The University of Maine established the nursing program in 1939, creating the first baccalaureate program for nurses in Maine. Preparing nurses for the increasingly diverse and global health care system, where change is rapid and constant, is a challenge embraced by the School of Nursing. The program provides a foundation for lifelong intellectual and professional development. Nursing courses begin in the second semester and focus on health promotion and disease prevention through the lifespan, preparing students to provide evidence-based, safe, effective nursing care in a variety of settings. 

Students gain hands on experience in the Learning Resource Center (LRC), which includes modern hospital equipment and life-like manikins and patient simulators that foster students’ skills and confidence in the provision of safe, effective patient care prior to their direct-care experiences in clinical agencies. Students also gain extensive clinical experiences in acute-care and long-term care facilities including Eastern Maine Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, Acadia Hospital as well as other hospitals, skilled and long-term care facilities, and home care agencies around the state. Upon completion of the nursing program, graduates are qualified to take the Registered Nurse licensing exam (NCLEX-RN). The baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing.