Nightingale Award

New Mexico Needs Nurses

New Mexico is experiencing a nursing shortage, and as an under-resourced state, the impact is felt deeply across our communities. To help address this need, NMCNE partners with the New Mexico Board of Nursing to provide stipends for nursing students. These stipends ease financial pressures and support students as they work toward completing their nursing education. By investing in their success, we’re building a stronger nursing workforce for the future of New Mexico.

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Advancing the Nursing Community.

Generously funded by the New Mexico Board of Nursing, the Nightingale Award supports the future of nursing with a $2,500 stipend. These stipends honor nursing students for their dedication to the profession, academic achievement, and commitment to community service.

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Application Requirements

  • Residency Requirement: Applicants must be residents of New Mexico or members of the Navajo Nation, serving NM residents.

  • Academic Achievement: Successfully complete at least one semester or 6-8 credit hours of nursing courses in your current program, approved by the New Mexico Board of Nursing.

  • GPA Requirement: Maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale and submit a current grade transcript with the application. Previous degree grades are not required.

  • Nightingale Application: Complete each section of the application and send directly to application@nmcne.org.

  • Letters of Recommendation: Provide two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from current nursing faculty or academic advisor. Letters must be in PDF format and sent directly to application@nmcne.org. All letters must be sent directly from the writer, not the applicant.

  • Personal Statement: Submit a 2-page personal statement in brief essay form identifying why the applicant chose the nursing profession or is continuing their nursing education and how the applicant will work, as a nurse, to reduce health disparities.

Download application

FAQs

  • The Nightingale Award is a $2,500 stipend awarded to nursing students at various degree levels in recognition of their dedication to the profession, academic achievement, and service to their communities. This is not tuition-based financial aid—recipients receive the funds directly as an unrestricted stipend.

  • Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited nursing program in New Mexico and actively pursuing their first nursing degree at that level (e.g., first associate, first bachelor's, first master's in nursing, etc.). Students pursuing a second degree at the same level are not eligible.

  • Yes. The stipend is unrestricted, which means recipients can use it for any personal or academic need—tuition, textbooks, transportation, childcare, or anything else that supports their success.

  • Yes, part-time students are eligible to apply as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements.

  • The application will open in August and close in September. All materials must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for review.

  • 2025 award recipients will be announced in early 2026. Stipend payments will be issued in spring 2026.