Case Study: New Mexico Board of Nursing

Introduction

The New Mexico Board of Nursing (NMBON) is a state agency that manages the licensure process for New Mexico’s nurses and nursing providers. Their mission and purpose is to protect the citizens of New Mexico through effective regulation of nursing care and services.

The board oversees 10 professions, including Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, and Certified Nurse Practitioners, among others. With 27 full-time associates, including seven dedicated to the licensing side who work predominantly with CE Broker, the board handles a significant workload. 

The Board needed a more efficient way to track and manage continuing education (CE) compliance and selected CE Broker as their partner of choice.

Challenge

Before implementing CE Broker, the NMBON faced challenges with a manual and time-consuming process for both the board and the professionals. Licensees were required to assemble and send over their information and the board had to determine if all the necessary documentation for compliance was provided. This system created a heavy administrative burden, leading to inefficiencies, strained resources, and delays in the licensing process.

The Solution

In 2019, the NMBON implemented CE Broker to streamline their entire license renewal workflow. CE Broker integrates education providers, nurses, and board staff into a unified system where nursing professionals can easily find and complete approved courses. These course completions  are then directly reported by the education providers, eliminating the need for additional steps by the licensee. For a board, this process increases efficiency and reduces potentially inaccurate or fraudulent documentation, making it easier to verify compliance. Dawn Gerencer, MBA, BSN, RN, CNOR, CASC, the Director of Operations/Chief Financial Officer at NMBON is a key user of CE Broker and finds tremendous value in the platform. 

The Board Suite’s user-friendly interface and the detailed view feature are particularly valued:

“The Board Suite is very easy to use and straightforward. It’s so user friendly—all of the information is right at your fingertips. One of my favorite features is the Detail View. This allows me to see a breakdown of reported course hours and determine if the courses were reported more than once or attributed to the wrong subject area. This helps me manage my licensee population efficiently and intuitively.” 

Dawn also appreciates the dedicated support she receives as a CE Broker customer. “The support is dynamite. I can call my Customer Success Manager day or night, even on weekends, and she’s so responsive. I always get answers in short order.”

The Results

Since adopting CE Broker, the NMBON has seen significant improvements in their operations. The tool has made it easier for renewal applicants to stay compliant by clearly displaying‌ requirements that haven’t been completed. Dawn highlights the positive impact:

“It’s easy for renewal applicants to stay compliant, because they can log into CE Broker and see their requirements that haven’t been completed very clearly. The dashboard is very handy for them to assess whether they have completed their requirements or not. I would recommend CE Broker to other ORBS users because it has further streamlined the license management process for us and personalizes CE compliance for licensees.”

Applicants also benefit from the flexibility to report their continuing education (CE) at home, at any time, without being restricted to a specific window:

“Applicants are able to do all of their CE at home on their time. They aren’t stuck waiting until their renewal period, which for us opens 60 days before expiration. It allows them to upload or complete CEUs all year long.”

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About the New Mexico Board of Nursing

The New Mexico Board of Nursing is a state agency whose purpose is to protect the citizens of New Mexico by licensing nurses and lactation care providers; certifying hemodialysis technicians and medication aides; regulating education programs for licensees and certificate holders; regulating practice; taking complaints; and disciplining licensees and certificate holders who violate the law and rules.

About CE Broker by Propelus

As part of Propelus, CE Broker is modernizing how professionals, their employers, regulators, and associations work better together. For over 20 years, CE Broker has propelled the progress of millions of dedicated professionals along their career journeys through its full-life cycle continuing education management solution. Leveraging innovative technology, essential data, and unparalleled strategic partnerships, CE Broker powers critical compliance programs for a happier workforce, better operations, and safer communities.

Learn more about CE Broker powered by Propelus at Propelus.com