Practicalnursing.org evaluated California’s 129 state-approved LVN schools, which includes community colleges, technical centers, private career training schools and vocational schools. The website’s team analyzed overall pass rates of the NCLEX-PN, the exam used by state boards that tests proficiency and knowledge for licensing nurses, and ranked the top 50 schools. SBCC has the fifth highest success rate amongst all of those schools.
“After analyzing nursing programs in California, it became evident that Santa Barbara City College not only supports their students during their time on campus, but also prepares them for a career beyond SBCC,” said Bryce Hall, President of PracticalNursing.org. “The strong LVN program prepares students to conquer the NCLEX-PN and produces graduates who have the ability to carry out what they learned into the healthcare world.”
The Vocational Nursing program at Santa Barbara City College is a full-time course of study and lasts three semesters, with a summer break. A new cohort of students begins every 18 months as follows: Spring 2019, Fall 2020, Spring 2022 etc. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates receive a Certificate of Achievement in Vocational Nursing, and are eligible to receive an Associate of Science Degree in Vocational Nursing if all college AS degree requirements are met.
“The VN faculty feel proud to provide a high quality vocational education program that is sensitive to the diverse needs of our students and our community,” said Rosette Strandberg, Associate Professor of Vocational Nursing. “We facilitate educational access and academic excellence through a learner-centered nursing program, and prepare students to practice as competent, compassionate and ethical Licensed Vocational Nurses. This ranking solely acknowledges our very high ‘Board Exam’ pass rates. We are also very proud of our retention rates, the number of students we graduate, and the diversity within our nursing program.”
CAREER OUTLOOK:
The projections of employment for LVN’s in California is expected to grow faster than average growth rate for all occupations. Jobs for Licensed Vocational Nurses are expected to increase by 20.9 percent, or 13,700 jobs between 2014 and 2024, according to the California Occupational Guides published by the State of California EDD. The median wage in 2016 for Licensed Vocational Nurses in California was $52,743 annually, or $25.36 hourly.
