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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR King
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/25/08
HB 253
SHORT TITLE Santa Fe Community College Nursing Program
SB
ANALYST Haug
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$200.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates To
HB 185, HB 66, SB 77 and SB 104
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Higher Education Department (HED)
Department of Health (DOH)
New Mexico Health Policy Commission (HPC)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 253 appropriates $200.0 from the general fund to the Higher Education Department
to expand the accelerated nursing program at Santa Fe Community College.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $200.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any
unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of any fiscal year shall not revert to
the general fund.
The HED states that a request in the amount of $38,500 was submitted by SFCC to NMHED and
was included in the department’s funding recommendation for FY09 in the amount of $38,500.
The HED’s evaluation table of FY09 Research and Public Service Projects provided to the LFC
classifies this project as a “breach" of the Higher Education Formula. Reasons for this
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House Bill 253 – Page
2
classification decision are not provided. (LFC Report 07-20, Higher Education Department
Review of Selected Research and Public Service Projects, January 12, 2008, Table 4, p75.)
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The Santa Fe Community College submitted a proposal in 1984 to the State Board of Nursing for
an Associate Degree in Nursing Program. The intent of the program is to provide high quality
nursing education at a state-funded community college. Full approval to begin nursing courses
was granted in 1986. Santa Fe Community College continues to receive yearly approval.
Accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) is
optional for nursing programs. SFCC Department of Nursing Education (DNE) began seeking
NLNAC accreditation status in the fall of 1989. Full NLN Accreditation was granted in June
1990.
The DNE prepares nursing students to succeed in becoming professional Registered Nurses. The
DNE strives to serve the health care community and the people of New Mexico through its
commitment to excellent nursing education and CARING nursing practice. The CARING
practice is built upon a philosophy that includes the attributes of Compassion, Competence,
Conscience, Commitment, Confidence, Comportment, and Creativity. The CARING processes
include the Nursing Process, Critical Thinking, Evidence-Based Practice, Therapeutic
Communication, and Teaching/Learning.
Graduates of the SFCC DNE receive an Associate in Applied Science Degree (AAS) in Nursing,
and are eligible to become licensed as Registered Nurses (RN). Students are prepared to provide
safe, comprehensive, collaborative and complex nursing in a variety of clinical settings. They are
encouraged to continue their personal life-long learning and can receive advisement and
prerequisite course work at SFCC that is transferable to advance their nursing education.
Funds appropriated in response to HB253 will be used for a technical lab support, which will
involve the hiring of an on-site individual who can ensure that labs stay up and running. Further,
funds will allow SFCC DNE to hire additional nursing faculty, which is required in order to
expand the total number of students in the cohort. Lastly, funds will used for additional
equipment such as computerized study aids that help students prepare for their exams.
The DOH notes that HB253 is based on the recommendations of 2 reports: 1) response to Senate
Joint Memorial 37 (SJM37) of the 2005 Legislature, which requested a study of the impact of
nurse staffing and retention issues on workforce development; and, 2) response to House
Memorial (HM) 17 of the 2007 Legislature, which requested recommendations to increase nurse
recruitment and retention in New Mexico hospitals. The federal Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA) predict New Mexico will not be able to fill 57% of its nursing
requirements by 2020.
According to the HPC, the SFCC accelerated nursing program, scheduled to begin Summer
2008, is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in another field, who wish to earn an
associate’s degree in nursing. then apply for licensure in 15 months. This program allows for
students with a non-nursing baccalaureate degree to receive credit for past academic work, and to
focus education so that an associate’s degree in nursing and then application for licensure can be
obtained through a 15 month program. SFCC will be the only Northern New Mexico community
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House Bill 253 – Page
3
college to offer nursing classes during summer semesters, which will alleviate the competition
with students at other northern colleges nursing programs, completing clinical practicum’s at St.
Vincent’s Hospital. SFCC accelerated nursing program is similar to the University of New
Mexico’s Nursing Programs, Second Degree Option and New Mexico State University’s Nursing
Programs, Roadrunner Program.
RELATIONSHIP
House Bill 253 is related to House Bill 185, House Bill 66, Senate Bill 104 and Senate Bill 77
which would appropriate additional nursing funding for UNM, NMSU, NMSU-Carlsbad and
WNMU.
GH/nt