New Mexico ranked third nationally for nurses

In part to celebrate National Nurses Week, May 6-12, the personal-finance website WalletHub ranked the best and worst states in the country for nursing, and New Mexico finished third.

Trailing only the states of Washington and Oregon overall, New Mexico was rated third in opportunity and competition, 4^th for projected share of elderly population by 2030, 8^th for nurses per capita, 13^th for projected competition by 2026, 19^th for both monthly and annual average starting salary, adjusted for cost of living, and for share of best nursing homes, 22^nd overall in work environment, 23^rd for average number of work hours, 24^th for nursing job openings per capita and 27^th for healthcare facilities per capita.

“I’m not at all surprised to read that New Mexico ranks third in attractiveness for nurses when compared to other states,” said Mesilla Valley Hospice Compliance Manager Lennie Marie Brown of Las Cruces. “I returned to NMSU in my 40s to pursue a new career, and after reviewing my options, I was confident that becoming a registered nurse was the best choice.”