7 Best LPN Programs in New Mexico – (Online & Campus-Based)


Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

If you have a high school diploma, you’re prepared to enroll in one of the LPN programs in New Mexico. The LPN curriculum generally takes one year or less to complete; once you’ve graduated, you’ll be prepared for a job where you’ll earn $59,400 a year. The jobs are out there, too! In fact, employment opportunities for LPNs in the Land of Enchantment will rise by more than 10 percent in just one decade. As an LPN, you’ll provide the type of hands-on care for patients that they’ll remember as one of the most positive parts of their experience with the healthcare system. Review this list of the 7 best LPN programs in New Mexico for more information.



WHAT ARE THE BEST LPN PROGRAMS IN NEW MEXICO (ONLINE AND CAMPUS)?

Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 7 best nursing schools for LPN programs in New Mexico.


1. NMSU-Dona Ana Community College - Las Cruces


Program Details: NMSU-Doña Ana Community College’s 57-credit licensed practical nursing program in New Mexico comprises its associate nursing degree curriculum’s first year of classes. Nursing theory classes are paired with clinical experiences in course sequences like “Foundations of Nursing Skills and Assessment”/“Foundations of Nursing Skills and Assessment Lab” and “Adult Health”/”Adult Health Clinical Lab.” Full-time students can complete the curriculum in two semesters, while part-time can complete it in four. The program starts in the summer and is taught at the college’s campuses in Espina and Sunland Park Center. Classes take place Mondays through Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

NMSU-Doña Ana Community College has a sophisticated nursing simulation lab equipped with human patient manikins, medical equipment, hospital beds, and task trainers, where you will be introduced to the hands-on skills you’ll use throughout your nursing career. You’ll participate in clinical rotations anytime between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at long-term care facilities, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities throughout Las Cruces and El Paso, Texas.


Why Choose This Program

• Want to keep climbing the nursing ladder? NMSU-Doña Ana Community College has an advanced placement RN-to-ADN Bridge program!
• NMSU-Doña Ana Community College’s NCLEX-PN pass rate is 94 percent.


2. Clovis Community College – Clovis


Program Details: Like many LPN programs in New Mexico, Clovis Community College’s 31-credit LPN pathway consists of the first two semesters of its four-semester associate nursing degree track. You’ll take courses like “Health & Illness Concepts,” “Assessment & Health Promotion,” and “Pathophysiology.” The program accepts new cohorts each spring and fall. You’ll need to submit separate applications to the college and the nursing program and complete 17 prerequisite credits before being considered for admission.

Clovis Community College’s Sisler Allied Health Center has a nursing simulation lab equipped with programmable mannikins in lifelike hospital settings. In this lab, you will master the basic hands-on skills needed to succeed as an LPN. You will also participate in clinical rotations at clinics, extended care centers, and other medical facilities throughout Clovis and other eastern New Mexico communities.


Why Choose This Program

• Clovis Community College’s Adult Education Department also offers a 20-month vocational nursing program.
• Students who enroll in this program may be eligible for a New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship that will cover up to 100 percent of tuition.


3. Career Enrichment Center & Early College Academy - Albuquerque


Program Details: The Career Enrichment Center’s licensed practical nursing track is an LPN program in New Mexico designed for high school students. Only residents of Bernalillo County enrolled in the Albuquerque public school system can apply to this program, which accepts between 50 and 60 students each year. The five-semester program includes 1,300 hours of nursing theory and 500 clinical hours.

Courses like “Principles of Nursing Science and Anatomy and Physiology,” “Assessment and Health Promotion Across the Lifespan,” and “Medical Surgical Nursing Care Across the Lifespan” combine a concept-based curriculum with skills labs and clinical simulations. Classes meet approximately three hours a day, five days a week. You’ll start clinical experiences during the second semester of your junior year at skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and other healthcare providers throughout Greater Metropolitan Albuquerque.


Why Choose This Program

• The Career Enrichment Center’s 10-year pass rate for students taking the NCLEX-PN exam for the first time tops 90 percent.
• The U.S. Department of Education has designated Albuquerque’s Career Enrichment Center & Early College Academy a National Blue Ribbon School.


4. Pima Medical Institute - Albuquerque


Program Details: Pima Medical Institute, the largest, independently-owned health science school in the U.S., offers a licensed practical nursing program in New Mexico at its facility in Albuquerque. Pima admits cohorts of 24 students three times a year. Applicants must be high school graduates or the equivalent and score 70 percent or higher on the HESI exam and a minimum of 20 on the Wonderlic exam to be considered for acceptance.

The 48-week-long program is divided into six sequences, each consisting of 656 classroom hours and 405 clinical and lab hours. The curriculum includes classes like “Human Development Across the Life Span,” “Elder Care and Nursing Theory,” and “Adult Medical and Surgical Community Health Nursing Theory.” You’ll also take a four-part “Clinical Foundations of Nursing” lab with regular skills testing, which you’ll have to pass to continue in the program. In addition to clinical skills labs, the Institute also has sophisticated simulation laboratories. You’ll spend 12 to 24 hours a week participating in clinical rotations at long-term and acute-care medical facilities throughout Albuquerque.


Why Choose This Program

• This licensed practical nursing program meets LPN licensing requirements in New Mexico and Colorado.
• IV-related skills are integrated into your coursework, and when you graduate, you’ll receive a Document of Completion equivalent to IV certification.


