Maine Medical Center

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Hi Maine RNs!

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what they like/dislike about working for MMC.

Is it new-grad friendly? Their website says they have an internship program for new grads interested in critical care/ED/OR, but I don't see any additional info.

I imagine Maine is much like the rest of New England in that new grad jobs are tight, but I thought I would ask (can't hurt right?). Thanks a lot!:)

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I do not work at MMC, so I can't speculate as to how new grad friendly they are. I do know that MMC is the largest hospital in Maine, and many years the nurses rally up in hopes of pushing a union through. Also Maine Health, who owns MMC is under some significant budget issues and I wouldn't be surprised if they are not hiring for many positions. It appears to me like Maine Health has sprawled all over the state and bit off a little more than they can chew. Maine hospitals are having financial struggles because the state is years behind on Mainecare aka medicaid payments. I'm hoping by the time I get out of school the situation will have improved a little.

On the more positive side, Maine has one of the oldest populations in the country which gives more opportunity for RN employment, so long as you like geriatrics. Also the average age of an R.N. is 47 nation wide, but it is 49 here in Maine so we are probably not far off from a shortage much like there was in the 90's, because many nurses will be finishing their careers in the next 5-10 years. I really don't know about things in other states, but it is to my understanding that Maine has a shortage of Nursing educators. With so few instructors clinical spaces are pretty limited and programs can't admit as many students... which of course leads to the tremendous competitive nature of Maine nursing programs. A close family friend of mine is a charge nurse in the ED at MMC, next time I talk with her I'll ask her if she knows anything about the internship for new grads. What school did you go through nursing with?

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Thank you so much Dragonfly! I will be graduating this summer from UMass Boston (BSN program). My husband is from Maine, so it would be great to go back home for him.

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anytime! Ah yes, we true Mainers rarely prefer to reside elsewhere permanently! After all, Maine is the way life should be! Congrats on your rapidly approaching graduation! I'm graduating from USM this spring with a B.S. in Health Sciences and Minor in Holistic Health and then I'm headed to Great Bay Community College for Nursing in the fall! Busy, busy but I'm very excited! My Mom has worked at Mercy in Portland for a looong time. Are you guys thinking about relocating to the Portland area? if so remember you could settle somewhere between Portland and Portsmouth, NH and try to find work in Portsmouth. There is also a small hospital in York. I live in Saco and it is a great little city! A close friend of mine worked there for a while and really enjoyed it. I have yet to speak with my MMC ED info source, but when I do I'll let you know.

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