Commencement 2021 profile: Hikari Ochi

How do you succeed in an accelerated, hands-on program like nursing when you’re 6,766 miles away and 13 hours ahead?

Ask Hikari Ochi, who, despite the challenges of being an international student learning during a pandemic, demonstrated diligence and an extreme dedication to her studies.

Ochi will graduate this May from Binghamton University’s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences after completing the Baccalaureate Accelerated Track (BAT) program, a program for nursing students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field.

From Osaka, Japan, Ochi came to the U.S. when she was 16 due to her father’s work. After graduating from high school in California, she earned an undergraduate degree in biology from SUNY Brockport.

It was at Brockport that Ochi first became interested in pursuing a nursing degree. While she liked biology, she didn’t want to go into research. She enjoyed learning about human health and wanted a career where she could interact with people.

But it was a medical emergency that clarified her decision. Ochi experienced a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) at the end of her sophomore year and had to be hospitalized. While recovering, she fostered meaningful relationships with nurses who inspired her.

“Since it was the end of the year, my friends had already gone home. So, I was kind of alone there; it was a lonely time,” she said. “But the nurses were really amazing. And they kind of became my friends. They always encouraged me to feel better even though I had a lot of pain, or they just talked to me. And, they were really knowledgeable about health, so I was impressed and I wanted to be like them.”

After graduating from Brockport in 2019, Ochi returned to Japan while she applied to nursing programs. She was accepted at Decker College in January 2020, and intended to travel to the U.S. to begin the BAT program in May; however, due to the pandemic she had no choice but to start the program online.

While most of her classes were asynchronous so she could watch them on her own time in Japan, some elements of the programs, such as labs and exams, were synchronous.

“My exams were tough because they were at about 2 a.m. for me. My labs were from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., so that was really rough as well,” she said. “But, I was determined and I wanted to do it, and knew I could.”

Although the time difference made it a struggle, Ochi found success by dedicating a lot of her time to studying. She also developed relationships with her classmates during lab sessions, which eased her nerves.

By late August and the start of the fall 2020 semester, Ochi was in Binghamton ready to tackle in-person classes. But she had another challenge: She lacked experience working in a hospital.

“I never worked in a hospital or anything like that; everything was new to me. It was completely different to what I studied before and I really didn’t know how to study or what I needed to know. And I felt like I was not doing well at all,” she said. “One day I asked Lori [Sprague] what to do and how to do it and she helped me understand what I should know or how to make it better. And then from there I felt like I understood that what I actually needed to know as a nurse is not just science, it is about taking care of people.”

Sprague, a clinical assistant professor of nursing and assistant director of the Innovative Simulation and Practice Center (ISPC), commended Ochi for her hard work despite the difficult circumstances.

“Even though Hikari faced some significant challenges at the start of the BAT program, her hard work, positive attitude and dedication played an integral part in her success,” she said. “I have admired her commitment to the nursing program, and I look forward to seeing where Hikari will go in her nursing path.”

To gain nursing skills, Ochi began working at Binghamton University’s COVID-19 testing center. She also got a job in the ISPC. Both experiences have allowed her to become a better nursing student.

Ochi’s hard work in the ISPC hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Hikari has been a fantastic addition to the ISPC,” Sprague said. “Prior to classes starting, Hikari was an integral part of the team ensuring that all of our current nursing students were fit-tested with N95s [masks]. She has independently assisted us with tracking and reaching out to students who needed further testing. She’s such an unbelievable help!”

In addition to Sprague, Ochi has also looked up to clinical instructor Karen Browne, who she said made learning challenging material fun and who taught her the importance of empathy.

“[Hikari] was so present and engaged with her patient, taking in everything going on … kindness and gentleness are the words to describe my observations,” Browne said of Ochi’s clinical experience. “The second day I worked closely with Hikari as I assigned her a very challenging patient to engage some of her psychomotor skills. Though these were new skills on a real patient and were quite intimidating, she quickly took to my guidance, saw the bigger picture and engaged her patient with interventions that allowed for an impressive day.”

After graduating from the BAT program, Ochi must take and pass the National Council for Licensure Examination-RN (NCLEX-RN) before being granted a nursing license in the state of New York. Then, she hopes to find a job on a hospital medical-surgical unit so she can practice more general nursing before deciding on a specialty area.

Despite the challenge of feeling lonely as an international student during COVID-19, Ochi has not only persevered, but also brightened the days of her patients while fostering vital nursing skills.