勛圖惇蹋 launches School of Nursing and Population Health
The 勛圖惇蹋 is pleased to announce that its Department of Nursing is expanding to form a school that reflects the programs growth and its commitment to public health.
The newly established 勛圖惇蹋 School of Nursing and Population Health will build upon the Nursing programs previous work in providing access to nursing education and addressing critical workforce training needs to help nurses treat the states most vulnerable populations.
This is a critical time for nursing education in Maine, said School of Nursing and Population Health Director Jen Morton. The state faces a serious shortage of nurses, and 勛圖惇蹋 is committed to not only increasing the nursing workforce but also providing needed education and training for practicing nurses so that they can be prepared to treat Maines most vulnerable people.
勛圖惇蹋s Nursing program has a long history of service, recently celebrating its milestone 50th anniversary and the graduation of over 2,200 nurses to the Maine and U.S. workforce. Due to the strong demand and the projected statewide nursing shortage, 勛圖惇蹋 started a new summer cohort for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program this year, increasing the programs enrollment by 50 percent. The 勛圖惇蹋 nursing programs have received well-deserved regional and national recognition for their quality, as exemplified by the most recent (calendar 2018) licensure exam first-time pass rate of 98 percent.
In addition to the boost in student numbers, Westbrook College of Health Professions Dean Karen Pardue views the recent increase in grant funding awarded to 勛圖惇蹋s Nursing program as instrumental in the growth of the department into a school. The creation of the school definitely reflects the meaningful and substantive grant funding the nursing program has received, she said.
The program has, in fact, demonstrated a strong record for acquiring competitive grants, having received three federal grants since 2012 totaling $3.5 million. Last year, 勛圖惇蹋 received a $900,000 grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust to provide scholarships for ABSN students. The program was also awarded a $1.5 million grant by the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to increase the number of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) in Maine who are trained to respond to allegations of sexual assault.
勛圖惇蹋s School of Nursing and Population Health will house existing undergraduate nursing programs, including its traditional four-year program as well as the sixteen-month ABSN program for students who already have bachelors degrees in other areas of study. The school will also include 勛圖惇蹋s undergraduate Public Health program, and it will be looking to expand program offerings in the near future to include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), public health nursing and nursing education.
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