Boucher named Educator of the Year

 PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – A Northern Maine Community College nursing and allied health instructor has been selected by his peers across the state as “Educator of the Year.”
    Daryl Boucher of Presque Isle was presented with the prestigious award by the Maine Council of Associate Degree Nursing Programs, which is comprised of several colleges and health care facilities across the state that award associate degrees in nursing.
“Daryl brings creativity, enthusiasm, strong written and oral communication skills, a sense of humor, and sensitivity for both students and peers,” wrote Betty Kent-Conant, chair of NMCC’s nursing and allied health department in her letter of nomination to the Council. “I believe he is an extremely positive role model for students at all levels. He is a high achiever and seeks to provide educational leadership in both nursing and emergency medical services.”
Boucher is the first faculty member teaching in northern Maine to be honored as Educator of the Year by the statewide organization since the award was established in 1994. He has served as a full-time faculty member at NMCC since January 1998. In addition to serving as a nursing instructor, Boucher heads up the college’s emergency medical services program.
Prior to his appointment, Boucher served as clinical coordinator at The Aroostook Medical Center in the emergency/out-patient department. He continues to work with TAMC as an ER nurse and paramedic for Crown Ambulance on occasion.
“His strong background, both as a registered nurse and as a paramedic, allowed him to have a broad spectrum of knowledge and expertise for emergency nursing. His teaching at the paramedic level also gave him additional experience in teaching adult learners. His strong clinical skills, coupled with his teaching experiences and serving as a preceptor for nursing students, have helped to make him an extremely valued addition to our nursing department,” wrote Kent-Conant.
Boucher earned a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Maine at Fort Kent and a master of science in nursing from St. Joseph’s College in Windham.
At NMCC, he has served as chair of the College strategic planning committee, assessment committee, and of the nursing department’s program evaluation committee. In addition to teaching students on the Presque Isle campus, Boucher also teaches courses using distance education technology to students at sites in Washington County and Houlton.
He has served as an integral player in the advancement of the associate degree level of EMS education at NMCC. Recently, he revised the original curriculum for EMS to correlate and meet requirements for the national EMS curriculum.
In 2006, Boucher was instrumental in bringing a course in pediatric and neonatal care transport to NMCC. It marked the first time such a course was offered in Aroostook County.
Boucher has been the recipient of the State of Maine EMS Excellence Award and was presented the President’s Award at NMCC commencement exercises in May 2006 by NMCC President Timothy Crowley, who also presented Boucher with the Maine Council of Associate Degree Nursing Programs Educator of the Year award recently.
Boucher and his wife, Stacy, reside in Presque Isle with their two daughters, Hilary and Hana.