The University of New Mexico is starting a new accelerated program to address the state’s nursing shortage.
The Interim Dean of the UNM College of Nursing said the program will produce nurses in just 16 months and hopefully attract more students. According to the College of Nursing, the state is short more than 6,500 nurses.
“All health care workers were the heroes during the pandemic, and I think it may have changed the minds of some people about just how much of an impact they can have as a nurse,” Carolyn Montoya, Interim Dean of the UNM College of Nursing, told KRQE.
The new program called the “Accelerated Second Degree” would allow students who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field to apply to the nursing program. Applicants will need a minimum of 59 credits depending on a prerequisite evaluation and can take anywhere from 19 to 22 credits per semester. Applications will be accepted beginning December 15. About 24 students will start the program in the fall of 2023.
The new program is already getting support on campus. “There is a big need here in New Mexico for nurses,” UNM Psychiatry Resident Hugo Gomez told KRQE. “During the pandemic we faced, the challenges were the travel nurses. We were in a big shortage here.”