Nursing

School of Health, Wellness & Public Safety

CONTACT INFORMATION

Nursing Department: (505) 224-4111

cnm.edu/depts/hwps/progs/nursing/nurse/index.php

Special Requirements for Nursing Programs

Criminal Background: Students are required to undergo state and federal criminal background checks with fingerprints prior to starting their program or prior to beginning their clinical experiences. For more information on the background checks, please refer to the School of Health, Wellness & Public Safety description. Students with a disqualifying conviction will not be allowed to start or remain in the program; additionally any student found to have a disqualifying conviction will not be allowed to register for any Allied Health or Nursing programs.

Drug Screen: Students are required to undergo a routine drug screening prior to starting their program. Students with a positive drug screen will not be allowed to enter the program.

Physical Requirements: Students must be in good physical and psychological health. Completed physical examination and health forms with evidence of current immunizations (tetanus, rubella, rubeola and hepatitis B) and PPD screening must be completed before beginning clinical courses. Students must be able to safely perform program specific activities and lift a minimum of 50 pounds.

Before final admission into the nursing programs, applicants are responsible for providing medical and other documentation related to any disability. Reasonable accommodations are made for students with disabilities. However, some disabilities may prohibit students from completing program specific competencies or gaining employment. Students with disabilities that may interfere with completing program competencies are advised to contact the HWPS Office at (505) 224-4111 for more information.

Professional CPR: Students must have evidence of current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health professionals before beginning clinical courses; certification must be kept current throughout the program.

Students are required to have a New Mexico driver’s license and a social security number.

Associate of Science in Nursing

See Special Requirements of Nursing Programs

Program Description

Graduates of the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program meet the requirements set by the New Mexico State Board of Nursing to take the NCLEX-RN licensing examination. Specific terms of licensure can be obtained through the New Mexico Board of Nursing.

Nursing courses emphasize a holistic approach to client care utilizing the concepts of communication, critical thinking/nursing process, caring and competence. The curriculum for this program includes classroom, laboratory, and supervised clinical instruction which integrates the required arts and sciences courses with the nursing courses. The ASN program is accredited through the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). For more information on accreditation visit the NLNAC website at nlnac.org. The NLNAC can also be contacted at (800) 669-1656. x 153 or by mail to 61 Broadway-33rd Floor, New York, NY 10006.

Special Notes

Petitioning Process: Students must petition for acceptance into the nursing program. Petitions for entry into the program are accepted early in the spring, summer and fall terms. Applicants may contact the HWPS Office for the dates and times when petitions are accepted. To be eligible to petition a student must meet the following prerequisites: high school graduate or equivalent, a minimum score of 85 percent on the HWPS Basic Math test within 12 months prior to petitioning and a cumulative CNM GPA of 2.5 or higher, science courses (microbiology and anatomy and physiology) must be taken within five years from the date of petition to the nursing program. If the Anatomy and Physiology coursework is older than 5 years, Pathophysiology 1 and 2 (BIO 2710 /BIO 2711 ) will be accepted in lieu (taken within 5 years). All prerequisite coursework must be complete with a letter grade of “C” or better. Students will also be required to take a national nursing entrance exam and achieve a threshold score. (Should there be more petitioners than available spaces, the date of declaration of nursing as a major will be used for prioritization. In the event of a “tie” the date of completion of all required arts and sciences courses will be used as the final selection criterion.) Because of the high demand for this program, it may take more than eighteen months after petitioning to begin the nursing core coursework. The petition process is subject to change. Students who have not petitioned should plan to attend an information session to remain current on petitioning requirements. Information sessions cover the petitioning process, program requirements and career opportunities and are scheduled regularly. Dates and times for Program Information Sessions can be obtained by calling the School of Health, Wellness & Public Safety at (505) 224-4111.

After petitioning, requirements for entering clinical courses are:

• Demonstrated competence in Basic Patient Care skills. Students accomplish this by either successfully demonstrating the skills at a Competency Check-Off Session or completing the NA or NAHA courses at CNM. The skills competence must be current; meaning completed no more than 12 months before the student’s start date for Check-Offs OR 18 months for the NA or NAHA class.
  Specific details of these requirements will be mailed to students upon successful petitioning.
  Students are responsible for any transportation associated with the course. Students should also be aware that there may be afternoon, evening, and weekend clinical obligations scheduled.
  There is a program fee in the first term which is used to purchase the required uniforms, personal nursing tools, standardized testing, criminal background checks, drug screening, lab tests in the event of a needle stick or exposure to bodily fluids, and hospital parking permits. Each subsequent course has program fees for continued standardized testing and hospital parking permits.
  Students are responsible for the expenses of the physical examination, immunizations, fingerprinting, a watch with a second hand, pen light, uniform shoes, textbooks, licensing exam fees, and a graduation pin.

Career and Educational Opportunities

ASN Graduates find employment in hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health care and physicians’ offices. Nurses can attain specialty credentials through employment and specialty course offering. CNM nursing students are encouraged to continue their education toward a bachelor of science in nursing degree in order to pursue leadership positions in nursing and in the community.

Exit competencies (see Program Exit Competencies ) for this program of study are available at cnm.edu/exitcomp.

For the graduation policy refer to the Moving On  section, cnm.edu or the Students tab in my CNM.