UMaine Opens admission for Machias Nursing Pathway
The University of Maine is taking a critical step to provide access to its nationally ranked Bachelor of Science in Nursing education program for the Down East region through its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias.
The University of Maine is launching a Nursing Pathway program at its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias, in fall 2022. The Machias Nursing Pathway will help more students pursue bachelor’s degrees in nursing and will build nursing workforce capacity in response to a critical statewide shortage.
The pathway is the first step to providing greater community access to UMaine’s nationally ranked, four-year nursing education program and expands on the opportunities that the School of Nursing has made available to existing students from the Machias region.
Lydia Sprague of Machias is a senior UMaine nursing student who plans to work for a Machias-area health care provider after graduation in May 2022.
“The University of Maine School of Nursing helped me stay close to home as I progressed with my education and completed my clinicals,” says Sprague. “We need a lot more nurses. The Machias Nursing Pathway will help more students stay connected to our community as they prepare for local careers in nursing.”
Admissions Open: Machias Nursing Pathway
The Machias Nursing Pathway will admit up to 30 students in fall 2022. Admission is now open and criteria are online. Students will pay UMaine Machias tuition for the first two semesters and UMaine tuition with enrollment in the School of Nursing in Orono.
“Maine’s nursing workforce is facing critical challenges with the ongoing demands of the pandemic and the shortage of qualified faculty and instructors available to prepare our next generation of nurses,” says Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of UMaine and UMaine Machias.
UMaine Machias undergraduates in the Nursing Pathway will be admitted into the liberal studies allied health associate degree program to complete two semesters of designated Nursing Pathway courses in foundational science and general education. Students who have met the pathway progression criteria will be eligible to enroll in the UMaine School of Nursing on the Orono campus in their second year to pursue an additional seven semesters of coursework toward a bachelor’s degree.
UMaine coursework in nursing includes 100 hours of hands-on skill and simulation with lab experience, and 750 hours of direct care clinical experience in a range of health care settings. All nursing students, including those enrolled at the UMaine campus in Orono, can expect to travel up to two hours to access clinical training opportunities in health care settings.
“The University of Maine’s long-term commitment to the Down East region includes a nursing program that builds educational and clinical capacity in the area and connects local students with local healthcare careers,” says Ferrini-Mundy. “Students are already applying for admission into our Machias Nursing Pathway and we are eager to welcome as many as 30 new students to the program next fall.”
The UMaine School of Nursing is in the top 11% of nursing programs nationwide, ranked 78 out of 690 nursing programs by U.S. News & World Report. Students in UMaine’s program have a 95% NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate.
For more information, contact Sherrie Sprangers, UMaine Machias Nursing Pathway advisor and associate professor of biology, ssprange@maine.edu; or Kelley Strout, director of the UMaine School of Nursing, kelley.strout@maine.edu.
Contact: Dan Demeritt, 207.441.6962; dan.demeritt@maine.edu