LEWISTON – A number of local students were honored recently for having completed baccalaureate degrees through the University of Southern Maine’s College of Nursing and Health Professions.

All of them pursued their studies on USM’s Lewiston-Auburn campus (USM/L-A). A total of 15 students from USM/L-A completed the baccalaureate nursing program in December.

The graduates are eligible to sit for the state board licensure exam, and three have already passed the exam. In addition to these students, two registered nurses earned their BS degrees through the RN to BS degree completion program, which is also available at USM/L-A.

The BS in nursing, which was extended to USM’s Lewiston-Auburn campus in the fall of 2000, is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing and the Maine Board of Nursing.

Students who enroll in the program based in Lewiston-Auburn are able to complete all academic requirements at USM/L-A and all clinical placements in the local area. The program is open to traditional first-year college students and to adult learners.

Some of the distinctive features of the program include local clinical sites, a community partnership-based curriculum and a coaching program that matches nursing students with local health care professionals.

The RN to BS option enables nurses who are graduates of diploma or associate degree programs to earn a bachelor’s degree. The program broadens the context in which nursing is studied and practiced and builds on the students’ foundations of professional experience and knowledge.

For more information on nursing programs at USM/L-A, call Lynn at 753-6624, e-mail lpoor@usm.maine.edu or visit www.usm.maine.edu/lac/nursing.

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