California Nursing Schools

If you're seeking nursing schools in California you're both in luck and in a quandry. There are so many fine nursing programs in California you may have a hard time deciding on a school. You can choose to become a vocational nurse or a registered nurse. Either way, we recommend you choose a school which is accredited, either by the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians if you're becoming a vocational nurse, or the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Registered Nursing if considering a career as a registered nurse.

Vocational Nursing Schools in California

You should always check with the website of the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNP) to check to see if your potential school is included on the accredited list (http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/Education/Schools/VN_Schools.asp). Below is a sampling of some of the schools which have been accredited by the BVNP.

Central California:

Clovis Adult & Voc. Education
1452 David E Cook Wy
Clovis, CA 93611
(559) 327-2860

Hartnell College
156 Homestead Ave
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 770-6146

San Joaquin Valley College
8400 W Mineral King
Visalia, CA 93291
(559) 651-2500 Ext 163

Southern California:

College of the Desert
43-500 Monterey Ave
Palm Desert, CA
(760) 773-2578

Pasadena City College
1570 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA
(626) 585-7326

Los Angeles Unified School District - East LA Occupational Center
2100 Marengo St
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 223-1283

Concorde Career College - San Diego
4393 Imperial Avenue, Suite 100
San Diego, CA
(619) 688-0800

American Career College - Orange County
1200 North Magnolia
Anaheim, CA
(714) 952-9066

Baldwin Park Adult School
4640 N. Maine Avenue
Baldwin Park, CA
(626) 856-4123

Northern California:

City College of San Francisco
1351 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 561-1912

Butte College
3536 Butte Campus Dr
Oroville, CA
(530) 895-2328

College of the Siskiyous
800 College Ave
Weed, CA (530) 938-5270

College of the Redwoods - Eureka
7351 Tompkins Hill Rd
Eureka, CA (707) 476-4214

Although the above schools are accredited, it is still recommended that you do your research, which includes:

• Talking to current students or graduates of the program you wish to enter. Find out if their education prepared them for a nursing position, and if they found their school was a plus when it came to hiring.
• Find out which clinical facilities the program uses for its clinical experience and talk to the nursing staff there. Find out if they would hire students from the program you're considering.

Registered Nursing Programs in California

As outlined on the Board of Registered Nursing site, there are three types of pre-licensure and two alternative routes in which to become a registered nurse in the state of California:

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) - This will take you 2-3 years, and you can find these programs at numerous community colleges around the state.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) - This will take you about 4 years, and is offered at numerous California state universities as well as some private colleges.

Masters Entry Level Program in Nursing - If you alread have a bachelor's degree in another field, you would opt for this type of program. It takes about two years.

LVN 30 Unit Option - If you are already a California Licensed Vocational Nurses, you might want to enter this program, which takes about 18 to 24 months. There is no degree upon completion and most other states won't issue an RN license to this group of LVNs.

Military Corpsmen - If you are a military corpsmen, you are permitted by law to take the national exam for RN licensure if you have completed RN level education and clinical experience.

Again, you should find out which schools are accredited by the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Registered Nursing. Those schools can be found at http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/rnprograms.shtml

One school we think very highly of is Pasadena City College (626-585-7323), located at 1570 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. They have an excellent associate degree nursing program, along with a beautiful campus. They offer evening and weekend courses, as well as an accelerated fast track.

Other schools offering an associate degree in nursing with evening and weekend courses (important for all you working adults) include:

Central California:

Fresno City College
1101 East University Avenue
Fresno, cA
(559) 244-2604

College of the Sequoias
915 South Mooney Boulevard
Visalia, cA
(559) 730-3732

Southern California:

Glendale Community College
1500 North Verdugo Road
Glendale, CA
(818) 551-5270

El Camino College - Compton Education Center
1111 Artesia Boulevard
Compton, CA
(310) 900-1600 x2700

College of the Desert
43-500 Monterey Avenue
Palm Desert, CA
(760) 773-2578

Northern California:

City College of San Francisco
50 Phelan Avenue
San Francisco, CA
(415) 239-3218

Synonyms:  Alifornia, aClifornia, Clifornia, Claifornia, Caifornia, Cailfornia, Calfornia, Calfiornia, Caliornia, Caliofrnia, Califrnia, Califronia, Califonia, Califonria, Califoria, Califorina, Californa, Californai, and Californi are typos for "California." Ursing, unrsing, nrsing, nrusing, nusing, nusring, nuring, nurisng, nursng, nursnig, nursig, nursign and nursin are typos for "nursing."