New Mexico LPN School

By Susan Maphis, allied health world contributing writer
Published:  January 26th, 2010

Education Required for Licensed Practical Nurses in New Mexico

Licensed practical nurses help care for the sick, disabled, convalescent, or injured in hospitals, long term care facilities, clinics, home health agencies, private homes, school systems, and more. Usually LPNs work under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN). In the state of New Mexico, LPNs make an average salary of $50,000, well above the median national annual salary for LPNs across the United States (which was about $40,000 in 2008).

In order to become an LPN in New Mexico, it is recommended that you complete a minimum of a one  year long program online or through New Mexico LPN schools. The New Mexico State Board of Nursing approves programs. These include the typical LPN training programs at community colleges and vocational/technical institutes, associate degree nursing programs, and bachelor's level nursing programs. Most of these schools are brick-and-mortar as opposed to online, because of both the classroom and clinical components required in practical nursing programs.

Statistics from the New Mexico State Board of Nursing show that graduates of Practical Nursing courses in the state of New Mexico have a high pass rate on the first try of taking the NCLEX-PN examination. In the year 2007, 97.6% of all graduates of New Mexico training programs passed the NCLEX-PN on the first try. In 2008, 95.4% of graduates of training programs in the state of New Mexico passed the certification examination on the first attempt.

Through campus based and online programs, aspiring Licensed Practical Nurses in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho and Roswell, New Mexico may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the St. Vincent Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital and Memorial Medical Center.

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