Wailea Community Helps 38 UH Maui Nursing Graduates with Funds to Take Licensure Test

Some of the 2020 graduates pictured from left to right: Mark Vincent, Jade Dela Cruz, Anna Gilarski and Miki’ala Maynard

The Wailea Community Association is helping 38 graduates with the University of Hawaiʻi Maui CollegeClass of 2020 to  obtain their nursing licensure by funding the costs associated with taking the National Council Licensure Examination.

Because the only authorized testing site is the Pearson VUE Testing Center on Oʻahu, the cost totals close to $450 per graduate.  This includes the cost of interisland airfare, the test fee, and ground transportation from the airport to the testing site and back.  The test is not currently available online or on Maui.

Bud Pikrone, General Manager of Wailea Community Association said,” During these unprecedented times we shifted our annual scholarship program to address the crucial needs of the community now and in the near future–nurses.”

The UHMC nursing program is highly competitive, yielding approximately 30 positions every year.

Anne Scharnhorst, who directs the UHMC nursing program said, “This gift is so needed. The licensure exam to become an RN is a high-stakes, stressful experience and having to travel makes it more so. With it being right after graduation, when they have been paying tuition and not working the last few years, the financial stress is yet another pressure to bear.”

She continued saying, “Our graduates are well qualified and eager to start their nursing practice, but they need to take this exam to do so. We are so grateful to Wailea Community Association for making this difference in our graduates’ careers and in the future health of Maui County.”