HPU nursing students participated in the Queen's internship program this summer.
This summer, five HPU nursing students stepped beyond the classroom and into an extraordinary opportunity to grow as future registered nurses through The Queen’s Health Systems Student Nurse Internship (SNI) Program.
Representing the HPU School of Nursing in this summer’s program were Klara Gilvydis, Jalyssa Wada, Hannah Dela Cruz, Mary Joy Del Rosario, and Abby Takata.
The SNI provides nursing students with an invaluable opportunity to experience the realities of professional nursing while working alongside experienced registered nurses within the clinical environment. Through direct patient-care experiences, observation, mentorship, interdisciplinary teamwork, and increasing exposure to the responsibilities of the professional nurse, students can strengthen the connection between what they learn in the classroom and how that knowledge is applied at the bedside.
For HPU nursing students, the experience represents an important milestone in their development.
Throughout the summer, the students had opportunities to build confidence in patient assessment, communication, prioritization, clinical judgment, teamwork, and the delivery of safe and compassionate patient-centered care. Just as importantly, they experienced firsthand the relationships that define nursing — relationships with patients and families, preceptors, nurses, physicians, and members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
The internship also gives students the opportunity to see how professional nurses manage the many dimensions of patient care throughout a shift. From recognizing changes in a patient’s condition to communicating with the healthcare team and supporting patients and families during vulnerable moments, the SNI experience helps students develop a deeper understanding of both the responsibility and the privilege of becoming a nurse.
HPU Assistant Professor and Bachelor of Science in Nursing Chair Joy Bliss, Ph.D., RN, emphasized the importance of experiences such as the Queen’s SNI Program in preparing students for the transition into professional nursing practice.
“There is tremendous growth that occurs when a nursing student is able to work alongside an experienced registered nurse and become immersed in the clinical environment,” said Bliss. “They begin to see how assessment, clinical judgment, communication, compassion, and teamwork all come together in caring for a patient. These students represent HPU exceptionally well, and we are extremely proud of the commitment they have demonstrated throughout this experience.”
The relationship between HPU and Queen’s helps create meaningful opportunities for the next generation of Hawai‘i nurses to learn within the communities they may one day serve as registered nurses. Last year, three HPU nursing students completed the Queen’s internship program, gaining 270 hours of precepted clinical experience, working one-on-one with experienced registered nurses.
Experiences such as the student nurse internship are particularly valuable as Hawai‘i continues to prepare a strong nursing workforce for the future. Students gain more than additional clinical exposure. They develop professional confidence, mentorship relationships, a greater understanding of the nursing role, and insight into the healthcare environments in which they may soon begin their careers.
For Gilvydis, Wada, Dela Cruz, Del Rosario, and Takata this summer represents another important step on that journey. Their participation reflects the dedication, professionalism, and enthusiasm that HPU nursing students bring to clinical practice — and provides an exciting glimpse of the nurses they are becoming.
HPU’s School of Nursing extends its sincere appreciation to Queen’s, the nurse leaders, unit staff, RN preceptors, and everyone involved in the student nurse internship program for investing their time, expertise, and mentorship in nursing students.
As another summer internship experience comes to a close, these five HPU students return to their nursing education with something that cannot be gained from a textbook alone: greater confidence, real-world perspective, stronger clinical judgment, and an even clearer understanding of what it means to care for others as a professional nurse.
Congratulations to HPU’s 2026 Queen’s student nurse interns! Their journey toward becoming registered nurses continues, and HPU is proud to celebrate this important accomplishment with them.
