Alexandra (Lexie) Hurlbert
Lexie Hurlbert is new to both New Mexico and the nursing profession, and her story is truly inspiring. While many newly graduated RNs leave the state in search of bigger opportunities, Lexie was drawn to New Mexico by its unique practice environment and mission of service. Arriving from her home in New Hampshire in the fall of 2024, she was inspired by the chance to serve rural and underserved communities and by the state’s full practice authority for nurse practitioners. The broad scope of independent practice for Family Nurse Practitioners and the mission-driven values of the University of New Mexico’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program were key factors in her decision. Looking ahead, Lexie hopes to continue her inspiring journey by becoming a Nurse Practitioner to expand access to care for underserved populations across New Mexico.
She earned her RN in 2022 with a BSN from Anselm College in New Hampshire; however, her service life began earlier, while she was a nursing student, when she engaged with her Campus Ministry. This took her to West Virginia to build houses, and to the Rope for Hope fund-raising in Maine. Then, in her first year as an RN, she spent a service year working as a clinic RN for Colorado’s Coalition for the Homeless. To strengthen her nursing foundation, she then worked at Boston Medical Center with an older adult population before moving to New Mexico. These experiences opened her mind not only to the many opportunities where she can serve as an RN, but also to the inequities in healthcare access and voice experienced by many. In her words, “I found myself in nursing.” Her work so far has taught her increasingly how to be vulnerable with others during some of the darkest times of their lives, and that it’s okay for it to be scary and uncomfortable sometimes.
Lexie credits her family and her Catholic faith as early inspirations for her decision to enter nursing. She comes from a family of nurses, where her grandmother was a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and her sister and several cousins are RNs. Her faith helped guide her into service work, but nursing has provided her with both a scientific foundation and a creative spirit to enrich the work she does and aspires to do.
Patient empowerment and advocacy are two values that help guide her practice. One of her favorite roles as a nurse is in patient, family, and community education because it combines both the science and art of nursing. She has found that it is a means for advocating for unmet needs and empowering patient/community voices.
Her vision for her nursing practice is to continue working with underserved and underrepresented populations in NM, guided by the principles of trauma-informed care. These six core principles are safety, trustworthiness/transparency, collaboration, peer support, empowerment, and humility and responsiveness. These principles guide how individuals, organizations, and systems respond to the impact of trauma, fostering environments where people can heal and thrive.
Welcome to the NM nursing workforce, Lexi! Glad you joined us!
