Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) nursing program, my review as a nursing student

[JanetFloresJulia]

Los Angeles Pierce College has a 2-year ADN nursing program located in the valley of Southern California that's got one of the highest NCLEX pass rates at around 100% year after year. But what they do not tell you is how ridiculously low their graduation rate is. At first glance, an amateur person hoping to begin a career in nursing might think that a super high NCLEX pass rate is a good thing. One should understand though that any school can have a very high NCLEX pass rate if they make sure that only the top 25-35% of students make it to graduation.

You admit a group of 35 very smart and determined students and you compare them to one another with the goal of "weeding out" the bottom half no matter how smart, how capable the whole is. You turn your program into a Hunger Games battle arena where it doesn't matter how low the exam average is, but how you compare to the rest of the class. You make the program so incredibly difficult that only the most cut-throat few students make it through and the NCLEX exam is far easier by comparison. After speaking to the cohorts above me, I had learned that only 13 students out of an original class size of 33 made it to graduation last Fall, 2023. They also have no problem failing students in the 4th semester. These are stats that should concern anyone thinking about applying to LAPC for Nursing. (Moorpark college is just as bad).

There are plenty of other better ADN programs in So Cal such as LAVC, LASW, SMC, or COTC.
A private college if you can afford it. Any of these colleges will have much better, higher graduation rates than LA Pierce & Moorpark. Pay attention to the NCLEX pass rates, make sure they are reasonable and ALWAYS check ratemyprofessor reviews of who you are entrusting to give you a solid nursing education. I had witnessed many students from my cohort being forced out of the program who I strongly believe should not have been. I had found myself using knowledge from my prior medical background to help answer the ridiculous exam questions that have little to do with the class material & lectures. The students I saw failing the program tend to have older Prerequisites or little former hospital work experience. It is very difficult to compete against Licensed Vocational Nurses, surgical Techs, and Paramedics who have a lot more extensive medical knowledge coming into the program than you do.

[LVN2RNMom, ASN, BSN, LVN]

Thank you for bringing up this topic. I wish more people were open & honest about this. Such tactic mentioned is common among several community colleges and it is absolutely disgusting!! AVC, Moorpark & Ventura just to name a few, also practice in such behavior. The problem is they are not providing their students with the tools needed for success. There is little to no help with those struggling and much is left to the students to teach themselves to figure it out independently.