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University of Southern Maine offer in-person master's degrees in nursing, and Husson Univer- sity and Saint Joseph's College of Maine offer their master's programs online. More slots in advanced degree programs ultimately mean more nurses qualified to teach, which further helps fill demand. Diversity and resilience The University of Maine's School of Nursing, which welcomed its largest first-year class of 115 students last fall, has received recent funding focusing on in- creasing diversity and address- ing burn out. The university received a $1.7 million grant last sum- mer to increase the diversity of Maine's nursing workforce, in partnership with Northern Light Health and Maryland's Morgan State University, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In ad- dition to helping address the nursing shortage, the four-year award will help increase op- portunities for those who are financially disadvantaged or from ethnic and racial minori- ties who face tough competi- tion in a pool of up to 1,400 applicants for approximately 80 available seats. The funds will go towards strategic re- cruiting of minorities and first- generation college students and supporting their academic and professional success. UMaine is also focusing new funding it received in February from the US DHHS on reducing job-related burn out, a com- mon problem among nursing students and professionals. The $1.5 million three-year award created WellNurse, a research and interprofessional program in collaboration with the UMaine School of Food and Agriculture, Clinical Psychol- ogy Program and New Balance Student Recreation Center. The program will teach resilience- building skills to nursing stu- dents using approaches like m i n d f u l n e s s - b a s e d s t r e s s reduction, physical fitness, nutrition training and peer mentoring. Seen as a future model in Maine and beyond, it will be the basis for a UMaine wellness, resilience and stress management curriculum in the School of Nursing. Ready to work Students come to the field for a variety of reasons, all with a strong desire for meaning- ful work. Eastern Maine Com- munity College nursing stu- dent Andrew Knight decided on nursing, a career path he'd never considered until college, because he knew he wanted to work with people and the pro- gram sounded challenging. The 100% job placement rate was another selling point. "The [EMMC] Nursing Pro- gram has changed my life," Andrew Knight said in recent testimony in favor of increased funding. "Two years ago, I was a 22-year-old kid bouncing from job to job uncertain of my fu- ture. Bartender, landscaper, pizza delivery guy. I was surviv- ing — but I wasn't thriving." He's now two months from becoming a registered nurse and already has a job offer in the emergency department he works in. These recent supports, ex- pansions, and innovative think- ing in Maine's nursing programs go a long way to close the gap in nursing demands and help create thriving students and programs, where graduates have a pass rate on national licens- ing exams averaging over two percent higher than the national average of 82.5%. n H e a lt h C a r e P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M C C S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F U N E Two years ago, I was a 22-year-old kid bouncing from job to job uncertain of my future. Bartender, landscaper, pizza delivery guy. I was surviving — but I wasn't thriving. — Andrew Knight nursing student « C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PAG E W O R K F O R M E / S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 34 The Maine Community College System has seven programs to train nurses, including a recently added nursing program at York County Community College. The University of New England graduates 110 nursing students a year.