If you are interested in becoming an RN, BSN or MSN, you should be aware of a trio nursing schools in Southern California whose programs annually rank among the finest in the world. All three of these California nursing schools offer the aforementioned types of nursing degrees and regularly see better than 90% of their graduates pass the NCLEX-RN exam on their first attempt. While these schools are by no means the only outstanding institutions between Los Angeles and the Mexican border, any discussion of the region’s best programs must certainly include them.
Top Nursing Schools in Southern California
The three elite Southern California nursing programs mentioned in the preceding paragraph are the University of California, Los Angeles, California State University, Los Angeles and San Diego State University. Each of these three schools offers Registered Nursing (RN), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees, and is respected throughout the country for the quality and skill of their graduates. A brief review of each institution follows.
UCLA School of Nursing
Since first opening its doors in 1949, the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing has distinguished itself as one of the nation’s premier colleges for nursing and one of the leading nursing schools in Southern California. In 2011, the school was ranked seventh in the U.S. in research for the nursing sciences by the National Institutes of Health, and first in funding by the same organization.
The school’s RN, BSN and MSN students not only study under some of the most-respected instructors in California, but also have the opportunity to complete their clinical training at the top-rated health care facility in the Western U.S. – the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
California State University, Los Angeles School of Nursing
It should come as no surprise to find out that the CSU Los Angeles School of Nursing is an impacted program. When one considers the fact that its graduates have passed the NCLEX-RN at a 90% rate or better every year since 2006, and that the school’s graduate programs in Nursing Administration, School Health, and Nursing Education are among the highest-regarded anywhere in the West, it’s no wonder that students are willing to wait in line for admission.
San Diego State University School of Nursing
One of several world-class nursing schools in San Diego, the SDSU School of Nursing sets itself apart by offering one of the state’s widest ranges of degree programs, and allowing students to study in a state-of-the-art simulated hospital (the Sharp Healthcare Human Patient Simulation Center). These two factors, combined with its highly-respected faculty, make San Diego State one of the very best nursing programs in California.
What About Other Nursing Schools in Southern California?
As alluded to earlier, the three programs mentioned in this article are certainly not the only outstanding ones in their region. Other notable institutions include the University of San Diego’s Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, and a pair of nursing schools in Los Angeles – The Loma Linda University School of Nursing, and the Mount St. Mary’s College School of Nursing. A degree earned at any one of these nursing schools in Southern California guarantees its recipient a long, lucrative career in whichever specific field of nursing he or she chooses.