New Mexico · verified 2026-07-29
Nursing home administrator license requirements in New Mexico.
How do I become a licensed nursing home administrator in New Mexico?
To become a licensed nursing home administrator in New Mexico, you need a bachelor's degree, an Administrator-in-Training program of 1,000 hours, and the national NAB CORE of Knowledge and Nursing Home Administrator exams (no separate jurisdiction-specific exam). The initial fee is about $400, and licenses renew with 24 continuing-education hours on a annual cycle.
The detail
Every requirement, sourced and dated
- Board
- New Mexico Board of Nursing Home Administrators (Regulation and Licensing Department) Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Education floor
- A bachelor's degree A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, in a course of study approved by the board, is required (16.13.3 NMAC). Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Administrator-in-Training hours
- 1,000 hours
- 1,000 hours: A minimum of 1,000 hours of on-site, supervised administrator-in-training experience under a NAB-certified preceptor (a licensed nursing home administrator with at least three years of experience), with monthly written preceptor evaluations, is required unless the applicant already holds NAB Health Services Executive (HSE) certification, which satisfies the requirement directly.
- National NAB exams
- Required (CORE of Knowledge + Nursing Home Administrator) New Mexico requires passage of the NAB national licensing examination; an applicant already holding NAB Health Services Executive (HSE) certification does not need to take it separately. Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Separate state exam
- Not required New Mexico requires only the national NAB examination; 16.13.3 NMAC does not reference a separate New Mexico-specific state law exam. Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Initial license fee
- $400 Total of a $200 application fee plus a $200 licensure fee. All fees are non-refundable; examination fees are paid directly to NAB (16.13.2 NMAC). Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Renewal fee
- $200 $200 annual renewal fee (16.13.2 NMAC). Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Continuing education
- 24 hours per annual cycle 24 contact (60-minute) hours of board-approved continuing education accrued within the 12 months immediately preceding the license's expiration month; up to 6 contact hours accrued beyond the requirement may carry forward to the next renewal period (16.13.13 NMAC). Board source · checked 2026-07-29
- Reciprocity / endorsement
- endorsement available New Mexico issues an expedited license, conferring the same rights as a regular license, within 30 days of a complete application to an applicant currently licensed in good standing in any state or territory not on the board's list of disapproved jurisdictions, with no disqualifying criminal history and no pending New Mexico disciplinary action (16.13.5 NMAC). Board source · checked 2026-07-29
Statutes and rules: Nursing Home Administrators Act, NMSA 1978 Sections 61-13-1 through 61-13-17; Title 16, Chapter 13 NMAC. Figures change on the board's own schedule. Confirm against the board before you apply or pay.
Next step
Make it personal
- Get your checklist. The requirements wizard resolves New Mexico's requirements for your exact degree.
- Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns New Mexico's hour target into a finish date.
- Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads New Mexico's endorsement rule.