Local universities try new tactics to recruit and retain nursing students

BY CASEY BERNARD

With Maine facing a nursing shortage, local universities with nursing programs are implementing new approaches to recruit and educate the future nursing workforce. From starting recruiting efforts as young as middle school to focusing on mental health and wellness, local colleges know that creating the next generation of nurses will take much more than teaching the fundamentals of healthcare science.

Increasing enrollment is only part of the solution for providing Maine with more nurses. A national survey of nurses in 2024 showed more than one in four nurses planned to leave the profession or retire due to burnout and mental health challenges. Burnout was a challenge before 2020, but the stress of the COVID pandemic created an epidemic of healthcare professionals leaving the career at a much higher rate. Armed with this data, The University of Maine has redesigned the nursing program to focus on overall wellness for their nursing students in an effort to increase nurse retention.

“We’ve got to focus on the mental health and well being of nurses. The goal is to help students learn to manage stress and burnout before they graduate,” said Kelly Strout, Director of the School of Nursing. “We want to produce more resilient nursing students in order to create more resilient nurses.”

Students in the in-person program live together in dedicated dorms and receive additional support beyond academic training during the full time four-year undergraduate program. The program incorporates classes and offerings like yoga and meditation, in an effort to help students manage their own mental and physical wellness. Significant financial aid and additional support is available for minority and first-generation students to allow them to focus completely on their education. Retention rate for students who receive financial aid is as high as 93%, Strout said.

An additional piece of the nursing shortage puzzle is a lack of nursing educators, explained Strout. Without enough professionals to teach the next generation, universities can’t educate the future workforce at a rate necessary to keep up with demand. To combat this shortage, the program also offers an online MS in Nursing leadership program. As well, the school recently received a grant to help grow the Family Nurse Practitioner program that focuses on current issues they are most likely to see, such as substance abuse and obesity.

Recruiting future nurses starts early at Husson University. Outreach efforts have expanded to high school and middle school students who have expressed an interest in a career in healthcare. Each summer, Husson hosts a Health Professions Day Camp for high school students that provides a hands-on introduction to a range of career options within the field.

Husson University is also focused on preparing nursing students for the healthcare jobs of the future with cutting-edge technology like a new AI manikin, as well as encouraging interprofessional learning and development. Valerie C. Sauda, Chief Nurse Administrator and Undergraduate Director for Husson explained, “A nurse today requires diverse skills and knowledge including algebra, biology, chemistry, microbiology, pathophysiology, and psychology, as well as leadership, management, communication, patient teaching, care coordination, and care management.”

Flexibility is key at Beal University with an accelerated hybrid online and in-person program. With programs in both Bangor and Wilton, students complete the first four months of instruction online and can complete the RN Associates degree within 18 months. After completing foundational courses, students learn through hands-on instruction in year-round clinical rotations. From there, a student wishing to receive a bachelor’s degree can complete the remaining coursework online. With funding from the Maine Department of Education, Beal’s year-round nursing program allows students to finish the program faster.

While the student services office assists alumni with career changes if needed, “most of our students are hired right out of their clinical rotations,” said Joseph Amoral, Beal’s Program Director of Nursing.

As local universities continue to modify their approaches with the changing needs of the industry and state populations, Maine’s future nurses in the Bangor area have options for finding the right program to meet their needs for a successful career in modern healthcare.