PRESQUE ISLE — Northern Maine Community College and Houlton Regional Hospital are proud to announce a renewed partnership that will bring the college’s nursing program back to Houlton.
“NMCC is pleased to be able to provide the people of southern Aroostook with direct access to one of the strongest nursing programs in Maine,” said Timothy Crowley, NMCC president. “Our partnership with Houlton Regional Hospital will allow us to deliver instruction at HRH and have a full-time faculty member stationed at the hospital. We will also provide instruction at the hospital via technology.”
The NMCC nursing program has been taken to communities in the past, reaching out to students in Calais and the St. John Valley. This program delivery model will not only put the clinical experience at the hospital, but will also bring the lecture component of the nursing courses to the hospital.
“Combining this clinical aspect with NMCC courses that are available at the Houlton Higher Education Center, and online, will increase access to nursing education,” said Crowley.
“We are very excited about the renewal of our partnership with NMCC to allow Houlton area residents to pursue a two-year associate degree in nursing locally,” said Tom Moakler, president and CEO of Houlton Regional Hospital. “Sixty-five percent of our registered nurses are graduates of NMCC and our community has benefitted greatly from this program.
“The classes will now be held at Houlton Regional Hospital and this will make it easier and less costly for area residents to not only pursue their nursing degree, but also be able to work here at the hospital when they graduate,” Moakler said.
“This extended partnership corresponds with our goal to meet the needs of local employers,” said Dr. Dottie Martin, NMCC academic dean. “We are committed to providing greater access to higher education, and Houlton Regional has stepped up to assist us. This allows both organizations to ‘grow their own workforce,’ if you will.”
“We are grateful to Houlton Regional Hospital for continuing to partner with the NMCC nursing program to provide a space so conducive for the clinical component of this program,” said Crowley. “The College would like to thank Mr. Moakler for reaching out to us helping make the local delivery of this program possible.”
For more information, call 768-2700 or go to www.nmcc.edu.
