Undergraduate nursing students are benefiting from a new nursing immersion program with the Ho-Chunk House of Wellness
By Rebecca Jamieson
On a humid day in late May, four undergraduate nursing students from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing made their way up a steep, rocky trail at Devil’s Lake State Park near Baraboo, Wisconsin.
“Ok, let’s stop here!” called the park’s naturalist, motioning the group to the side of the trail.
“Can anyone tell me what this is?” She pointed to a three-leafed plant growing low to the ground.
“Poison ivy?” guessed one student. She was correct.
Interspersed with plant identification, the naturalist educated the group about the region’s unique landscape, using a tablet to share graphics.
But this wasn’t just an informative day hike. The students were part of a new immersion partnership between the School of Nursing and the Ho-Chunk House of Wellness, a tribal health care provider. The hike was part of the students’ integration into the rural community in Baraboo, where Devil’s Lake is located. It helped them apply planetary health concepts — which are fully integrated into many Indigenous cultures — and immersed them in the culture of the Ho-Chunk House of Wellness.
“Cultural awareness is key,” said Kiana Beaudin, PA-C, MPAS, a physician assistant for the Ho-Chunk nation who leads cultural awareness trainings at the House of Wellness. “We want students to understand Native American health beliefs and the programs available. It’s important they know we’re here and face unique challenges.”
The Ho-Chunk House of Wellness has two main hubs — one in Baraboo and one in Black River Falls — with five smaller satellite clinics around the state. They provide a unique approach to rural health care. Designed with the holistic needs of patients front and center, the Baraboo location offers a wide range of services under one roof, including community, medical, behavioral, and public health, pharmacy, optical, and dental services. Dietitians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and even support with billing and benefits are also available. The Ho-Chunk language is taught on-site and incorporated into exam rooms and educational materials. There’s even an immersion daycare program for families who speak Ho-Chunk at home.
“This building was created based on what the community wanted,” said Beaudin. “We’ve increased access and reduced barriers. Everyone here is an access point — pharmacists, nurses, providers. We’re given the time we need to provide comprehensive care, especially for patients who may not come in often. We try to address everything in one visit.”
The House of Wellness serves approximately 3,000–6,000 patients annually — primarily Native American community members and their descendants.
“People travel from all over to see us. It’s amazing,” says Nicole Olson, BSN, RN, clinic nursing supervisor. “We also refer patients to outside facilities for services we don’t offer and work closely with many of them.”
Over the four-week immersion, School of Nursing students gain valuable experience in public, community, and clinical health, serving rural populations. They assist in the House of Wellness clinic (including optometry and dentistry), provide home health services, and spend a day doing a ride-along in the back of an ambulance with Baraboo’s emergency medical services.
Katherine Collins, MS, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, FNP-BC, a clinical associate professor and global health coordinator at the School of Nursing, underlined the value of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural immersion programs like these. “A goal of our immersions is to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and ways of living and to enrich our students’ global health perspectives,” she said. “I could not have asked for better partnerships with both the Ho-Chunk House of Wellness and Baraboo EMS/Fire. Everyone was incredibly considerate, kind, and so willing to help our students learn.”
“We want to train culturally informed nurses who provide compassionate care to tribal members.” — Michelle Samphere, MSN, RN
Immersion programs also give students insight into many different areas of nursing. “Many students are surprised by what nurses do — diabetes education, in-home care, and more,” said Michelle Samphere, MSN, RN, community health nursing supervisor for the Ho-Chunk Nation. “Academia often focuses on hospital nursing, but we offer a broader perspective.”
Gaining that broader perspective included attending a cultural awareness training led by Beaudin and attending events where students interacted with patients and community members more informally and immersed themselves in Ho-Chunk culture. In addition to the geology hike, students attended a traditional celebration in Black River Falls and assisted with a Ho-Chunk community health fair in Wittenberg, where they provided a booth for children’s activities and gathered information about the community’s health priorities. The students deepened their understanding of planetary health by assisting with a rabies vaccine clinic for pets and completing a food inspection at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells.
“It’s so holistic. That’s the main thing I take away from this. They take such a wide view of what is affecting someone’s health and ask how everyone can work together to improve that person’s health.” — Brandy Reinert x’26
Brandy Reinert x’26, a returning student in her second year of the traditional bachelor of science in nursing (TBSN) program, jumped at the chance to do an immersion serving a rural population. Reinert is passionate about rural health care, particularly mental health care. When she and her husband bought a house in a rural Wisconsin town with a population of just over 1,400, the lack of health care was stark. “It was 30 or 45 minutes to a hospital in any direction,” she said. “There wasn’t any primary care, and most of the practitioners in this area had retired. It was just this bubble of no health care.” Reinert was eager to learn how the House of Wellness was serving a rural community. “I wanted to see what the Ho-Chunk Nation did differently than what I’ve seen.”
