The MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) Nursing Education and Professional Development (NEPD) team plays a critical role in strengthening the nursing workforce by advancing evidence-based education, onboarding, and professional growth across the organization.
Through redesigned new hire onboarding and specialty orientation, expanded nurse residency programming, enhanced preceptor development, and increased use of simulation and innovative learning strategies, NEPD supports nurses at every stage of practice—improving readiness, confidence and retention.
Education initiatives contribute to safer care environments by reducing staff injury risk and strengthening workplace violence prevention efforts. Ongoing investments in certification, competency validation, and academic progression reinforce a culture of lifelong learning and clinical excellence.
Together, these efforts reflect NEPD’s commitment to fostering nurse engagement, advancing quality and safety, and ensuring nurses are well prepared to meet the evolving needs of patients, families, and communities.
Advancing nursing education and professional growth
We offer a wide range of innovative learning programs. From new hire onboarding to leadership training, MHMMC nursing professionals are supported by high-quality education, mentorship and resources.
As an ANCC Accredited Provider of Continuing Nursing Education, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) Portland is dedicated to the provision of continuing education designed to address professional practice gaps and associated learning needs and to build upon the knowledge and professional progression of nurses and other members of the health care team.
In support of our organizational mission and goals, we partner with administrative leadership, professional nursing colleagues and other disciplines to promote best practices, quality care and outcomes and professional advancement through well-grounded and credible educational activities.
We promote both individual and collective professional development of nurses through educational guidance, coaching, and promotion of study through a variety of centralized and decentralized educational strategies. The educational activities developed have modeled cooperation and partnerships with other departments, disciplines and organizations and serve to promote the development and advancement of professional nursing and other professionals.
Through creative educational methodologies, we consider the diversity of potential learners, the dynamics of the health care environment, and the ever-changing needs of patients and families. Approaches include, but are not limited to:
- Live clinical setting activities
- Self-study modules
- Repeating educational series within practice specialties or in support of role based development
- Full day conferences with local and national experts serving as faculty
Evaluation of the quality and outcomes of activities are a key component of the educational process to determine impact and provide direction for future initiatives.
Average annual hours of live education alone have reached over 2,600 learners. With our recent Joint Accredited Provider designation we look forward to expanding our capacity for education within all disciplines and specialties.
The MaineHealth Nurse Residency program is designed for newly licensed nurses with less than one year of experience. Our curriculum offers a dynamic, multimodal learning experience assisted by a nationally-recognized residency learning platform. Learn more >
MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) Portland is committed to supporting our nurses in their pursuit of professional certifications in their clinical specialty. We award a cash bonus for any first time certification in any MHMMC Portland-approved professional specialty certification.
Traditionally, individuals are responsible for the cost of application for the examination and once certification is achieved, the certification bonus is paid. Recertification costs are covered by tuition reimbursement. To defray RN upfront application costs, we have partnered with select nursing certification programs to offer promotional incentives including:
- No pre-testing payment
- Facilitated exam scheduling
- Upon failure, the opportunity for an exam retake within 90 days without additional fees
Upon successful achievement, MHMMC Portland pays RNs the certification bonus less the cost of the exam. The following contracts are managed by CCPD:
- AMSN’s FAIL SAFE Program
- Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and the “NO PASS NO PAY” Program
- American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) “Success Pays”
As added support, CCPD may offer certification preparation programs with national faculty for continuing education credit depending on projected numbers of staff planning to sit for those specialty exams.
MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) Portland Department of Nursing is committed to supporting employees who want to enter the field of nursing and continue on to achieve future goals for professional practice. We offer guidance on all levels of academic progression from undergraduate to post graduate degree programs including RN to BSN, BSN to Masters Advance Practice, PhD and Doctoral degrees.
In addition to the development and oversight of traditional academic affiliate partnerships, we negotiate special agreements and incentives for MHMMC Portland employees such as tuition reduction, deferred payment, credits for prior courses, degrees, practice experiences, diversity in educational methods and free introductory courses. Once enrolled and matriculated in a program, MHMMC Portland provides annual tuition assistance. Generous scholarships are also available to qualified learners.
