Nurse Practitioner Licensing Guide for the state of New Mexico
To ensure good clinical outcomes, the healthcare personnel are the most important aspect of healthcare delivery. Effective teamwork in the healthcare setting is now globally recognized as an essential tool for constructing a more effective and patient-centered health care delivery system. The empowerment of each team member will bring about increased confidence as well as more influence in the practice and health outcomes.
The New Mexico Board of Nursing (NMBON), is the chief licensing authority that is in charge of issuing licenses to registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice registered nurses. A registered Nurse (RN) in New Mexico has completed an approved registered nurse program and has passed the board licensure examinations. An advanced practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or advanced practice nurse (APN) is an RN who has been licensed to practice outside the scope of the level of the RN in New Mexico. They treat and diagnose illnesses, manage chronic disease, advise the public on health issues and engage in continuous education to enable them to remain ahead of any form of development in the field.
NMBON grants approval for qualified registered nurses to work as advanced practice registered nurses in three major roles which include
- Certified nurse practitioner (CNP)
- Certified nurse specialist (CNS)
- Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
Beyond these roles, an APRN in New Mexico can choose to specialize in any of these population foci such as family life, gerontology, pediatrics, neonatal, women’s health, mental health, etc. To be able to work as an APRN in New Mexico, you must hold a valid unencumbered New Mexico RN license. The New Mexico board of nursing ensures the safety of residents of New Mexico through effective regulation of nursing care and services.
It is important to note that New Mexico is part of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). The Nurse Licensure Compact aims at increasing access to healthcare by allowing registered nurses to offer virtual or physical care services to patients in member states without having to apply for a license in those states. You might want to click here to check out the full list of the compact states. Therefore if your license is a multi-state license and you are authorized to practice in any other of the states mentioned above. Listed below is the path to being licensed as an APRN in New Mexico which definitely includes getting your advanced education and national certification.