2022 - Best Nursing Schools in San Marcos, CA

California State University-San Marcos

• 333 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd, San Marcos, CA - 92096-0001
• (760) 750-4000
• 

The nursing journey starts at SCUSM School of Nursing in Riverside, California, a dynamic leader in the art and science of nursing. It seeks to educating ethically and culturally-sensitive nursing students with the goal of alleviating suffering while promoting, preserving, and restoring dignity for all patients. The level of nursing programs offered to nursing students include Accelerated BSN, APRN Certificate, Bachelor, LPN to BSN, Master, Post Master’s NP Certificate and RN to BSN level degrees. The mission of the School of Nursing is to offer innovative models of instruction, generates cutting edge research and creative activities, and advocates for health care needs in diverse local, regional, and global communities. The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Undergraduate programs – The pre-licensure program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. When students complete their BSN degree, they are eligible for licensure as a Registered Nurse in California and certification as a public health nurse. The program runs as a three-year sequence (including two, required, 10-week summer terms) of courses leading to licensure. Courses are offered at variable days and times each term and may involve travel to clinical sites in areas around San Diego County and/or Southwest Riverside County. It is a demanding, full-time program not compatible with a heavy workload. The LVN to BSN program is for students who meet the program’s minimum eligibility requirements. Students who have already completed a Bachelor’s Degree in another discipline may also apply for entry to this nursing program. Cohorts enter the ABSN in the fall, spring, and summer terms and enjoy the same professional support network. The fast-paced, 24-month online additional Bachelor’s is for students who hold a degree in a discipline outside of nursing and have not completed LVN or RN coursework. Students will earn approximately 78 semester units of study in both didactic and clinical coursework under expert guidance and using the best resources available. CSUSM also has an RN to BSN program, operating as an accelerated, online format designed for registered nurses. This fully-online program gives nurses the opportunity to earn their BSN in just 14 months.

Graduate programs – The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is completed on a part-time basis and provides superior graduate education to qualified students. The objective is to prepare nurses in generalist and advanced practice roles for positions in the health care industry, community or public health agencies, and academia, and for continued study at the doctoral level. The MSN program includes a strong foundation in theory and research inquiry. It builds on the knowledge gained at the baccalaureate level and promotes nursing scholarship at the local, state, national and international level through research, service and practice. Values, ethics and multicultural perspectives are heavily embedded within the graduate program. Post-master’s certificates offered. The Advanced Practice Nursing concentration prepares students for advanced practice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).

Texas State University San Marcos and St. David School of Nursing

• 601 University Dr, San Marcos, TX - 78666
• (512) 245-2111
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The St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University opened in the fall of 2010, with a new nursing program for the College of Health Professions. The school features five interactive simulation labs and plenty of state-of-the-art classrooms on its Round Rock campus.

Nursing students enhance their nursing skills on high-fidelity manikins and learn how to address progressively complex patient problems. Graduates promote, maintain, and restore health and wellness by developing a strong practice that incorporates science.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and the master’s degree program in nursing at Texas State University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

• The traditional BSN program admits the 100 most highly-qualified students once a year for the fall semester.
• The RN to BSN degree requires 30 semester hours of nursing courses and can be completed in as few as two semesters. However, if a slower pace is desired, students can take up to 6 semesters to complete the degree.
• The MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program is a 48-credit hour lockstep program in which Registered Nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree advance their skills to the entry level for eligibility for certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner and apply for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
• The Leadership and Administration in Nursing (LAN) program is a hybrid post-professional master’s degree program that prepares post-baccalaureate registered nurses to practice in nursing leadership and administrative roles in a variety of health care institutions.
• The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) program is a hybrid master’s degree that prepares post-baccalaureate registered nurses to provide high quality psychiatric and mental health care for patients across the lifespan in a variety of settings.

Palomar College

• 1140 W. Mission, San Marcos, CA - 92069-1487
• (760) 744-1150
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Palomar College is located in San Marcos, California.  They offer two types of RN degrees – an Associate of Arts (AA) in Nursing and an Associate of Science (AS) in Nursing.  Both have identical nursing coursework, with the AA program requiring additional general education credits.  They also have an LVN to RN option and an LVN 30-unit option.  The LVN 30-unit option allows an LVN to take the coursework required to take the NCLEX-RN in one year, without receiving either an AA or AS degree.  Of note with this option is that this is specific to California – this license may not transfer to other states.