Nursing Programs in CA

SageFemmeReveur · Dec 1, 2013

Do you have an end goal in mind for the type of nursing you want to do? I want to be a midwife and I need a MSN so I have to get my BSN. Knowing at least a general picture of what you want to do later will help you decide what is best to do right now. From my personal research and knowledge from other nurses it is really hard for even those with a BSN to get hired in CA in urban areas. Even rural areas are more inclined to hire BSN's. So if you plan on staying in CA you should get your BSN. Cerritos and Golden West are the closest ADN's to LB that are least impacted that I'm aware of. I originally planned on applying to Golden West until my counselor convinced me that I was a perfectly good candidate for applying directly to BSN's at CSU's. If you do ultimately want to get your BSN it will save you money as well. If you do choose ADN I wouldn't bother with LBCC.

sarah_beth · Dec 1, 2013

Thanks dreamcatchercnm!

I had plans to move to rural WA (my mother in-law is a RN and my father in-law is a physician so I'll be living with them) because the nursing program at the school up there is less competitive than the schools down here. I just graduated with a BA in Psych from a CSU and I would like to get into a nursing program ASAP. I worked with pregnant women in the past and I really enjoyed it! I starting to have second thoughts about moving to WA though... I don't want to have a weak network when I graduate.

LifeIsGood76 · Dec 1, 2013

Hi! Have you finished your prerequisites? I live in Victorville (about an hour and a half from Long Beach). I'm applying to my local community college, but I am also going to apply to Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. That is about an hour from Long Beach, but they don't have a waiting list. I went to an informational meeting there and if you have finished all the prerequisites then they do a lottery. So, you have the chance to get picked right away. Like I said, they don't have a waiting list, so if you don't get in that semester, you just apply again. I know the colleges out here can be overwhelming. Another option is to do an entry level MSN since you have a BA. I think Cal State Long Beach has one, as well as Cal State Fullerton. (You can find a full list of entry level MSN programs in CA here: Board of Registered Nursing - RN Programs). Good luck!! Don't get overwhelmed! I am finishing up my pre-reqs this semester and am applying next semester. It took me forever to even get into my pre-req classes because they are so compacted. I hope it all works out for you :)!

SageFemmeReveur · Dec 1, 2013

If you don't mind me asking, which CSU did you attend? What kind of work did you do with pregnant women? I'd really love to minor or get a certificate in psych or sociology, I'm a big nerd :bookworm: I wanna work with pregnant sexual assault survivor's.

I do believe some CSU BSN's give you supplemental points for already having a bachelor's, not sure about ADN's, most programs vary on how they award supplemental points. I basically visited all the websites of the CSU's and read through all the info and then decided which schools I could see myself attending, narrowed it down to 9. Then I mapped out my points/eligibility for each school and realized that I couldn't complete certain things in the right amount of time to apply by next fall so I crossed those off which left me with 7 and then I took two more off because after more research I am sure I stand less than a 50% chance of getting in. I also figured out through my research that I have a strong chance of getting into my first choice school. It really comes down to figuring out the system each school uses and your chances of getting in. I really wanted to go to Fresno cause my in-laws live up there and we could live with them as well. Then I found out I wouldn't even be able to apply there.

sarah_beth · Dec 8, 2013

Sorry for the late reply SageFemmeReveur!

I graduated from CSULB. I had a wonderful experience while I was there and they have one of the best BA psych programs in the state. The program is very competitive, pretty much everyone is fighting tooth and nail to get into graduate school and the professors do a great job preparing you for it!

I worked on a research project for a year with one of my professors (he is a health psychologist). We were looking to see if a cognitive behavioral stress managment program helped to stableize diurnal cortisol levels in low-income pregnant women. We used a pregnacy health program as a control. I recruited women from a free clinic, assessed them with various health and mood questionairs, and taught them how to collect salivia for cortisol assessment. We did this 4 times throughout their pregnancy so we really got to know our participants. The most rewarding part of my job was hearing how our CBSM program changed their life for the better and I new I wanted to do therapy, but obviously I'm not pursuing that at this moment.

While I was at the free clinic I noticed a lot of pregnant teens. Some of these teens were pregnant with their second child. I thought this was a great diservice to these girls who had their entire future ahead of them. It should be the clinicians duty to teach women sexual health. They had flyers for teenage Lamaz classes around the clinic! It was like they were promoting teen pregnancy. I found these things to be disturbing and I started think of what I can do to help these girls.

So I not only love helping pregnant women, I'm very passionate about woman's health.

About supplemental points for CSU BA to BSN I didn't know that! I'll have to look that up. Don't get discouraged about whether or not you will get into your 1st choice CSU! I was told that I had very little chance of getting into the Psych Major at CSULB and I got in.

Good Luck!