UMA currently has a three to five-year waitlist for the Associate of Science in Nursing program. We are no longer adding to the waitlist for the program and are moving to a competitive direct admission process once the existing waitlist has been depleted. This move will allow qualified students to enter the nursing program more quickly on a competitive basis. For admission to the nursing program under the new process, students will need to have strong grades in the science courses, competitive recommendations, strong writing skills and a competitive cumulative GPA. We will continue to update this website in reference to the acceptance of Nursing applications. To get started, you may choose to enroll in our Liberal Studies - Pre-Nursing program and work on completing general education and prerequisite courses. Current requirements are listed on the program checksheet. Please note that completion of the prerequisite requirements is not a guarantee for admission into the nursing program, but will be necessary for application consideration.
UMA takes great pride in its Nursing Program, which has graduated more than 1,600 RNs over the past 35 years. In virtually every health care facility in central Maine and even around the state, you’ll find UMA-educated nurses filling critically important roles in the delivery of care to patients. A constant in our 35-year tradition of expertly preparing nursing students is a superb faculty who combine nursing experience and teaching excellence. Like the care they show to patients in the health care setting, our faculty display the same care in the classroom, providing each and every nursing student with the attention and understanding they need to succeed.
Along with its outstanding faculty, UMA boasts a new Nursing Center with expanded classrooms and labs equipped with state of the art equipment. This excellent nurse education center provides an ideal setting for learning, while our relationship with Maine General Hospital and numerous other healthcare facilities provides our students with invaluable hands-on clinical experience.
Our ASN nursing majors graduate well prepared to take the N-CLEX-RN examination for licensure as a registered nurse. Once licensed, they can often choose from among a wide array of rewarding and well compensated options.
RN- BSN Completion Program
UMA’s nursing curriculum’s additional courses in the physical sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities also prepare our students who may be interested in pursuing a baccalaureate degree. Recently, UMA has introduced its own Bachelor’s Completion program. Designed for RNs with an Associate’s Degree, the program is perfect for nurses who are looking to expand their career opportunities, earn a better salary, explore management positions, experience self-care and healing modalities, focus on leadership development and change processes, prepare for graduate school, improve patient care, and experience nursing as a caring art and science.
UMA’s Bachelor’s Completion program or RN to BSN is an option created for licensed Registered Nurses to expand their knowledge in both the humanities and the physical sciences. The RN- BSN program is offered via a hybrid format with minimal on campus requirements to accomodate working nurses' schedules. With an emphasis on holistic modalities, integral appraoches, leaderships skills, and self-care and healing, the RN- BSN program prepares nurses to create change in the workplace.
The RN-BS in Nurisng program has received candidacy status for accreditation with the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) http://www.nlnac.org/About%20NLNAC/candidacy.htm. The University of Maine at Augusta is fully supporting this effort. The site visit for full accreditation is expected to be planned for the fall of 2013.
SKILLS YOU'LL ACQUIRE
UMA’s Nursing program produces caring, competent, knowledgeable professionals who provide an invaluable service to their communities. Clinical, critical thinking and writing skills, along with an understanding of various systems (health care, biological, family, and sociological) are just some of the skills that our nursing students acquire. Additional skills and abilities they possess are listed below.
| Communication | Human Development |
|---|---|
| Facilitating the nurse-patient relationship Teaching Advocating Counseling & interviewing Public speaking Active listening Assessing individual needs |
Managing patients throughout lifespan Understanding basic human needs Clarifying values Working with families Sensitivity to diversity Working as a team player |
| Technical | Critical Thinking |
| Critical observations Understanding medical terminology Psychomotor skill development Physical stamina Accuracy with details Planning and organizing |
Utilizing the nursing process Working under pressure Setting priorities Applying theory to clinical practice Implementing and evaluating plans Making decisions Identifying ethical dilemmas |
Careers You Can Seek
The selected list below indicates a range of career possibilities. For some occupations listed below, a Bachelor’s degree or graduate level of study may be required.
| Health Care (Traditional Settings) | Health Care (Non-Traditional Settings) |
|---|---|
| Staff Nurse (all areas of care) Clinical Coordinator Supervisor* Charge Nurse Advanced Practitioner* Nurse Practioner, CNS, Midwife* Home Health Care Nurse Office Nurse Infection Control Nurse Enterostomal Therapist* School Nurse Public Health Nurse |
Case Manager Biofeedback Therapist* Flight Nurse Day Care Nurse Health Care/Nursing Research* Camp Nurse Parish Nurse Forensic Nurse |
| Education | |
| Nurse Educator Staff Development School Health Coordinator Patient Education Coordinator |
*Baccalaureate or Graduate level study is generally required for these occupations.
