UMaine welcomes 115 School of Nursing students, media report
WABI (Channel 5) reported 115 University of Maine School of Nursing students — the largest first-year class in recent history — took an oath of compassionate care during the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and American Association of Colleges of Nursing White Coat Ceremony. With many Maine nurses nearing the retirement age, it’s expected that by 2022 the state will experience a shortfall of more than 3,000 nurses, according to the report. Enrolling in the UMaine School of Nursing provides an opportunity for students to find steady jobs, and in many cases fulfill lifelong ambitions, WABI reported. “I’ve always wanted to go to UMaine so this is a really big deal that I actually got excepted,” said UMaine nursing student Ally Clark Bonsant. “I’m really pursuing my dream of being a nurse, and it just really seals the deal that I’m actually about to do this and this is going to be the rest of my life.” Bonsant and Kelley Strout, an assistant professor of nursing at UMaine, also were recent “Good Morning Maine” guests on WVII (Channel 7). Mainebiz and the Bangor Daily News also reported on the incoming nursing students. The BDN also reported the flagship campus is considering helping the University of Maine at Machias launch its own nursing program.