For example, MHMMC Portland and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (SJC) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018 to support the expansion of, and enhanced competence of, Maine’s new graduates in the nursing workforce. Through this partnership, we provide a new undergraduate BSN nursing academic opportunity with a cohort of MHMMC Portland employees as students over and above SJC annual enrollment. This partnership incorporates:
- A consolidated curriculum collapsed to three years, with potential for enhanced progression through classroom requisites
- SJC provision of formal classroom experiences at SJC or at MHMMC Portland
- MHMMC Portland provision of all clinical faculty and the oversight of the clinical curriculum
- Increased student hours in clinical practice with the addition of specialty tracks for more intensive experiences in selected clinical settings
- The student’s ability to maintain their current position with opportunity to reduce work hours yet maintain full time benefits
- Shared responsibility for student selection where students must meet SJC admission requirements and MHMMC Portland clinical site requirements
- Ability to transfer non-nursing credits taken at a regionally accredited program
- Markedly reduced tuition and deferred payment plans
- Commitment by the employee to accept employment at MHMMC Portland for three years
This is an exciting venture with impressive outcomes for MHMMC Portland, SJC, and our employees who aspire to become highly proficient new graduates practicing at MHMMC Portland.
MHMMC Portland enjoys a long history as a principal clinical site of choice for year round nursing academic placements and holds Academic Affiliate Standard Agreements with more than 50 nursing programs throughout Maine, New England and the United States.
MHMMC Portland's nursing leadership is well represented on the Advisory Councils of our primary local affiliates and serve as strong practice partners for nursing workforce development and the creation and support of new strategies for clinical practice experiences.
MHMMC Portland nursing academic affiliates:
Programs with clinical placements of undergraduate student groups with faculty, senior practicums and graduate level placements:
- Saint Joseph's College of Maine
- Southern Maine Community College (Undergrads and seniors only)
- Eastern Maine Community College (Undergrads and seniors only)
- University of New England
- University of Southern Maine
Programs with senior practicum and/or graduate placements:
- University of Maine- Augusta, Fort Kent, and Orono sites
- Husson College
- Boston College
- Drexel University
- Endicott College
- Granite State University
- Grand Canyon University
- Maine College of Health Professions
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- MGH Institute of Health Professions
- Northeastern University
- Saint Anselm’s College
- Southern New Hampshire University
- University of Connecticut
- University of New Hampshire
In addition, we have partnerships with over 30 online post-graduate degree programs across the country in response to individual student requests for MHMMC Portland as the clinical site for their final practicums.
MHMMC Portland supports more than 1,600 undergraduate clinical placements annually from affiliates on a trimester basis with requests increasing each year. Senior practicum placements approximate 225 students per year for an average of 200 hours of practice per student with one-on-one MHMMC Portland RN preceptor oversight.
Graduate degree student practicums requiring MHMMC Portland Master's prepared and/or Advanced Practice RN preceptors are provided for students from Maine, New England and beyond and include student experiences for Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Clinical Nurse Leader programs and students in other post-graduate specialties.
Our partnerships have allowed MHMMC Portland to attract and recruit stellar graduates to begin their practices or career advancement here at MHMMC Portland. In addition, MHMMC Portland serves as a rich resource of clinical faculty for our academic partners. The opportunities for MHMMC Portland nurses to become faculty and/or clinical preceptors has played a role in retaining our experts and promoting their continued development and satisfaction.
Our annual summer student nurse extern program (SNEP) is highly competitive and successful. Designed for nursing students entering their final year of nursing school, SNEP offers the opportunity for first-hand experience in the role of the professional nurse. SNEP augments their clinical experiences during a paid work program under the guidance of RN clinical preceptors.
The nursing student is hired in a CNA role and assumes care for a patient assignment within the CNA scope of practice. An RN preceptor is assigned to work closely with the student to help the student gain more confidence in practice. This 320-hour summer experience enhances the student’s organizational skills and promotes the development of professional communication, selected psychomotor skills, clinical reasoning, and acclimation to the complexity of the health care environment.
The SNEP program has demonstrated achievement in providing career growth opportunities for our internal staff (CNAs entering their last academic year) as well as engaging external students in opportunities at MHMMC Portland prior to their last year that ultimately lead to career choices following graduation. Many progress on to their senior year with practicums at MHMMCP and are often employed as new graduates.