In high school, Nate Pineau was drawn to helping professions and after graduating he began a career in criminal justice.

After several years handing out speeding tickets and responding to domestic assaults, however, he realized law enforcement was not for him. After going back to school, he taught special education for several years, including at The Redway School in England, and also worked in crisis management. But while he enjoyed both professions, there were limited opportunities for advancement.

Friends encouraged him to consider a career in nursing and it seemed like a good fit. He liked the team-oriented environment in hospitals and he also liked the many career opportunities available to nurses.

“Nursing has always been on my mind. With crisis response, I worked a lot with nurses in hospitals and I loved the fast-paced atmosphere,” said Pineau.

With a bachelor’s degree already under his belt, the Central Maine Community College two-year nursing program at the LincolnHealth Education Center in Damariscotta also seemed like a good fit to Pineau.

Today, as a first-year student, Pineau appreciates the hands-on approach to learning skills and the way students bond in small classes.

Perhaps most of all, however, Pineau likes the way his future looks after graduation.

Traditionally viewed as a career for women, nursing is increasingly attracting men drawn to a helping profession that comes with relatively high wages and job stability. When Pineau and his classmates graduate, they will enter a field that offers a wide variety of career paths including informatics, emergency care, intensive care, advanced care, administration and many specialty areas.

The first collaboration of its kind in Maine, the CMCC/LincolnHealth nursing program has graduated six classes of nurses since 2008, using a mix of on-site instructors, hands-on experience in clinical settings and distance learning technology.

The CMCC program is also the least expensive nursing program in Maine and each of the graduates from the Damariscotta program over the past six years has passed their nursing licensure exam.

Cathy Cole, Regional Director of Educational Services for Lincoln County Healthcare and Pen Bay Medical Center, said the nursing school helps local people, often non-traditional students with families and roots in Midcoast Maine, access an affordable degree program close to home.

Students range in age from their early 20s to mid-50s. Many are non-traditional students who are going to school for the first time or are returning to college to change careers. Many also have families.

LincolnHealth and CMCC offer several scholarships to nursing school students. The deadline for completing the entire admissions process (including taking the HESI exam) is February 28. For more information about the CMCC Nursing Program, please call 207-755-5273.