Nursing is one of the few careers in which it is possible to impact the life of an individual directly. With a growing and aging population, there has never been a better time to be able to meet the needs of so many people. The State Board of Registered Nursing provides a list of approved nursing schools in California, which offer a variety of programs for anyone looking to get into the field.

Nursing offers many opportunities, from the work environment to specialty. The RN programs are at the available at the masters, associates, and baccalaureate degree levels. These programs include, but are not limited to, nurse anesthetist, nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, public health nursing and nurse midwifery.

There’s a lot of debate about the best nursing schools in California, and obviously, it’s a debate that will continue to rage on between students of various schools. There’s one thing that is for certain though, and that is the real advantage to attend any of these top schools. You will not only receive a quality nursing education that is recognized by the entire healthcare industry, but also forge connections with some of the top people in the industry for years to come. Here are some picks for the top nursing schools in California, so do check them out and see what they have to offer!

Contents:

• Top Nursing Schools in California
• Online Programs of Nursing Schools in California
• Why You Need to Choose Nursing Schools in California
• How to Find Nursing Schools in California?
• Vital Information About Nursing Schools In California
• Benefits of Online Programs With Nursing Schools in California

 Top Nursing Schools in California

1. UCLA School of Nursing

If there’s one thing for sure about nursing schools in California, it’s that the UCLA School of Nursing is head and shoulders above the rest. It’s been in existence for over 50 years now and is held in very high regard both locally and internationally in the field of health care.

You can do your Bachelors of Science in Nursing with them, get your Master’s or Ph.D. and even do an LVN bridging course with them to fast track your way into a fully qualified RN. If you want to attend one of the top schools, you certainly can’t go wrong with the UCLA school of nursing. The only challenge is that you’ll face stiff competition for a place here, with 1200 applicants fighting it out for just 50 spots in their undergraduate program.

2. University of San Diego School of Nursing & Health Science

Another one of the top nursing schools in California is the University of San Diego’s School of Nursing & Health Science. They have a wide range of options available for any potential nursing student, from the BSN, MSN and even Ph.D. in a number of administrative and educational options.

They are ranked in the top 50 nursing schools in the country and are one of the top nursing schools internationally as well. One particular highlight is their modern cutting-edge facilities at the disposal of all their nursing students.

3. Cal State LA School Of Nursing

Last but not least in the list of top nursing schools in California is the Cal State LA School of Nursing, ranked in the top 100 nursing schools in the world. They are very focused in offering just the two BSN and MSN degrees for their nursing students, but they do it really well, so if you find it hard to snag a spot in UCLA or USD, this may be a good option for you.

4. Pacific College

Pacific College has programs in Cardiovascular and Vocational Nursing that give students the ability to cultivate their career. This would be perfect for someone looking for a career in this profession and living in Costa Mesa, California. Since education is widely considered investing into the future of our youth, many nursing colleges in the state of California are pleased to have Federal Financial aid available for those that meet both the academic and financial qualifications.

The objective of just about every nursing school should be to provide students with the utmost level of aptitude and training. Through the completion of schoolwork and admittance into the field of choice, there are many opportunities available. A student must graduate from a program that is approved by the State Board of Nursing in California and pass the NCLEX test to be able to be officially licensed as a registered or vocational nurse.

The fully qualified and experienced faculty at the nursing schools found in California are devoted to the success of the students and have dedicated their lives to education. They also possess considerable experience in the field and leads to the reason for California having one of the top nursing programs in the United States. This coincides with the Golden State’s focus on giving its citizens affordable and quality healthcare.

Online Programs of Nursing Schools in California

If you’re exploring your options for top nursing schools in California, you shouldn’t ignore the online courses being offered by these top universities as well. This is a good option to take your nursing degree at your own pace while still gaining full accreditation and recognition for graduating from one of these top universities. Enrolling yourself in the top nursing schools in California is really easy with all the latest.

Going into nursing can be a great idea for anyone who enjoys helping others. Just like doctors, nurses must study specialized subjects, and put the skills and knowledge learned in school into use on a daily basis. There are numerous California nursing schools to pick from, and each will provide the hands-on experience and education that is needed to enter the wonderful field known as nursing.

Nursing schools in California do offer most of the programs of choice. Some of them even offer bachelor degrees in nursing and the chance to study for nurse education as well. This makes sense because health professions usually have a continuing education requirement that they need to maintain in order to keep the license they hold. It might be something simple like maintaining a CPR and first-aid certificate or something more extensive like taking one college health credit every few years in order to be valid. Whatever the requirements, know that there are some that you will have to continue to meet.

Why You Need to Choose Nursing Schools in California

California Nursing Schools:

• Offer a wide range of education programs

The nursing schools in California offer a wide range of education for all sorts of nurse careers. You can find education for CNA (certified nurse assistant) to the RN (registered nurse), and even some bachelor programs as well. You will also see them offered in various places throughout the state too; from online campuses to big universities. The healthcare professions are going to keep seeing a demand for new positions to be filled. This includes nurses and is partially due to ever-changing technology that is involved with medicine and treatment options.

• Offer you a chance to get one of the best-paying careers in California

Nursing schools in California also have the benefit of being one of the highest paying states for that career as well. That means that once you are done you could potentially earn a lot more than someone in another state might. One of the reasons for this turn of events is the demand for health care professions in this state. More people vacation, or move to for a new start, or retire to this state as time goes by. That means more people, and more people can equate to more sick people as well.

• Offer some of the biggest variety for education

The nursing schools in California also offer some of the biggest variety for education. You can find accredited courses as well as some advance education programs. There are even some classes where you can specialize in nursing education so that you can teach the skills to others. No matter what your long-term goals are, you can find a program that suits the needs you have to accomplish to attain the desired outcome.

