Was your nursing program in a dangerous area?

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The closest nursing programs to me are in dangerous areas and I am kind of worried about how I am going to get through the nursing program without being mugged. The nursing programs are in areas where several nursing students/nurses have been kidnapped and killed in the past 3 years. Everyone is kind of worried for me and I am scared myself but, I don't really have any other options to become a nurse money-wise (I can only afford my A.S.).The safest program is in Fremont, but there is no garuntee I will end up in that program (I am applying to many) and it's still not safe because it's in a hilly area with no stops where cars break down often. Was your nursing program in a dangerous place but it turned out to be O.K.? What are your experiences with danger while in your program? Maybe someone could ease my worries.....Thanks:nurse:

Specializes in ICU.

My school was in a very bad neighborhood- it was a huge university though.

Even when I lived off-campus, though, I never had any problems- I lived, I never got mugged, never got hurt whatsoever. If you're smart about how you carry yourself, etc, I wouldn't worry.

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Not that Oakland is known to be a safe place, but in its defense the student you are referring to WAS found, and they have charged the suspect. She wasn't randomly targeted by some crazy person either, she was targeted by someone that knew her. I think that you should be fine if you decide to go to school there, but you HAVE to be proactive in your own safety. I GUARANTEE that they have security on campus and at every facility you will do clinicals. I can almost guarantee that they will also have no problem escorting you to your car if you feel it is unsafe. Good luck!

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/09/26/tuesday-vigil-set-for-slain-hayward-nursing-student/

Giselle Esteban, a 27-year-old Union City woman who went to high school with Le in San Diego, was arrested on Sept. 7 and charged with murdering Le, even though Le’s body hadn’t yet been found.

Authorities said footage from security cameras at the Kaiser Permanente parking structure showed that Esteban was present around the time of Le’s disappearance, and that evidence found inside Le’s car indicated that Esteban had been in the vehicle.

In addition, DNA evidence and cellphone records tied Esteban to Le’s death, authorities said.

Le’s body was found in an unincorporated area between Pleasanton and Sunol on Sept. 17 and was identified on Sept. 19.

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I don't think CCW is legal in California.

It's legal in my state, but unfortunately not allowed on site where I work and where I complete clinicals.

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Well when you really think about it, bad things happen everywhere. All we can do is be as alert and aware of our surroundings as possible at all times. A lot of times bad things like the ones you described dont happen randomly and there will be SOME sort of connection between the victim and attacker. Not always of course. I think the suggestion someone made about having a buddy system is a great one. I had a friend who went to school in a pretty safe place but when she would be getting out of class late and her car is parked far away she would always call me and talk till she got into her car. She felt more comforted knowing that there was someone (me) that knew where she was and if God forbid something would happen to her, Id be able to report it immediately and get help. Good luck in your decision!

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.
I live in a safe town, but none of the nursing programs are in safe towns. I live in Livermore,CA, but, the programs are in places like Oakland (The worst by far in crime) Hayward (a girl from the program was kidnapped and never found last year) and Fremont (which, is pretty much safe except for driving there puts my car at a very high risk of breaking down). I went to Fremont for my CNA and my car broke down right after I graduated. They are all about 45 minutes away, in different directions, and the next couple of programs are a closer to 2 hours away. Money is the biggest issue for me, and I feel like I would have to find some way to move to successfully go into a far away program.

:eek: OMG CNA1991, as a 25 year resident of the fine city of Oakland and a graduate of one of its nursing schools (Samuel Merritt), I feel compelled to defend the city in which I live.

First of all you should understand that Oakland is very heterogeneous -- yes, there are some very VERY bad neighborhoods, but there are also many neighborhoods where crime is relatively low. Maybe not quite as low as in Livermore, but not a whole lot worse. Samuel Merritt University happens to be located in one of those areas. I felt completely safe walking around campus during the day. I wouldn't walk around at night alone, but I wouldn't do that in Livermore either.

Most of the clinical sites are in reasonably safe neighborhoods too. I did most of my clinicals at Kaiser Oakland, which is located 5 blocks away from my apartment, so I know this neighborhood well. It's considered a relatively desirable neighborhood in Oakland -- one of the ones where a 2 bedroom/1bath "starter home" will set you back $700K (compared to $200-300K in the really bad neighborhoods of Oakland). Again, it's not completely crime free, but I have lived in this neighborhood and have even walked outside alone at night sometimes, and in 25 years I have not yet been mugged. There is some crime but it's not that bad, especially if you're careful (although I've occasionally walked alone at night I don't recommend it and I try not to do it if I can avoid it -- again, you would be wise to do so in Livermore too).

