The California community college system is responsible for educating thousands of nursing students each year, who then work to become registered nurses in the state. Nursing programs are offered at 75 California community colleges, but all the schools are full. Many of the schools have three to four year waiting lists, or lottery systems that students are hoping will allow them to get into community college to study nursing. This education is very affordable because it is a public state college, but unfortunately there is not enough space to meet the student demand. California needs roughly 10,000 more nurses soon, as more people retire and need help or older nurses retire from the profession. These programs are highly selective because students are getting an excellent education, for a very affordable price. NPR reported about students who have been waiting for two or three years to get into a great program, as schools like Contra Costa College near San Francisco have life size mannequins for students to train.
California has been having budget issues the last couple years which have not allowed these nursing programs to expand to accommodate the high student demand across the state. Therefore many students are looking at their other options, and most are deciding to go to a career college to fulfill their educational goals. Career colleges might be more expensive that California community colleges, but students know that they can get in and complete their degree so they can get into the workforce. It is hard to put a price on waiting two or three years to get into a community college in California, when a student could have already completed a nursing program at a local career college. No matter what each student chooses, California needs to figure out a way to get more people educated in order to fulfill the demand for qualified nurses in the state.
Tags: California Community Colleges, nursing, nursing programs
