Maine is facing a nursing shortage, and a new forecast predicts that the state will be down more than 3,000 nurses by 2025.
Most nurses in Maine are over the age of 45, which means there’s an impending employment cliff, according to three nurses groups in the state. Add in an aging population that will place a greater demand on services, and Maine needs to boost the number of newly licensed nurses by 20 percent each year to sustain quality care.
The Maine Nursing Forecaster suggests that the solution is to increase capacity for in-state nursing education and recruit out-of-state nurses.
At a press conference in the state house Tuesday, Republican state Sen. Amy Volk said she has proposed legislation that would make it easier to recruit nurses licensed in other states.
Meanwhile, the University of Maine at Fort Kent plans to make bachelor of science in nursing degrees available to students in Presque Isle this fall.
The announcements come on the heels of St. Joseph’s College’s plan to expand its nursing program, thanks to a $1.5 million grant.
Correction: The University of Maine at Fort Kent, not the University of Maine, will make nursing degrees available to Presque Isle students.