Most of our other clinical sites were in reasonably safe neighborhoods. I would include Kaiser Hayward in this category, despite the tragedy that befell nursing student Michele Le. As LRobinson pointed out, what happened to Le had nothing to do with her being a nursing student or whether or not her clinical site was in a safe area. She was killed by a psychotic ex-friend and former high school classmate who had somehow convinced herself that Le had something to do with her boyfriend breaking up with her. This could just as easily have happened to someone who worked at McDonalds, and could just as easily happened in a "safe" place like Livermore.

You said there had been "several" nursing students kidnapped and murdered in the past 3 years. I'm not aware of any other cases besides Le. What other cases are you referring to?

Our only clinical site that I would consider to be in a slightly marginal neighborhood was Childrens Hospital Oakland. It's not in a bad bad neighborhood, but it's not in a good one. However, I know that they have security guards available 24/7 to escort staff, guests, and yes, nursing students, to their vehicles. Personally, if I'm at CHO at night I take advantage of this service -- during the day time, I don't consider it to be necessary.

The city of Hayward may have a few bad areas but mostly it's pretty safe. I consider Kaiser Hayward to be in a reasonable area. I'm not familiar with the campus of Cal State U. East Bay, but I haven't heard anything negative about crime there. I've also been to the campus of Holy Names U., and it seems completely safe to me. In fact, there's an elementary school for kids with learning disabilities on that campus, and I'm seriously considering sending my son there next year.

So please, you are not taking your life into your hands if you enroll in a nursing program in Oakland! I and my 47 classmates all survived just fine.

Best of luck to you!:nurse:

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

Here's another suggestion -- why not go visit the campuses of the schools you're considering applying to? Bring a friend if it'll make you feel safer. I really think if you walk around the campuses, you'll feel reassured.

Also, many schools in the Bay Area use the same clinical sites, so even if you go to the community college that's closest to you, you might still end up in Oakland for some of your clinicals.

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Crime happens everywhere and you are more likely to be killed by someone you know than someone you don't.

My first choice school is in a high crime city. There is a lot of poverty in the city and I'm hoping that it will mean that I will work with a diverse population. I think you can learn a lot from working with people who have to deal a lot of challenges beyond medical issues and possibly make a positive difference in their lives. I also am very interested in public health so I think the exposure and experiences will be useful for that.

I also grew up in a high crime area and basically, you need to develop some street smarts. Be aware of your surroundings and taking some self-defense classes wouldn't hurt.

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Some of our clinicals are in some areas that are not so safe. I know at the big teaching hospital we have to park in a certain lot and shuttle to the hospital. If we walk we will get in trouble with our instructors!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I'm in the 4th most violent city in the U.S., and my clinical ends at 2300. I can't carry my weapon of choice, but my Kbar goes undetected by every security guard. They are too busy checking ID badges. we all park in the same area and leave as a group. I don't worry about it too much, doesn't mean I'm not paying attention though. It's where I live I'm in a good program and our clinical sites are the best.

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My CNA program was in downtown Milwaukee which, at night, is not a very safe place. I walked to the parking Lot at night alone, many times, but I was never harmed and I wasnt very scared. I grew yup in a bad neighborhood so I was pretty use to it.

My nursing school luckily is in a very nice suburb, quiet, and very little crime.

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Specializes in Public health nursing.
Went to school in one of the most notorious cities in the country. Didn't have any trouble.

I guess you have to do what makes you comfortable, but remember that even if your school is in a "safe" area, the hospitals you have clinicals at may not be...

Agree :up:. The area where my nursing program was located was pretty safe, considering that it was adjacent to a courthouse and there were deputies nearby. But when I did my Psych rotation, the facility was in a really sketchy LA area, and our shift ended come nightfall. If you're concerned with safety, I recommend you pair up with someone or stay in a group when going to your vehicle. Otherwise, invest in some pepper spray/mace. And always remain vigilant of your surroundings.

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i went to college in a big city at a time where women hitch hiking were getting assaulted. that didn't give me any more money in my pocket for bus fare :D so i kept doing it. i also spent a lot of time in "bad" areas of town because that's where the hospitals were. i walked strong, confident, and tall, and nobody ever gave me a hard time.

there was one time i slipped and fell, fell really bad, on an icy sidewalk under the elevated tracks on my way to clinical in my little nursing student uniform. three or four big ugly looking guys, some of them drunk, rushed me. they picked me up, dusted me off, said, "you ok, nursey? you ok? you want us to help you to the door?" turned out they loved nurses, because the public health ones were about the only ones who were good to them.

once i had my little public health bag over my shoulder in the elevator in the projects. coupla mean-looking dudes got on. "you da nurse?" "yes, i am." "thought so. nurse took good care o' my grandmaw. nobody give you a hard time here, cuz you da nurse."

these and a couple of other incidents made me look a lot less at the surroundings and more at the people; it was a real eye-opener and i was ashamed of my former fears.

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