School of Nursing students to graduate early, join workforce, media report

The Bangor Daily News, WMTW (Channel 8) and Q97.9 reported the School of Nursing at the University of Maine will graduate students early so they can help on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelley Strout, the program’s interim director and an associate professor of nursing, said the 38 seniors will graduate on April 28 to have a chance to become licensed and enter the workforce more quickly. About 33 of them are expected to work in Maine, the BDN reported. “We are facing a pandemic with a need for as many frontline nurses as possible,” Strout said. Nursing student Nicole Brown said she is ready for the challenge. “I want to help people and I want to care for people sick with viruses like COVID-19,” she wrote in an email. “… I’m excited to get my feet wet and see where this journey of nursing takes me in such a hectic time.” News Center Maine also reported on the initiative.