The New Mexico Board of Nursing and the New Mexico Center for Nursing Excellence combined in 2010 to publish the House Memorial 50: Statewide Plan for Nursing Education. This report promotes the vision to create easy access to progressive nursing education in the state.
To create seamless, accessible, formal education for New Mexico RNs, the New Mexico Board calls, in the “Executive Summary” of the House Memorial 50, for a developed a plan to standardize nursing curriculum, allowing employed RNs with ADNs to easily enroll in RN to BSN programs that offer distance, online, and simulation education.
To support busy working RNs returning to obtain a BSN degree, the New Mexico Higher Education Department awards Nursing Education Enhancement Grants to RNs in the state. Along with this, New Mexico hospitals are working to support their RN employees financially. One such hospital, Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, offers their staff RNs tuition assistance to return to school, while staying on the job.
BSN-educated RNs are eligible for nursing education and management jobs, as well. Below is a short list of examples of jobs open to BSN-educated RNs in New Mexico as of February 2015:
- Clinical Educator – Lovelace Women’s Hospital, Albuquerque
- RN Care Manager – ABQ Health Partners – Albuquerque
- Hospice RN Manager of Clinical Practice – Genitive Health Services, Inc., Albuquerque
- Public Health Nurse – Sandia Resort and Casino, Albuquerque
Enrolling in RN to BSN Programs in New Mexico
RN to BSN programs are designed for RNs who hold associate degrees in nursing. The general New Mexico RN to BSN program admissions requirements are the following:
- Graduate from an Associate Degree Program in Nursing
- Have Current, Active, Unencumbered RN License
Different schools will have different GPA standards, requiring that program enrollees have maintained anywhere from a 2.0 to a 2.8 throughout their ADN program.
New Mexico is home to many New Mexico Board of Nursing-Approved Baccalaureate Nursing programs, including those located in the following cities:
- Albuquerque
- Las Cruces
What to Expect from of RN to BSN Programs
To make RN to BSN programs easily accessible to all RNs, most New Mexico RN to BSN programs offer 100% online courses. The programs are also created to add on to an RN’s ADN education, fulfilling the baccalaureate aspects of the nursing education, sometimes only taking a year or less to complete.
The programs will include two types of courses: general education courses, such as English, math, and statistics courses, and the following baccalaureate-level nursing courses:
- Professional Dynamics
- Family-Centered Health Promotion
- Health Assessment
- Concepts in Community and Public Health Applied Statistics for Health Care Professionals
- Introduction to Nursing Research
- Ethical Decision Making in Health Care
- Spirituality in Health Care
- Nursing Leadership and Management
- Pathophysiology and Nursing Management
- Trends and Issues in Today’s Health Care
- Professional Research Project
In order to accommodate RNs’ already busy schedules, clinical hours in some New Mexico programs are offered as virtual clinical experiences online. Other New Mexico programs allow RNs clinical hours that can be completed at hospitals or centers close to home, or even at their place of employment. Some local hospitals that offer clinical experiences include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Cibola General Hospital – Grants
- Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital – Tucumcari
A BSN degree is also foundational to Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs, which can lead to advanced practice licensing.
New Mexico Hospitals that Facilitate RN to BSN Programs
RN to BSN programs are fast and flexible ways for RNs to significantly increase their job satisfaction, earning potential, and career advancement opportunities. Because of this, New Mexico’s hospitals are offering employed RNs tuition assistance, and other educational opportunities, to return to school. Below is just a short summary of a few New Mexico hospitals offering this benefit.
Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center – Santa Fe
Christus St. Vincent is the only Level III Trauma Center in Northern New Mexico, working to steward their resources well, earn trust with employees and in the community, and respect patients and employees. To perform at top-notch levels, Christus offers employed RNs tuition assistance to return to school and advance their career.
Cibola General Hospital – Grants
Since 1959, Cibola has been working to provide exceptional healthcare to the Grand Community. In order to best serve their community and employees, Cibola offers tuition reimbursement for full-time employees who want to advance and develop their career, along with scholarship loan forgiveness.
Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital – Tucumcari
Serving New Mexico for over 100 years, Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital has become the largest healthcare provider in New Mexico, having over 9,000 dedicated, excellent employees. For career advancement, this memorial hospital offers a professional nursing career path, as well as educational assistance with annual tuition reimbursement for eligible employees.