Donna Bernhard

DNP (c) MSN APRN-Rx FNP-BC

Mrs. Donna Bernhard joined the Hawai‘i Pacific University in 2013 with over twenty years of experience in nursing education and critical care. Prior to coming to HPU she worked as an ICU nurse at Tripler Army Medical center and the Queens Medical Center providing care to medical and neurological critical care patients.

In 2012, she completed her MSN and has served as the FNP program coordinator, clinical instructor, and lecturer for both undergraduate and graduate level for HPU and University of Hawaii nursing students. She has taught critical care, medical/surgical care, and pathopharmacology as well as advanced health assessment, complex care and leadership, and community.

She holds an FNP-BC from HPU and has been a certified nurse educator (CNE) since 2001 (through Freund & Overlander, Hannover, Germany).

Prior to relocating to Hawaii in 2005, she served as the clinical educator at St. George Hospital and Nursing School. In her role leading the clinical rotations, she also functioned as a liaison to narrow the gap between theory and practice. Mrs. Bernhard was in charge of coordinating the transcultural student exchange with Siberia and hosted frequent interprofessional skills development programs for registered nurses.

In 1991, she developed and held training workshops for Eastern nurses who relocated to the West after falling of the Berlin wall. In 2019, Mrs. Bernhard was honored with the academic excellence award “Nurse educator of the year” by the University of Hawaii. Mrs. Bernhard is currently serving on multiple committees such as the Preceptor Tax Credit Assurance Committee, Center for Nursing and program evaluation, APRN Transition to Practice Initiative committee, MSN committee, and student member of the DNP Committee.

Mrs. Bernhard is currently enrolled in the DNP program at HPU and expected to graduate December 2021.