Since the inception of UNM’s- BSN satellite program in Taos that began in January 2007, community health care providers and future students were excited about the program and disheartened when the announcement came that the funding was no longer in place to continue. The last class will graduate in the summer of 2009. Thanks to the vision and hard work of Jim Gilroy, Dean of Instruction, UNM-Taos was awarded a New Mexico HED grant to initiate an Associate Degree in Nursing program at UNM-Taos. This program is projected for the fall of 2009, pending approval of the New Mexico Board of Nursing. Holy Cross Hospital (HCH) will collaborate with UNM-Taos on the program implementation and provide state of the art training in their 48 bed facility. The program will be 2 years in length after completion of the pre-requisites. All course work and clinical training will be available in Taos. UNM-Taos will utilize a nursing educational facility located at the UNM-Taos Med Center location (across the street from HCH) which contains a classroom, lab and office space for the program. This new and exciting program will admit 16 students with applications taken in the late spring of 2009. Successful graduates will be awarded an Associate of Science in Nursing degree and be eligible to take the RN exam for licensure. Each year HCH provides $200,000 in scholarships for high school students entering the nursing profession as a career. Mountain Home Health Care and Hospice provides $5,000 per year for any student interested in working at Mountain Home Health Care upon graduation. The Intent of the proposed UNM-Taos ADN-RN program is to prepare, educate and support successful nursing professionals in a multicultural rural setting in Northern New Mexico. Due to the severe nursing shortage in the area, new graduates will have opportunities to fill vacancies at HCH, community clinics, physician offices, home health care facilities and the Taos Living Center. The mission of the UNM-Taos ADN-RN program is to develop health care professionals to be clinically competent and culturally sensitive in delivering care to clients in a rural setting. The vision for the new UNM-Taos ADN-RN program is that it will be recognized for excellence in educating responsible, competent, highly qualified, knowledgeable, skills oriented and caring Registered Nurses in Northern New Mexico. Expected ADN-RN program educational outcomes of the UNM-Taos ADN-RN program would include: Utilize critical thinking and the nursing process in decision making to provide safe, quality and comprehensive nursing care for rural clients and their families. Communicates therapeutically with multiple rural clients and their families in the provision of their care. Integrates the teaching-learning process in the delivery of care to multiple rural clients and their families to meet their needs for health maintenance, promotion and /or restoration. Now, UNM-Taos and HCH are prepared and can provide an innovative, sustainable, high quality ADN-RN Program which will serve the needs of the community. This could be one of the most important programs offered in Northern New Mexico. For further information on admission requirements, pre-requisites or questions call: Kathy Falkenhagen MSN, RN Director of Nursing ADN-RN Program UNM-Taos 575-741-1367
Thursday, December 25, 2008
New Nursing Program at UNM-Taos
Since the inception of UNM’s- BSN satellite program in Taos that began in January 2007, community health care providers and future students were excited about the program and disheartened when the announcement came that the funding was no longer in place to continue. The last class will graduate in the summer of 2009. Thanks to the vision and hard work of Jim Gilroy, Dean of Instruction, UNM-Taos was awarded a New Mexico HED grant to initiate an Associate Degree in Nursing program at UNM-Taos. This program is projected for the fall of 2009, pending approval of the New Mexico Board of Nursing. Holy Cross Hospital (HCH) will collaborate with UNM-Taos on the program implementation and provide state of the art training in their 48 bed facility. The program will be 2 years in length after completion of the pre-requisites. All course work and clinical training will be available in Taos. UNM-Taos will utilize a nursing educational facility located at the UNM-Taos Med Center location (across the street from HCH) which contains a classroom, lab and office space for the program. This new and exciting program will admit 16 students with applications taken in the late spring of 2009. Successful graduates will be awarded an Associate of Science in Nursing degree and be eligible to take the RN exam for licensure. Each year HCH provides $200,000 in scholarships for high school students entering the nursing profession as a career. Mountain Home Health Care and Hospice provides $5,000 per year for any student interested in working at Mountain Home Health Care upon graduation. The Intent of the proposed UNM-Taos ADN-RN program is to prepare, educate and support successful nursing professionals in a multicultural rural setting in Northern New Mexico. Due to the severe nursing shortage in the area, new graduates will have opportunities to fill vacancies at HCH, community clinics, physician offices, home health care facilities and the Taos Living Center. The mission of the UNM-Taos ADN-RN program is to develop health care professionals to be clinically competent and culturally sensitive in delivering care to clients in a rural setting. The vision for the new UNM-Taos ADN-RN program is that it will be recognized for excellence in educating responsible, competent, highly qualified, knowledgeable, skills oriented and caring Registered Nurses in Northern New Mexico. Expected ADN-RN program educational outcomes of the UNM-Taos ADN-RN program would include: Utilize critical thinking and the nursing process in decision making to provide safe, quality and comprehensive nursing care for rural clients and their families. Communicates therapeutically with multiple rural clients and their families in the provision of their care. Integrates the teaching-learning process in the delivery of care to multiple rural clients and their families to meet their needs for health maintenance, promotion and /or restoration. Now, UNM-Taos and HCH are prepared and can provide an innovative, sustainable, high quality ADN-RN Program which will serve the needs of the community. This could be one of the most important programs offered in Northern New Mexico. For further information on admission requirements, pre-requisites or questions call: Kathy Falkenhagen MSN, RN Director of Nursing ADN-RN Program UNM-Taos 575-741-1367