A local immersion also felt more directly applicable to her future career than an overseas program. “It’s a great opportunity to learn about a population in your community and how best to help them,” she said.
As a mother of three whose husband works overnights, Reinert also needed an immersion experience that worked with her busy schedule. “It provides an opportunity for people who aren’t able to go abroad,” she said.
Phurbu Bhuti x’26, also a second-year TBSN student, sought out this immersion because she saw similarities between her experience as a Tibetan refugee and those of Indigenous communities in the United States. “Tibetans are also indigenous to their land, and I felt a strong connection,” she said.
In addition to a BSN, Bhuti is pursuing an American Indian and Indigenous Studies certificate. “I felt a deep calling [to this immersion] because I immigrated to America and now live on ancestral Ho-Chunk land. I wanted to act in solidarity and learn more.”
For Bhuti, the immersion experience reignited the desire to serve others that originally sparked her interest in nursing. “Everyone was so welcoming. I didn’t feel like I was in fight-or-flight mode, and I could genuinely learn. People went above and beyond to make sure we saw and learned things. I also gained a new sense of empathy and communication skills. I learned how to talk to patients, gain their trust, and understand when to press them and when not to.”
The sense of community and connection to others — staff, patients, and fellow students — was part of what made the experience so special. “We got to know each other on a personal level. It felt like we were all on the same level, not like one person was above another,” said Bhuti. “They let us keep practicing and improving. It felt like a family. That kind of environment really supports learning.”
Samphere echoed that sentiment. Although there’s a statewide nursing shortage, the House of Wellness hasn’t struggled with staffing. She thinks that’s due in large part to the caring culture they’ve created. “One student said, ‘You say you’re like a family — and you really mean it.’ That meant a lot,” said Samphere.
Beaudin adds, “Many students who rotate here end up working with us. We’ve hired pharmacists, MDs, and nurses that way.”
For Reinert, the most impactful part of the immersion was gaining a deeper understanding of Ho-Chunk culture. A highlight for her was experiencing the Ho-Chunk Nation Memorial Day Pow-wow in Black River Falls. She appreciated having the opportunity to observe patients outside of the clinic, adding, “Being able to see the community together in a non-medical setting was really interesting,” she said. “I ended up seeing some of those patients in the clinic. Seeing them out and about and then having them come into the clinic was great.”
Even though some of the activities were outside of what one might expect in a nursing program, Reinert appreciated that approach. “It’s so holistic,” she said. “That’s the main thing I take away from this. They take such a wide view of what is affecting someone’s health and ask how everyone can work together to improve that person’s health. They really take the time to find out what is needed for each patient.”
“It is clear that students are benefitting from a deeper understanding of different cultures, communities, and ways of living, and many have pointed out that this will improve their nursing practice and understanding of health in many ways.” — Katherine Collins, MS, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, FNP-BC
Inspired by her experiences during the immersion, Reinert plans to present a poster on the environmental impact of toxins on mental health diagnosis in rural and Indigenous populations.
This was the first instance of the immersion experience at the Ho-Chunk House of Wellness, and Samphere has been pleased with the impact so far. “It’s been great. Students are getting a fast-paced, holistic experience — everything from injections to wound care to optometry and dentistry,” she said. “This experience helps them decide what kind of nurse they want to be. It’s very different from hospital settings.”
Samphere is already thinking about how to expand the partnership with the School of Nursing. “Native American populations are under-researched. We’re working on gathering vital statistics and identifying health priorities,” she said. “We’re exploring tailored health education programs, joint research projects, and expanding training opportunities. We want to train culturally informed nurses who provide compassionate care to tribal members.”
Olson, Samphere, and Beaudin hope the immersion gives students a better understanding of Ho-Chunk experiences, culture, and health issues with an emphasis on partnership, empathy, and community engagement. “We want them to see what health care could look like if it were truly holistic and community-based,” said Olson. “That’s what we do here.”
Collins said she’s received positive feedback on the immersion experience from both partners and students. “It is clear that students are benefitting from a deeper understanding of different cultures, communities, and ways of living, and many have pointed out that this will improve their nursing practice and understanding of health in many ways,” she said. “I am proud of the way our nursing students represented the School through adaptability, patience, compassion, and professionalism. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the future.”