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W O R K F O R M E / S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 26 of her personal experience and not as a representative of Maine Med. "We got the chance to rise to a challenge, adapt to be able to continue providing care to patients while keeping them safe from an infec- tious disease." She says she appreciated the opportunity to implement new medical research in such a short time frame. She also learned how to conduct telehealth office visits and adapt medical care to a digital format, skills she may not have otherwise learned if it weren't for the pandemic. The Pennsylvania native has another year of residency before she becomes a board-certified family medicine physician and hopes to stay and work in Portland. Like Joyce, everyone in the healthcare field, whether seasoned or new arrivals had to adapt quickly to changes and learn new skills. This often creates pressures and new demands on a field already experiencing shortages. Jeffrey Austin, vice president of govern- ment affairs and communication for the Maine Hospital Association, says that while the pandemic put a greater strain on the state's critical nursing shortage, he also says it created new or expanded roles for healthcare workers, like administering vaccines and COVID tests. The pandemic created increased demand on hospital infrastructure, which in turn created a greater need for staffing in areas like supply procurement and data analysis. Some of this demand may slow down, while other areas that had initially slowed or stopped last year, like elective surgeries, are now picking back up. Many positions in the field have been growing without the help of the pandemic. Austin says he's seen home health care triple in size in the last 20 years and great growth in social workers, patient navigators and care coordinators in hospitals. Maine's nearly 100 nursing homes, or skilled nursing facilities, are feeling the same shortage in both nursing and other hands-on caregiver positions, says Nadine Grosso, director of communications for the Maine Health Care Association. One important job that gained a new set of duties during the pandemic was nursing home activities director, whose education can vary from a high school diploma to an advanced degree in therapeutic recre- ation. When nursing homes and assisted ALL HANDS ON DECK For healthcare workers, 2020 was a year of coming together and learning new skills B Y C A T I E J O Y C E B U L A Y Randi Gonneville and Amber Wilson run the Enclave of Scarborough lemonade cart. Randi Gonneville lifestyles associate, resident Carole Reid, and Amber Wilson, director of lifestyles P H O T O S / C O U R T E S Y O F E N C L A V E O F S C A R B O R O U G H O u t l o o k p o s i t i v e f o r M a i n e h e a lt h c a r e s t u d e n t s T his year 1,900 students are studying at one of Maine's seven community colleges to be nurses or allied health professionals, like physical therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, radiology technicians, and, through the system's newest program, substance abuse counselors. Students can receive a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing from the University of Maine's School of Nursing, the state's oldest nursing program. Maine's liberal arts colleges provide guidance for students interested in a career in health. Colby College's Davis Connects provides specialized advising for students interested in nurse practitioners, optometry, public health and health administration. n L iz Joyce didn't expect to have to deal with one of the most challenging health care crises in history just out of med school, but that's where she found herself last year in her second year of residency at Maine Medical Center. Though the COVID-19 pandemic posed an added layer of challenge and stress in an already demanding time in her career, it also offered opportunities she wouldn't have had. "It is definitely exciting to be part of this historical event," says Joyce, speaking H e a l t h C a r e