Convention Center on Friday, May 10, 2013. To meet the needs of experienced RNs who wanted to obtain a BS degree, UH Manoa created the Executive Pathway program that is offered in cooperation with employers. Nurses from The Queen’s Medical Center (QMC) and Kaiser Hawaii completed a one-year program, in which classes were offered at QMC once a month on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, with the remainder of coursework completed online. This blended method, combined with scholarships from the employers and flexible work schedules, allowed these experienced nurses to maintain their jobs while advancing their education.
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UH Manoa Nursing, the Nursing Capitol of the Pacific, is the leader in nursing education and research in Hawaii with outreach to Asia and the Pacific Basin. We support the mission of the University of Hawaii at Manoa: to provide an innovative, caring and multicultural environment in which faculty, students and staff work together to generate and transmit knowledge, wisdom and values to promote quality of life and health for present and future generations. The school offers the BS, master’s and doctoral programs. To reflect Hawaii’s unique cultural diversity and heritage, UH Manoa Nursing is committed to increasing Native Hawaiian and other underserved people in all nursing programs.
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