To:
Mr. Demetrius Chapman, New Mexico Board of Nursing Interim Executive
Director/Associate Director of Operations
From: Theresa A. López, Associate Degree Nursing Program Director
Northern New Mexico College
921 Paseo de Oñate
Española, NM 87532
June 10, 2015
Dear Mr. Chapman,
Attached please find a substantive curriculum change request from the Northern New
Mexico College (NNMC) Associate Degree Nursing Program (ADN) for your review as well
as review by the members of the Nursing Education Advisory Committee (NEAC).
A summary of the proposed changes are as follows:
a. adoption of all the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium (NMNEC) prerequisite courses
b. addition of a new course--NURS 244 (Pathophysiology)
c. all medical surgical courses (NURS 125/L, NURS 225/L, NURS 235/L) have
dropped one credit hour in didactic and added one credit hour in clinical and or
laboratory instruction
d. two pharmacology courses (NURS 106 & NURS 107) have been combined into one
course (NURS 106) with a drop in one credit hour of instruction
e. dosage calculation (NURS 104) has been dropped and the content rolled into NURS
113L (Fundamentals of Nursing Practice) and NURS 106 (Pharmacology)
f. NURS 116/L (Intro to Maternal/Child Nursing Care) has been dropped and the
content rolled into NURS 217/L (Maternal-Infant Nursing Care) and 218/L (Nursing
Care of Children)
g. the LPN step-out option occurs after the third semester rather than second
semester allowing for coverage of maternal child content in two courses (NURS
217/L & NURS 218/L) rather than three (NURS 116/L, NURS 217/L & NURS 218/L)
h. NURS 214/L (Behavioral Health Nursing) has been moved into second semester to
allow for easier transition into the LPN step-out option
Below please find the four salient reasons for the initiation of this NNMC ADN program
curricular change request. They are as follows:
a. The need for creation of a more cohesive NNMC associate degree nursing
curriculum that reflects established professional standards, guidelines, and
competencies with student learning outcomes and program outcomes
consistent with contemporary practice. NNMC faculty members have worked
with nursing education curriculum consultants for close to a year to make these
changes within the framework of the current ADN curriculum.
b. The need to align with Accreditation Commission for Nursing Education (ACEN)
standards and criteria with the goal being an initial accreditation site visit in fall
2016-2017.
c. Directive from the NNMC Provost, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, for all
NNMC associate degree program curriculums to be consistent with 60 credit
hours for program completion.
d. Closer alignment with the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium (NMNEC)
curriculum with anticipated implementation in 2018.
In light of this curricular change request it is important to note that NNMC ADN faculty still
maintain the 2018 goal of NMNEC curriculum implementation. In no way does this current
curricular change request represent a lack of support for the NMNEC initiative. However, it
is the collective belief of the faculty that it would be perilous to implement such a major
change as the NMNEC concept-based curriculum at this time when so much is on the line
regarding the 2018 accreditation mandate. Hence, the decision to maintain the current
amended curricular framework in lieu of complete adoption of the NMNEC curriculum at
this time.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Respectfully,
Theresa A. López MSN, RNC, CNE
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