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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G gap for nurses in Maine?" at's to be determined, she says. Faculty numbers are compounded by other problems. at includes: ¡ A shortage of clinical settings for skills training. e state has an eight-to-one student/faculty ratio in the clinical setting; some insti- tutions set it lower. ¡ A salary gap that often makes it more profi table to practice than teach. ¡ Flight of young adults to out-of- state urban centers. On the fi rst point, Colby says, "Students have to have access to prac- tice settings, and practice settings can accommodate only so many students at one time. In many parts of the state, spe- cialty areas are limited: Not every hospi- tal has a pediatric unit, for example. We need to look at eff ective, creative ways" for students to get clinical experience. Regarding misaligned salaries, "We need to look at salary adjustments and incentives for people coming into the profession." e problem is particularly acute in rural Maine, says state Rep. Anne Perry, D-Calais, a nurse practitioner. "We have a small critical access hospital, and the hospital and Washington County Community College are working together to create an associate degree nursing program, to educate people locally," Perry says. "We want to keep our people and give them the opportunity to work." Funding that will be on Perry's agenda at the summit, she says. Maine is facing shortages of other types of health care practitioners, too, Perry notes. In Calais, "We've spent years to recruit physicians to come in. It's a struggle. In many ways, nurse practi- tioners have fi lled some of those gaps." e university system is exploring solutions, Colby says. Possible solutions could include: ¡ Increased collaboration among campuses to off er advanced practice education at the master and doc- toral levels that are easily accessible and aff ordable to students through- out the state. at might include online options for working students ¡ New ways to mitigate diff erences in salaries ¡ Expanded simulation labs to enhance clinical training ¡ Reestablished programs in Rockland, Ellsworth and Machias/ Calais to reach more students ¡ Additional accelerated programs for people who want to change careers ¡ Reexamination of the state statute that says students must perform clinical practice within the semes- ter they studied the content. Higher ed steps up Other initiatives underway: ¡ Saint Joseph's College in Standish earlier this year received a $1.5 million challenge grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation toward the creation of a new Center for Nursing Excellence, with expanded programs, labs and scholarship opportunities. ¡ In 2016, the University of New England, where enrollment in nursing programs has tripled in the last fi ve years, established of an online graduate degree program in health IT. Expected to relaunch in fall 2017 is UNE's BSN program at a 50% discount. ¡ e University of Maine campuses at Fort Kent and Presque Isle, working with Northern Maine Community College, are launch- ing a Northern Maine Nursing Education Partnership that will make a BSN degree available to students in Presque Isle, with an expected launch this fall. Other options Another option deployed by health care employers is to hire traveling nurses through a "Nurse Licensure Compact," a National Council of State Boards of Nursing program that allows nurses licensed in 25 states, including Maine, to practice in any state that's part of the compact. McPherson says the nursing coalition supports legislation sponsored by state Sen. Amy Volk, R-District 30, to roll Maine into the National Council's latest "enhanced" compact. Traveling nurses are "a critically important short-term solution," says McPherson. But if Maine's educa- tion capacity doesn't increase, the state would need to recruit and retain approximately 600 nurses a year. Innovations and partnerships are essential for bringing new capacity online. e University of Maine System and the LePage administration plan to convene a nursing summit of providers, elected offi cials, policy makers, philan- thropic organizations and higher educa- tion leaders in the near future. From the state's perspective, says Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew, the solutions are not about spending more money on educational programs, but about making sure resources are prioritized to meet needs eff ectively. Resource prioritization will be a topic at the summit, she says. "It's a recruiting challenge," Mayhew says. "Maine is competing with higher wages that are being paid throughout the country, and we are competing with other states that have lower tax rates." L S, Mainebiz staff writer, can be reached at @. mainebiz.biz/OTRSanford / 207.761.8379 x341 R E G I S T E R T O DAY SANFORD June 22 | 5–7pm | The Town Club, Sanford FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #OTRSanford17 PR ES ENTI NG S PONS OR AT TENDANCE IS FREE BUT SPACE IS LIMITED! Please be sure to register ahead. Let Mainebiz help you build your professional network! Join us as we make our fourth stop at the On the Road event series in Sanford. This free event is a great forum to put a face with a name as well as make new business connections. Free admission Cash bar Complimentary hors d'oeuvres R EGI ONAL S PONS OR BREAKDOWN OF MAINE'S NURSE WORKFORCE LPN 7.3% APRN 7.4% RN 85.3% RN = Registered Nurse APRN = Advanced Practice Registered Nurse LPN = Licensed Practical Nurse >35 18.3% (3,721) 35–44 20.0% (4,043) 45–54 25.7% (5,200) 55–64 28.5% (5,784) 65+ 7.5% (1,524) 65+ S O U R C E : Center for Health Affairs, nurse registration data for 2015, current RN (FTE) workforce >35 35–44 45–54 55–64

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