The Best LPN/LVN Programs in San Diego

San 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.

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.