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S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 / W O R K F O R M E 33 "I like the fact that I don't have to drive as far to attend class," nursing student Gina Thomas says of the Dover- Foxcroft satellite location in recent testimony to the state for increased funding. "My study time is not interrupted by travel. Also, as a single mom, I am still able to provide for my daughter while attending classes." The state is looking at pro- viding $2.5 million in funds to MCCS to continuing ramping up its nursing programming. The funding, which would be matched by another $2.5 mil- lion by partner hospitals, would allow Maine's community col- lege system to hire 33 full-time and 20 part-time nursing fac- ulty, plus seven support staff, new lab equipment, simula- tion mannequins, computers, monitors, hospital beds and other supplies, which would allow the system's students to grow from 209 to 417, some of whom could begin as early as this summer. "This has been a long-stand- ing issue in Maine, but the pan- demic has stressed our health- care systems to the brink," MCCS president David Daigler said in his testimony in favor of the funding bill. "Our nurses have been at the front line of this pandemic. They are exhausted and in desperate need of replen- ishment." Going further The University of New Eng- land's School of Nursing gradu- ates 110 students a year, offer- ing both a traditional bachelor of science in nursing and an accelerated BSN over 16 months for students who have already earned a bachelor of arts de- gree or bachelor of science in another major, which is the fastest growing model in nurs- ing education, says Jennifer Morton, director of UNE's nurs- ing program. While their enrollment has remained steady over the past several years, with waitlists, they recently formed a partner- ship with Maine Health to create a program for its employees, where classes and clinicals are delivered onsite to a cohort of 15 mostly CNAs. Another new way UNE's pro- gram is able to help the health- care workforce is by certifying freshman nursing students as CNAs, which usually doesn't hap- pen until their junior year, made possible by another partnership with Maine Health, which not only provides students with great hands-on experience in the field but helps the state's dire need for more CNAs, Morton says. UNE is also exploring gradu- ate program options. Currently the University of Maine, and the H e a lt h C a r e W O R K W H E R E C O N S T R U C T I O N I S A L L A B O U T P E O P L E . penobscotgc.com/careers 1 College Circle, Bangor, ME husson.edu | 207.941.7000 BUSINESS | COMMUNICATIONS | COUNSELING CRIMINAL JUSTICE | EDUCATION | HEALTH PHARMACY | SCIENCE & HUMANITIES TECHNOLOGY 96% career outcome rate 96% of our students are employed or in graduate school within one year of graduation – proof that a Husson education is a smart investment. BUSINESS | COMMUNICATIONS | COUNSELING CRIMINAL JUSTICE | EDUCATION | HEALTH PHARMACY | SCIENCE & HUMANITIES 96% career outcome 96% of our students are employed or in graduate school within one year of graduation – proof that a Husson education is a smart investment. Our is something to celebrate. High school juniors and seniors, take tuition-free college courses through our Early College Access Program (ECAP). Learn more at husson.edu/ecap Our nurses have been at the front line of this pandemic. They are exhausted and in desperate need of replenishment. — David Daigler MCCS president C O N T I N U E D O N F O L LO W I N G PAG E »