What's the deal with CNM/UNM Nursing Program?

Nursing Students School Programs

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Has anyone gone through the CNM/UNM dual nursing degree program in New Mexico? Or either nursing program individually?

I have heard great things about CNM's associates degree in nursing. But, I'm confused about why registering for the nursing classes is so difficult. I've seen on several online forums that classes fill up in seconds. Why is this? Do they admit more nursing students than the program can actually handle? Will this also be the case if I get into the 30 person cohort for the CNM/UNM dual degree?

I have not heard such great things about UNM's nursing program. Their NCLEX scores are not so great. And apparently their program is very text based and not so hands on. This worries me a bit. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

My options for becoming a nurse are limited as I am a career changer who already has a bachelors and masters degrees, with two young kids, so going somewhere out of state (or even out of ABQ) is not realistic.

Any advice is appreciated!

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I live here in Albuquerque and I went to CNM for my Associates Degree in Nursing. Nursing is my second career and I also have a Masters but in Healthcare Administration.

You are correct about UNM being more "book" oriented and I also had heard that their NCLEX average is lower than CNM. In fact, I would suggest pursuing CNM's program because they have more "hands on" knowledge and you will learn a lot from them.

I have heard the the number of students has increased in the past few years at CNM. I think they now take 80 students all together within the first year. It is only 20 more people then when I went to nursing school. There is more of a demand now for nursing school and getting in can be a long wait. I think it is because they want to weed out those who might not be able to get through the program. How they know at this stage, beats me. Finally, I think they don't have enough teachers to teach everyone and that might be why the number of students has increased.

That is just my thoughts on the subject.

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