WVII reports on nurse practitioner residency program at PCHC

WVII (Channel 7) reported Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) is partnering with the University of Maine School of Nursing, Harrington Family Health Care and Hometown Health Care in Newport to help fill the shortage of nurse practitioners in Maine. The reestablished nurse practitioner residency program, made possible by a $1.7 million U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration grant, has the potential to affect patients in at least five Maine counties. PCHC last had a nurse practitioner residency program in 2014. Students in their final year of the UMaine graduate program can apply to complete their clinical rotations at PCHC and enter the residency program when they graduate, WVII reported. “This program will ensure [UMaine nursing students] have a better transition from academia to practice, and they will also receive robust specialized training in key areas that affect the health needs of Mainers,” said Kelley Strout, an assistant professor of nursing at UMaine. WABI (Channel 5) also reported on the program.