Best nursing schools in San Diego!

abobbett · Nov 18, 2015

It depends if you want to get your BSN or ADN. San Diego State University has a very good reputation and competitive program for BSN, really well known throughout San Diego for pumping out some quality nurses and having high NCLEX passing rates. Point Loma is really good as well but it is more pricey because it is a private school. If you want something that is is ADN you can look into Grossmont Community College.

As far as hospitals go Sharp has always had a good reputation for treating their employees exceptionally well (Sharp Memorial being their #1 location). The VA hospital does have competitive pay and everyone I know that is a new grad at UC San Diego has only positive things to say. I would try and avoid Alvarado Hospital, they are a smaller hospital that doesn't have the resources like the other larger ones in San Diego and is pretty outdated in some areas.

Pay wise I'm not quite sure, but Sharp has a really flexible PRN float pool for CNAs that I know a lot of people went through and it paid well enough to get them through nursing school.

For living, it really depends on what kind of scene you are in to. If you are younger and still like to go to hip coffee shops, nights out drinking, and being close to the beach/trendy food places then you can try Point Loma or Pacific Beach. A lot of people going to San Diego State University live by the university. Most people don't live in Downtown unless you work there because it can get a little pricey to live in the sky rises. Mira Mesa is a nice little community outside of San Diego and a lot of families live there, same with Tierrasanta (that one can get a little expensive). A lot of people also live in apartment complexes by the Fashion Valley or Mission Valley Malls. Really any area is pretty good in San Diego. Just try to avoid certain areas of El Cajon, and National City.

lindadurrwachter · Nov 18, 2015

Your comment was very informative! Thank you so much. I am seeking a ADN currently and so far I like Grossmont College, thank you for the suggestion. How far is Sharp from Fashion Valley or Mission Valley?

abobbett · Nov 18, 2015

There are multiple Sharp facilities and fashion valley is really close to all the main freeways so commuting (depending on times, rush hour can get a little slow on the freeways) wouldn't be that bad at all. They have Sharp Chula Vista (one that is closest to the Mexico border, they are going to start construction to build a brand new facility), Sharp Grossmont (East near El Cajon and is really great for new grads), Sharp Memorial (near fashion valley mall, top notch new facility), Sharp Mary Birch (thats specifically a women health hospital, really nice!), Sharp Coronado (that would be a hard commute across the bridge), and Sharp Mesa Vista (specifically a mental health facility). Sharp Mesa Vista, Memorial and Mary Birch are all on the same campus as each other.