Practical Nursing

At Northern Maine Community College, we’ve elevated hands-on learning with our cutting-edge Nursing Simulation Center, designed to immerse students in a realistic, hospital-like environment. Our state-of-the-art facility features three advanced simulation rooms equipped with interactive mannequins, including the globally rare Pediatric Hal, and dedicated control rooms for instructors to oversee and record scenarios.

Students benefit from real-time feedback and skill refinement in two debriefing classrooms, which offer both live observation and recorded playback of simulations. The center also includes a comprehensive nursing skills lab, a medical assisting lab, and essential areas such as a waiting room and patient registration zone.

Our lobby showcases widescreen monitors and educational displays, highlighting our commitment to excellence in allied health education. Experience hands-on training that bridges theory and practice, all within a safe, risk-free environment.

• 9-month program
• Develop necessary knowledge/skills to provide nursing care throughout a patient’s lifetime
• Hands-on learning opportunities in healthcare facilities, campus Nursing lab and state-of-the-art simulation center
• Career pathway to Associate Degree Nursing program with potential for LPN advanced standing at NMCC (1-year minimum experience working as a LPN)
• Less debt with many students leaving NMCC debt free!

Once becoming an LPN, practical nurses can continue to pursue their Associate Degree in Nursing, to become a registered nurse. Once becoming an RN, they have the option to pursue a Bachelor’s in nursing, which would allow them to obtain management-level roles, or a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner, a teacher, or a department leader.

• Hospitals
• Physician offices
• Long-term care facilities
• Home healthcare services
• Traveling nurse

• 9% increase in employment opportunities through 2029 (65,700 new jobs)
• 2020 Median pay:
  • $48,820 per year
  • $23.47 per hour

*Data pulled from US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021