• Many schools are available and they offer different courses

You will find thousands of nursing schools in California to pick from. Some of them are large universities, and others are smaller campuses. They have even included some online campuses to the long list. With that in mind, you are sure to find at least one that suits your style or need of learning. In fact, it might be a bigger problem to narrow it down to just one instead of finding only one to begin with. Make sure that you figure out which license you want to end up with a head of time. Yes, you will most likely have to start at the bottom and work you way up, but if you plan on working your way up right away it will help to already be enrolled in a college that offers the other programs as well. If not, at least make sure the classes will transfer to another campus.

How to Find Nursing Schools in California?

• Do online search

If you go onto the internet and type in the terms nursing schools in California then you shall notice that you do have several to choose from. The fact you have these options is actually a good thing but it does then require you to do some work before you can actually decide where you would like to study. The key here is to take your time in doing your research into the various facilities so you know virtually everything about them before you even think about applying. This will make a difference in your confidence that you have made the right decision and it can then actually improve your ability to learn whilst there.

You will find that they do have their own website so look through every page in order to learn as much as possible from this source. It should contain information such as the history of the school, the success it has had, and information on the actual courses that they offer which is, of course, the main reason why you are going there.

• Compare the courses on offer at different schools

Compare the courses on offer at different places in order to see what their different approaches are like and also how they are structured along with any information about where you would be getting actual experience as they should have links with some medical facility as well. It may be the case that one style will be better for you than others and this is very helpful because then it will, yet again, help you to learn a lot quicker.

Apart from reading their website do also get confirmation about the qualifications you would receive at the end and that they would then be accepted by medical facilities in the area. This is important because you want to be sure that you will not just waste your time there ending up with a certificate that is of no use whatsoever.

• Check the feedback

It is also worth spending some time finding out what other people think about the courses there and again you can often find some of this feedback on the internet. Read as many opinions as you can to get a broad picture as clearly one person can have a bad time there whereas others may enjoy their spell learning at that facility.

If they have an open day at their school then do try and take them up on that offer as you can then get a real feel of what it would be like to study there. This will let you see the facility and talk to the people that will be teaching you and there is also the chance you could then interact with current students and get their opinions about being there in person.

One of the best nursing schools in California offers everything you will need so that you can jump start your career in the health field. In a few years, the demand for health care professionals will be on the rise, this is a great time to learn this profession. A good school must have a great reputation with its students and how they teach. The nursing program itself takes many hours to complete because so much will be covered during your time in training. You have the options to either attend classes full-time or part-time if it is easier for you. Some schools have weekday and weekend classes available. Many people who are working with a busy schedule attend part-time classes on weekends.

• Make sure that you are qualified for the course you are applying

What you will need to become a student is to have a high school diploma or equivalent, complete and pass a background check and fill out the required forms with your information. Find out how much it will cost you to attend. In most cases financial aid may be available for those who qualify, this can be handled when you are filling out your forms. Once you have gone through registration and have everything that you need, you will be working with a team of experienced nurses that will teach everyone the basics and hands-on training.

• Choose an experienced nursing school

The best nursing schools in California would have to be around for years and have helped many students. Schools that are accredited are proof that they are valid by the state, especially if you are looking to be licensed. There are many benefits as to why it is a good choice to become a nurse in vocational nursing schools in California. Being a licensed vocational nurse is also a great way to help people as well as make a good stable income. You can also move anywhere and not have to worry about finding work because vocational nurses are needed almost everywhere.

So when searching for nursing schools in California you can see that you do have several things to do before you make that final decision about where you would like to study. You need to take this slowly because clearly it is a major decision that will influence not just the next few years of your life but also your future career.

If you are looking to attend nursing schools in California, you have made the right choice. There are a wealth of options available for you if you want to study nursing, be it at the CNA level all the way through to the MSN level as well. The advantages of enrolling yourself in one of the many nursing schools in California is that not only do you get a quality degree, you get it for less than what you would pay in many other colleges around the country. You can also take up the option of studying the online version of the degree as well, which gives you flexibility in how you organize your schedule.

Vital Information About Nursing Schools In California

Choosing between the many nursing schools in California and beyond is extremely tricky because there are so many options available to you. Outside of California, there are universities like the University of Phoenix, Florida Hospital College Of Health Sciences and Walden University that you can consider if you prefer to do your studies online.

In California, your main choice for online studies is the nursing college of UCLA. Other than that, there are many prestigious choices available for you if you want to study the traditional bricks and mortar way.

It all boils down to where you are in your life and your career at the moment. If you are fresh out of high school, you may want to seriously consider doing your BSN degree instead of just opting for the basic RN degree. That’s because you never know whether later on in your career  you will have the time to upgrade your qualifications or not. If you are currently a practicing RN or, otherwise, employed in a different job but wanting to change your career direction, then there are specialized RN to BSN programs that allow you to upgrade your qualifications quickly.

Benefits of Online Programs With Nursing Schools in California

If you are fresh out of high school and wanting to pursue a career in nursing, you may prefer to do a “bricks and mortar” degree in one of the local universities’ nursing schools in California. After all, you don’t have those many financial commitments to worry about, and time wise you still have a whole career ahead of you.

On the other hand, if you are currently working full-time as an RN or wanting to make the change from another career, then online programs would be beneficial for you in terms of time and flexibility as well. You may wonder why online programs would be a good fit, well the last thing you’ll want to do after a long hard day at work would be to rush to your classes in nursing school, then would you?

Obviously not, and only online programs would allow you to have the flexibility to do your online classes at your own time, and go through the course at your own pace as well. So whether you choose online nursing schools in California or to do the “bricks and mortar” way, these are definitely considerations to think about.