Recognition of a nurse who takes a leadership role in community organization and has made significant professional or voluntary contributions that have improved the profession or patient care in New Mexico.

The Excellence in Practice Awards are offered in the following categories:

Advanced Practice - Masters prepared nurse in an advanced practice setting; clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, nurse psychotherapist, CRNA

Ambulatory Nursing - Clinic, office and other ambulatory care settings, employee health, FQHC, occupational health, industrial health, infection control 

Behavioral Health - Behavioral health and substance misuse services 

Case/Quality Management/Managed Care/Informatics/Infection Prevention - Community or hospital case manager, quality management, risk management, infection prevention, patient safety, utilization management, and informatics

Critical Care - Adult ICU/CCU, cath lab, special procedures 

Emergency - Emergency department, flight, ambulance, pre-hospital, urgent care, telephone triage 

Home Health & Hospice - Home health care settings, hospice, in-patient hospice 

Long-Term Care/Rehabilitation - Nursing home, gerontology, services for disabilities, rehabilitative services, subacute/transitional unit

Maternity/Women’s Health - Obstetrics/nursery, gynecology, women's health

Medical/Surgical - Acute or chronic medical and surgical nursing specialties 

Pediatrics - Inclusive of school nurse, pediatrics, NICU, PICU, Peds ED, early childhood/early intervention services

Perioperative - Preoperative, post anesthesia recovery, day surgery, operating room

Public Health/Community - Public health, forensic, transplant coordinator, tele-health, parish and corrections/prison nursing

The Leadership in Nursing Awards are offered in the following categories:

Emerging Nurse Leader - Inclusive of those in new leadership roles within the past 18 months:  charge nurses, assistant nurse managers, supervisors. First-line nurse leaders are those professionals who are responsible for overseeing first-level nursing services. 

Nursing Leadership - Inclusive of clinical nurse managers, coordinators, directors; these middle management nurse leaders are often responsible for overseeing several units, departments, or service lines within an organization.

Nurse Executive Leadership - Inclusive of Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Deans, executive vice presidents of nursing, or equivalent.  These professionals are responsible for leadership at the executive table; designing strategic, operational delivery systems and directing patient care services/education throughout an organization.

Recognition of a nurse who practices in small communities and rural health systems (county population of 100,000 or less per US Census Bureau 2020 census estimates (counties other than Bernalillo, Dona Ana, Sandoval, San Juan or Santa Fe), where access to care and resources provide unique challenges. Practice may be in rural hospitals, public health, or ambulatory care settings.

Academic faculty, continuing education, staff development; focus on non-clinical/clinical settings, research.

A nurse who, over the past 15 years, has been an exemplar through innovative leadership, fostering involvement in the nursing profession, or forming and engaging partnerships within the community.

Exemplifies outstanding and caring leadership and professionalism as a beginning practitioner in the first 18 months as a Registered Nurse.

Nominated by a patient, patient family member, or another community member. This nominee demonstrates the heart of nursing through their positive impact on an individual, family and/or community.