DOUBLES NURSING OPTIONS AT MAINE’S COMMUNITY COLLEGES

ForAmy Stanek, the right opportunity came along at just the right time.

Stanek was looking to go back to school and get her nursing degree, years after leaving an early career as a medical assistant to raise her two children. But where to begin?

“When I started looking at schools that offered nursing degrees, I was extremely hopeful when I discovered that York County Community College (in Wells) was starting a nursing program,” said Stanek, who lives in nearby Sanford.

The new YCCC nursing program is part of the doubling of nursing programs at Maine’s community colleges across the state, thanks to $2.5 million in new state funding in 2022 that was matched by the state’s two largest healthcare providers.

Stanek jumped at the chance to enroll, and like many parents in higher ed, she started carving out time to study when “my kids were in school and when they were sleeping at night.” Despite the hard work, she became actively involved in the YCCC community, serving on the Student Senate and joining the newly formed Nursing Club. This month, Stanek is being honored as the York County Community College Student of the Year.

“Choosing YCCC to help me accomplish my goals was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” said Stanek, who hopes to work with cardiology patients after graduating in 2024. “I have gained knowledge, independence, confidence, and best of all, new friends through classmates and faculty.”

Students at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor are also taking advantage of new nursing program options launched as part of the expansion. They’re enrolled in the college’s new opportunity to study nursing in Millinocket, in partnership with the Katahdin Higher Education Center and clinicals at Millinocket Regional Hospital.

“Having the nursing program in this community opened up opportunities that would not have existed without it. I had looked into nursing programs with other schools but always felt discouraged. I’m a mom of three children and traveling to Bangor to get my degree would have been unobtainable,” said Emily, who graduated from the Millinocket program last year. “The program is an asset for this community, and I am forever grateful for the path it has placed me on.”

“Before this expansion, we were turning away hundreds of applicants because classes were full, despite a huge demand for nurses in Maine,” said David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System (MCCS). “We are so grateful for the state’s investment in nursing, and to our longtime, valued partners,

MaineHealth and Northern Light Health.”

Highlights of the expansion include:

CMCC: Adding 40 new nursing students annually on nights and weekends. Hiring eight new nursing faculty, simulation tech and simulation coordinator positions.

EMCC: Adding 12 new students at WCCC, up to 12 new students at Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, and another 24 new students in expanded summer start and evening programs. Hiring two fulltime faculty, two adjunct faculty, and simulation lab staff.

KVCC: Added 16 new students. Hiring additional faculty and a clinical coordinator.

NMCC: Added 16 new students. Hiring additional nursing faculty, a simulation operations specialist, and purchasing simulation laboratory equipment.

SMCC: Added 42 students in a new evening nursing program at the South Portland campus, and hiring six new nursing instructors. Doubling nursing capacity at the Midcoast Campus in Brunswick, with nursing cohorts starting every year instead of every other year.

WCCC: Building a new nursing program in partnership with EMCC. Hiring nursing instructors, and adding a new health occupational certificate program to prepare future nursing students to enter the new WCCC program.

YCCC: Launched new nursing program with 32 seats in fall 2022. Hired four fulltime faculty.