Caitlynn Barney, FNP, was born and raised on the Navajo Nation in Mexican Springs, just outside Gallup. Today, she is a family nurse practitioner at the Gallup Community Health clinic and a preceptor for the same UNM College of Nursing program she once came through as a student.
"I always knew that I wanted to come back and help," Barney said.
As the UNM College of Nursing marks National Nurse Practitioner Week, Nov. 8–14, it is recognizing the preceptors its programs depend on. Preceptors are practicing clinicians who mentor students during clinical rotations, and nurse practitioner students can't complete their programs without them.
New Mexico had 2,285 certified nurse practitioners actively practicing in 2025, according to the latest New Mexico Health Care Workforce Report. Still, 27 of the state's 33 counties fall below the national benchmark for nurse practitioners, per population. McKinley County is one of them.
Barney started her career with a nursing degree from UNM-Gallup, then worked as a bedside nurse on a medical-surgical unit. Many of the patients being discharged didn't have a primary care provider at all.
"I wanted to bridge the gap in that aspect," she said.
Over time, she felt confident in her nursing role and found herself wanting to do more. In New Mexico, nurse practitioners can practice independently, so she went back to school.
She earned her master's degree at the UNM College of Nursing while raising two daughters, commuting to the Albuquerque campus for classes and staying in an Airbnb during clinical rotations. After graduating, she worked as a travel nurse before looking for a nurse practitioner job closer to home.
I always knew I wanted to come back and help.
– Caitlynn Barney, FNP, Preceptor and Alumna, UNM College of Nursing
She found her way to Gallup Community Health almost by accident, she said, running into the clinic's behavioral health director at a grocery store while she was job hunting. Not long after, she got a call from the clinic's founder.
"I really think it was meant to be," Barney said.
Gallup Community Health serves everyone in McKinley County, not only patients eligible for Indian Health Service care.
Barney joined the clinic in 2023 and precepts UNM family nurse practitioner students there. She also serves as a clinical instructor for UNM-Gallup, taking nursing students to the hospital for clinical experience.
She remembers being on the other side of it: nervous, feeling like she didn't know anything or scared to talk to patients. She credits UNM's placement process for pairing students with preceptors who are a good fit.
For the students she precepts, her advice is to stay open to new opportunities and ask questions.
“It’s OK to be wrong, it’s OK to make mistakes, because that’s the best time to do it,” she said. “Really learning everything is not possible, because even I’m still learning.”
She’s also teaching her students what it means for patients when a provider stays in their community.
“I like seeing patients be happy about their care,” Barney said. "It's really nice to tell them I have no plans of leaving, I'm still here. Continuing that continuity of care, and having someone that they can trust and come to, who is close to home, it's really important."
Nurse practitioner employment in New Mexico is expected to grow 48.8% by 2033, more than four times the statewide average for all occupations, according to the New Mexico Health Care Workforce Report. Meeting that demand will depend on nurse practitioners like Barney who make room in their clinics for students.
The UNM College of Nursing is currently recruiting preceptors to help educate the next generation of nurses. Learn more about how to apply.
