The Best LPN/LVN Programs in San Diego
Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?
Credit: Jon Hicks / Stone / Getty ImagesSan Diego, California, offers gainful opportunities for licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN). About 67,590 LPNs and LVNs work in California, which has the second-highest employment level for nurses in the country. California cities, including San Diego, also pay the most in the nation. LVNs and LPNs in San Diego earn an annual mean salary of $62,310.
One-year LVN programs in San Diego County offer a faster path to nursing than becoming a registered nurse (RN), which requires at least an associate degree and sometimes a bachelor’s degree.
Nursing students develop practical skills in laboratory simulations, clinicals, and online classes that emphasize the foundations of nursing, including preventive care and bedside nursing protocol. Graduates work under RNs and doctors in nursing care facilities, hospitals, and doctor’s offices.
If you’re looking to change careers, explore this guide for salaries for LPNs and admission requirements for LVN programs in San Diego.
Popular Online RN-to-BSN Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Applying to an LPN/LVN Program in San Diego
San Diegans can become LPNs or LVNs in about one year. Applicants to LVN school in San Diego must meet certain admission requirements. Vocational colleges have adopted similar standards, but each school may ask for specific prerequisites prior to admittance. Colleges may require a candidate to take a scholastic exam if they do not possess a college degree.
Aspiring LVNs and LPNs need a high school diploma or GED certificate at minimum. When applying, they also submit documents, such as high school or college transcripts and proof of their proficiency in reading and writing English.
Since students work in practicums with patients, they also need CPR certification, a criminal background check, a toxicology test, and their immunization records.
If you want to become an LVN, consider what the job entails before applying for LVN programs near you.
The Best LPN/LVN Programs in San Diego
MiraCosta College
Oceanside, CA- 2 year
- Campus + Online
MiraCosta College, in Oceanside, California, offers a variety of programs in health sciences, including the top-ranked licensed vocational nurse (LVN) program in San Diego County. This program holds accreditation by the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.
For the convenience of working students, the school offers most courses on weekends and weekday evenings. Enrollees work toward their 1,536 hours of clinical and classroom time needed for licensing eligibility. All students qualify for tutoring in writing, math, and science.
- Program(s): LVN
- Campus: Oceanside, California
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
- Tuition: $46 per unit for California residents; $353 per unit for nonresidents
- Admission Requirements: GED or high school diploma; prerequisite nursing courses including certified nursing assistant (CNA) courses or current CNA license; immunizations
- Minimum Time Commitment: 24 months
- On-Campus Requirements: Yes
- School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate:97.96%
- School Site:Tuition | Financial aid
- In-State$1,104
- Out-of-state$8,400
- In-StateN/A
- Out-of-stateN/A
- Retention Rate100%
- Acceptance RateN/A
- Students Enrolled11,125
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment97%
- AccreditationNo
Southwestern College
- Chula Vista, CA
- 2 year
- Campus
Southwestern College, located in Chula Vista, California, accepts 30 students every 18 months to its licensed vocational nurse (LVN) program in San Diego County. The program, designed for full-time students, features some classes and/or clinical hours as early as 6:30 a.m.
This program holds accreditation through the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Enrollees engage with general education and nursing courses. Southwestern College estimates the total cost of the program at $6,284, which includes textbooks, uniforms, clinical fees, and tuition.
- Program(s): Vocational Nurse Program
- Campus: Chula Vista, California
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
- Tuition: $46 per unit for California residents; $335 per unit for nonresidents
- Admission Requirements: Test of Essential Academic Skills; high school diploma or GED certificate; student education plan; cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification; prerequisite courses; immunizations
- Minimum Time Commitment: 18 months
- On-Campus Requirements: Yes
- School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate:92.75%
- School Site:Tuition | Financial aid
- In-State$1,288
- Out-of-state$9,380
- In-StateN/A
- Out-of-stateN/A
- Retention Rate70%
- Acceptance RateN/A
- Students Enrolled15,985
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment62%
- AccreditationNo
San Diego City College
- San Diego, CA
- 2 year
- Campus + Online
San Diego City College joins the top licensed vocational nursing (LVN) schools in San Diego. The program includes classroom and clinical hours. This school offers regular informational webinars to help students decide if this is their ideal LVN program. Enrollees complete on-campus and clinical hours on weekdays.
The program includes a bridge to registered nurse (RN) licensure through the LVN-to-RN step-up program. The school also maintains a dual acceptance arrangement with Point Loma Nazarene University's RN-to-BSN program and offers a roadmap to San Diego State University's RN-to-BSN program. Admission is based on a multi-criteria point system. Though certified nursing assistant training or healthcare experience is not required, it can give candidates a competitive edge.
- Program(s): LVN-to-RN
- Campus: San Diego, California
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing; California Board of Registered Nurses
- Tuition: Approximately $2,000 per semester
- Admission Requirements: Test of Essential Academic Skills; prerequisite courses with a GPA of 2.5 or higher; immunizations
- Minimum Time Commitment: 24 months
- On-Campus Requirements: Yes
- School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate:100%
- School Site:Tuition | Financial aid
- In-State$1,104
- Out-of-state$8,472
- In-StateN/A
- Out-of-stateN/A
- Retention Rate60%
- Acceptance RateN/A
- Students Enrolled12,956
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment96%
- AccreditationNo
Questions About LPN and LVN Programs in San Diego
It takes about one year to complete an LVN program in San Diego. Clinical requirements may extend the length of a licensed vocational nurse program in San Diego. Full-time and part-time enrollment also factor into how long it takes to become an LPN or an LVN.
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