Advising Resources

The following list links to important & relevant information for advising and registration in this handbook.

• Sample Plans of Study

• Clinical Health Requirements & COVID Vaccination Requirements

• Uniform Policy for Labs and Clinical

• All About Clinical

  • How placement surveys & placements work

  • Student clinical paperwork & process obligations

  • Clinical letters

  • What to expect in clinical

• About Community Nursing Partnerships

• General Registration Advice & How-to Guides

  • Identify your advisor

  • Identify your enrollment date

  • Searching for classes

  • How to register

  • What to do about registration errors

In the first two years of the program, students are advised by a university advisor specializing in nursing, either Laurie Lentz or Jennifer Major.  Please use Laurie as the primary contact for any advising questions related to students in this population.  laurie.lenz@maine.edu 

Students are assigned a faculty advisor during the semester they take NUR 300. Lindsay Larsen coordinates assignments in collaboration with the Nursing Professional Advisor and the Undergraduate Coordinator.

We strive to keep advisor caseloads balanced across faculty. However, there are specific exceptions:

• Leslie Larsen advises all accelerated students.

All other undergraduate nursing students are assigned to faculty within the undergraduate teaching team.

In some cases, a faculty member or student may request a specific advising assignment through the Undergraduate Coordinator (Netty Provost), particularly when a mentoring relationship has already been established, and both parties wish to continue it formally.

Meeting Expectations

All students should meet with their faculty advisor at least once per semester, ideally in the 2nd month of the semester.

When to Schedule Advising

• Fall Semester -  schedule with advisees in  October (or late September)

• Spring Semester - schedule in February.

Scheduling Tips

• Some faculty post a sign-up sheet outside their office.

• Others use Google Calendar Appointment Schedules, a helpful but underused feature.

  • Want to learn how? Contact Netty Provost for a quick tutorial or visit this guide:
    Google Calendar Appointment Scheduling
    
    

What to Cover During Advising Meetings

• Check-in: How is the semester going? Any wins or challenges to discuss?

  • As needed connect to support resources.

• Course Planning: Make sure they know to look at the Registration Guide when it comes out (late September or early February)

• Remind them about the need to apply for graduation when relevant.

• Future Planning:

  • Career and/or Graduate School Goals

  • If graduation is within a year, remind them about:

    • Discuss grad school or career goals.  Help them understand what new nurse residency programs are if they are closer to graduation.

    • Career Hub and résumé support resources
      
      

Documentation

• Always enter an Advising Note in MaineStreet.

• Summarize your meeting, especially action steps (e.g., planning for summer courses or elective credits).

• Do not include detailed personal, medical, or mental health information. Use general language such as: “Student discussed challenges this semester; we reviewed support options.”

• Be sure to respect the student’s preferred name and pronouns in your notes.

1. Access the Student's Record:

   • Look up the student in your Advisor Center.

   • Navigate to the student’s Classic MaineStreet Student Center.

2. Open the Degree Progress Report:

   • On the right side of the page, click on “Degree Progress Report.”

   • The page may take a minute or two to load. Do not click multiple times—just give it time.

3. Review Core Curriculum Requirements:

   • Once the report loads, click the green triangle next to “Core Curriculum Requirements” to expand the section.

4. What to Look For:

   • If you see the message “Core waived – previous degree,” you’re all set. The student is not required to take any additional Core courses.

   • If that message does not appear:

     • Scroll through the Core requirements.

     • Look specifically for “Cultural Interpretation,” “Reading, Writing, and Inquiry II,” and “Creative Expression.”

       • 1. • If any are marked “Not Satisfied,” the student will need to plan to take courses to fulfill those requirements—they are not automatically met by the nursing curriculum.

            • Some students may not have “Reading, Writing, and Inquiry II” listed. That’s okay—it means they are following an older catalog where this is not required.

     • If you see “Reading, Writing, and Inquiry III,” it will be satisfied by NUR 321 in the major.

5. Other Core Requirements:

   • • Any other items marked “Not Satisfied”—such as EISCR, Diversity, International, or Capstone—will be fulfilled through courses the student takes within the nursing program. No additional non-nursing courses are required to meet these.