RN Programs in California

The nursing shortage in California mirrors the national shortage. According to a May, 2009 study released by the California Institute for Nursing and Health Care, California is projected to have a shortfall of 108,000 nurses by 2020. Nationwide, the U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts more than 1 million new and replacement workers will likely be needed by 2012 in the nursing field alone, and as many as 5.3 million health care worker vacancies could exist by then. "As the surge of baby boomers hits age 65 next year, the need for nurses will accelerate and generate more jobs, both inside and outside of the hospital setting", according to Deloras Jones, RN, director of the Oakland-based California Institute for Nursing & Health Care. "The demand for high-quality care will continue to grow, and nurses with master's degrees will likely be in demand in all regions", said Kathleen Dracup, RN, DNSc, professor and dean of the UCSF School of Nursing. Generally, RNs with at least a bachelor's degree (BSN) will have a better job outlook than those without a bachelor's. Nurse Educators, geriatric nurses, home health nurses, and all advanced practice specialties -clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, and nurse anesthetists - are in good demand, particularly in medically underserved areas.

In order to meet the increasingly complex demands of today's health care environment, many healthcare agencies prefer or require a minimum of a bachelor's degree for their nursing staff, so now is the perfect time for LPN's to enroll in an online LPN to RN program, or LPN to BSN degree program, for RN's to take an online RN-BSN degree completion program, or RN to MSN bridge program, and for BSN nurses to earn a MS in Nursing degree.

Average Nursing Base Salaries:

Find Nursing Schools and Allied Health Programs For California

Browse accredited nursing schools and allied health programs that accept students from California, then request information from any or all schools offering programs that match your needs: