Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Otero College

Otero College's practical nursing graduates report first-year earnings of $74,405—nearly double Colorado's median for this program and 69% above the national average. That places them ahead of every other nursing program in the state, including larger urban schools. With debt of just $24,150, graduates face a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.32, meaning they could theoretically pay off their loans in about four months of gross earnings.

The one significant caveat: these numbers come from a small graduating class (under 30 students), so individual outcomes can skew the averages dramatically. A few graduates landing unusually high-paying positions—perhaps in rural healthcare settings with retention bonuses or specialized roles—could be driving these exceptional figures. Small programs can also provide more personalized training and job placement support, but the sample size makes it harder to predict whether future cohorts will match these results.

Despite the limited data, the fundamentals look strong. Rural Colorado healthcare facilities often struggle to recruit licensed practical nurses, which may explain why Otero graduates command such premium wages in the region. For families comfortable with the uncertainty that comes from a small program, this represents an unusually efficient path to nursing credentials with minimal debt burden.