5. Northern New Mexico College - Espanola


Program Details: Like several other licensed practical nursing programs in New Mexico, Northern New Mexico College’s LPN pathway is the first three semesters of its ADN program. Students who want to earn a Practical Nurse Certificate will also have to take a special course that examines the unique role of the practical nurse in contemporary healthcare systems. Other course requirements in the 52-credit LPN curriculum include “Nursing Fundamentals,” “Medical Surgical Nursing,” and “Psychiatric/ Mental Health Nursing.” Most nursing theory classes are paired with a clinical lab counterpart; thus, you’ll take “Pediatric Nursing” and “Pediatric Nursing Clinical” in the same semester.

You’ll become adept at hands-on nursing skills in Northern New Mexico College’s state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab, a sophisticated facility equipped with programmable manikins and hospital fixtures. Once you’ve mastered these skills, you’ll take part in clinical rotations at Presbyterian Española Hospital and other long-term care facilities and hospitals throughout Española and nearby communities in Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Counties.


Why Choose This Program

• Want to keep education costs down? Northern New Mexico College is the most affordable of all the public universities and colleges in the Land of Enchantment.
• Is licensed practical nursing just a stop on your way to becoming a registered nurse? Northern New Mexico College’s nursing career ladder allows LPNs to become RNs by enrolling in the second year of the college’s traditional ADN program; it also permits RNs to attain their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree by enrolling in the college’s online RN-to-BSN pathway.


6. New Mexico Junior College - Hobbs


Program Details: New Mexico Junior College’s nursing program uses the statewide Common Nursing Curriculum, so you’ll earn your LPN diploma here by completing the first three semesters of the junior college’s traditional ADN program and then taking an online course that focuses on professional issues in LPN nursing. The college admits new students each August for the fall semester. If you’re considering applying to this program, you must complete all prerequisites and take a special ATI test associated with the LPN option.

Core nursing course requirements for the 37-credit LPN pathway include “Concepts of Nursing I & II,” “Nursing Skills and Assessment I & II,” and “Leadership and Management in Nursing.” You’ll learn basic bedside skills by performing laboratory exercises in the college’s cutting-edge simulation lab, and you’ll be tested on these skills; if you don’t pass the test within three tries, you may not be allowed to continue with the program. Clinical experiences and practicums will be scheduled at nursing homes, extended care facilities, and clinics in Hobbs and other communities throughout Lea County.


Why Choose This Program

• Graduates of this LPN program in New Mexico may be eligible for tuition assistance under the terms of New Mexico’s Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act.
• Want to continue your nursing education? Apply to the second year of New Mexico Junior College’s nursing program to complete your ADN.


7. Santa Fe Community College - Santa Fe


Program Details: Santa Fe Community College offers two LPN pathways: You can enroll in a 34-credit stand-alone LPN program, or you can complete the first 29 credits (three semesters) of the college’s traditional ADN program. With a curriculum that includes courses like “Introduction to Practical Nursing Concepts,” “LPN Health and Illness Concepts I & II,” and an LPN capstone, the stand-alone LPN program may be better customized to a licensed practical nurse’s specific needs, but if your educational goal is an LPN certificate, you’re required to apply to both SFCC LPN pathways. The traditional program includes classes like “Principles of Nursing Practice,” “Health and Illness Concepts I & II,” and “Care of Patients With Chronic Conditions.”

What makes Santa Fe Community College one of the best LPN programs in New Mexico is the sophistication of its medical simulation lab. This 4,000-square-foot facility is so cutting-edge that licensed RNs and physicians from all around Santa Fe County use its equipment and programmable manikins to brush up on their skills. You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in supervised practicums and other clinical experiences at St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and other long-term care facilities and hospitals throughout the Greater Metropolitan Santa Fe Area.


Why Choose This Program

• Want to advance your nursing career? Santa Fe Community College will allow LPNs to transfer credits into its traditional ADN program if they graduated from a school associated with the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium.
• Students pursuing this LPN program in New Mexico may be eligible to have their tuition subsidized by a New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship.


VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY



Frequently Asked Questions Answered By Our Expert


1. Who Accredits LPN Programs In New Mexico?




2. What Is The Starting Salary For New Graduates Of These Programs In New Mexico?


Hourly$17.58
Weekly$703
Monthly$3,050
Annual$36,570
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


3. What Is The Average Salary For LPN Nurses In New Mexico?


Hourly$26.99
Weekly$1,079
Monthly$4,680
Annual$56,130
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


4. Average LPN Salary In New Mexico VS. Average LPN Salary In The Nation: Who Earns More?


Average New Mexico
LPN Annual Salary
Average National
LPN Annual Salary
Difference
Number%
$56,130$60,790-$4,660-7.67%
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


5. What Is The Metro-Wise Average LPN Salary In New Mexico?


MetroHourlyWeeklyMonthlyAnnual
Albuquerque$25.41$1,017$4,410$52,860
Farmington$31.23$1,249$5,410$64,950
Las Cruces$28.98$1,159$5,020$60,280
Santa Fe$32.01$1,281$5,550$66,590
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


6. What Is The Job Outlook For LPN Graduates In New Mexico?


OccupationEmploymentNew Employment
Growth (2020-2030)
20202030Number%
LPN1,9302,130+200+10.36%
(Source: Careeronestop.org)


7. How Many Job Openings Are There For Graduates Of These Programs In New Mexico?


OccupationNewReplacementAnnual Job Openings
(New + Replacement)
LPN20150170
(Source: Careeronestop.org)


Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.




Nearby States




Other New Mexico Nursing Pages