During 2023 and 2024, the nursing program at Northern Maine Community College had no summer break. Instead, it ran a third semester to advance students on an accelerated track toward an associate degree and the exam to license registered nurses.

It’s not a typical offering for the school. But workforce forecasts showed a need for nurses, and the Presque Isle institution responded.

“We just ran straight through so it’s able to graduate more nurses,” NMCC nursing program director Andrew Gagnon said.

The program’s modification speaks to a truth: Aroostook County, like nearly every other part of Maine, is suffering from a significant nursing shortage. But it also hints at a solution.

Data shows that The County has more new nurses than any other region in the state, despite being one of th

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