Mainebiz

V O L . X X I V N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 18 T wo educational initiatives are underway to attract and keep more nurses in Maine, espe- cially in the rural north. In Aroostook County, the University of Maine campuses at Fort Kent and Presque Isle joined forces on an aca- demic partnership unveiled in early August. In Bangor, Husson University is planning a $ million Wellness and Learning Center, with construction due to start this fall. It's also adding a course designed to help nurses more eff ectively treat patients addicted to opioids. All the institutions aim to help stave off a widening nursing shortage and increasing demand for healthcare in the state with the highest median age. By 2025, the Maine Nursing Action Coalition warns of a shortfall of ,200 jobs. To keep that from happening, experts at a University of Maine System summit last September called for boost- ing the number of new registered nurses licensed in the state by 400 a year, or 65% above the current capacity, and recruit- ing an additional 265 registered nurses a year into Maine. While the workforce crisis is state- wide, limited access to health care in less populated and prosperous pockets cre- ates a stronger immediate need there. A two-campus collaboration Starting this fall, UMPI and UMFK will launch a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in Presque Isle. UMFK, which has an existing pro- gram, will dispatch faculty members to UMPI about 60 miles to the south so that students unable to travel to Fort Kent can get a four-year nursing education in Presque Isle but get their degrees from UMFK. "We really strive to keep costs down for students while providing access to quality education," says Erin Soucy, dean of undergraduate nursing at UMFK. She adds that the idea for the partnership evolved about two years ago amid a growing trend of students commuting from further distances to Fort Kent, and its clinical practice partners in the area expressing a need for more nurses. "One of our goals would be that we increase the nursing workforce in Aroostook County and throughout Maine," she says. "With this program, we can attempt to try to meet the demands of the nursing shortage." Temporary lab space is being pre- pared at UMPI for an incoming class of 12 nursing students, while UMFK is expecting a fi rst-year class of 121. Permanent lab space and program and facility improvements are also planned, contingent on voter approval of a November referendum item that foresees more than $7 million in planned investments at UMFK and UMPI. UMPI nursing students will spend all four years in Presque Isle, where they'll be taught by UMFK faculty and be counted as UMFK students their last two years. And for clinical place- ments in Aroostook County, the school Nurses' orders Northern Maine universities expand nursing programs B Y R E N E E C O R D E S One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase One of our goals would be that we increase the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County the nursing workforce in Aroostook County and throughout Maine. With this program, we can attempt to try to meet the demands of the nursing shortage. — Erin Soucy Dean of undergraduate nursing at UMFK P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y U M F K UMFK instructor Kate Long-Lozier (far left) oversees nursing students learning to feed a simulation mannequin through a feeding tube. University of Maine campuses in Fort Kent and Presque Isle are working together to train more nurses in response to the nursing shortage. F O C U S

• Cover