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Bakersfield College is by far the largest college in Kern County, serving over 31,000 students annually. BC is also one of 15 community colleges in California offering Baccalaureate Degrees. BC offers a number of nursing programs: There's a 3 semester, 45 unit vocational nursing program, an 8 week CNA program, a 2 semester LVN to RN program, and a 2 year Registered Nurse program.
There are many nurses in Bakersfield today who took the CNA program at Bakersfield College, then the LVN program at BC, then the LVN to RN program at BC, and then on to CSU Bakersfield's RN to BSN program.
BC also has educational tracks for becoming a radiologic technologist(commonly referred to as X-ray tech), physical therapy assistant, and health information technologist. Many of the prerequisites for the LVN program are the same that are needed for admittance to other healthcare programs.
The pay for healthcare providers has never been higher. With Covid still in sight, the demand for nurses has also never been higher. California LVNs now average $63,676 annually.
Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology(BIOL B18): This is a 4 unit life science course. Completion of both Human Anatomy & Physiology I(B32) and Human Anatomy & Physiology II(B33) is also accepted.
General Psychology(PSYC B1A): This is a 3 unit course, explaining psychological phenomena of cognitive, developmental, and sociocultural theories.
For the math prerequisite, any ONE of the following courses is accepted:
Students applying to BC's LVN program must also be eligible to take Expository Composition(ENGL B1A): In order to be eligible to take ENGL B1A, the student must receive a qualifying score on the college assessment test. Completion of either ENGL B50 or EMLS B50 is also accepted.
The student applying to the program must also be a Certified Nurse Assistant. A copy must be submitted when applying. All applicants must have either a high school diploma or GED.
When applying to BC's LVN program, all prerequisites must be met. You can find the link to BC's online application HERE. After printing the online application, make sure ALL sections are completed. Bakersfield College rejects all incomplete applications, so don't leave anything blank! An official or unofficial college transcript which shows that all prerequisites have been completed.
If you've taken some or all of your prerequisites at a different college, you'll need to order an official copy of your transcripts from the other school(s). If you attended either Cerro Coso Community College or Porterville College, you won't need to submit transcripts for evaluation.
After your transcripts are submitted, the Admissions office at Bakersfield College will evaluate them to make sure they meet eligibility requirements. These are many of the same prerequisites needed to apply to other nursing programs in Bakersfield.
The LVN program at San Joaquin Valley College(SJVC) takes 15 months to complete. This is a full-time program with clinical rotations in Bakersfield-area nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and acute care facilities.
There are no prerequisites for SJVC's LVN program. However, prospective students must attend orientation sessions.
Unitek College(UC) offers 2 LVN programs: a 12 month full-time day program, and a 17 month pert-time evening program. Graduates of both programs are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam.
Many schools, like Bakersfield Adult School and Bakersfield College, require prerequisite courses to be completed prior to applying. The programs at Unitek College don't require prerequisites.
UC's Bakersfield campus also offers a 3 year BSN program, and a 2 year LVN to BSN program.
Bakersfield Adult School(BAS)'s LVN program is 22 months long. Their program has a 100% NCLEX pass rate. The LVN program is currently severely impacted, which means many students will either be placed on a waiting list, or will have to reapply each semester.
The total cost of their program is $6,500, which includes laptop, uniforms, books, and all associated costs.
There are 4 prerequisite courses which must be completed prior to application:
Cerro Coso Community College has a campus in Lake Isabella with a 3 semester LVN program. The Lake Isabella campus is called Kern River Valley(KRV).
In order to apply for KRV's LVN program, 6 prerequisites must be completed:
KRV's LVN program is currently impacted, so not all applicants will be accepted. Students with higher GPA's in their prerequisite courses will have a greater chance of being accepted.
High Desert Medical College(HDMC)'s Bakersfield campus has a 56 week, full-time LVN program. Their other 2 campuses, in Temecula and Lancaster, also offer vocational nursing programs.
There are no prerequisites prior to enrolling in the program, but prospective students must take a Wonderlic nursing assessment test.
HDMC also offers certification programs in Phlebotomy, Pharmacy Technician, Medical Assisting, Medical Billing & Coding, Dental Assisting, Ultrasound Technology, and more.
Cerro Coso Community College(CCCC)'s main campus is located in Ridgecrest. Thier LVN program takes 18 months to complete.
The program at CCCC is impacted. This means that there are more qualified applicants than there are available seats. CCCC doesn't maintain a waiting list. Instead, applicants who are not accepted must reapply the following semester.
As of January 1st 2023, there are 4 prrequisite courses:
The Bakersfield College LVN program is accredited by the California Board of Vocational Nursing Psychiatric Technicians and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Upon completion of the program, students will be allowed to sit for the NCLEX/PN exam. The NCLEX is the exam students must pass in order to be licensed as a nurse in California.
The NCLEX/PN exam is 5 hours long, and many vocational nursing new grads take weeks or months studying for the Boards. The results are typically sent to the students in 6 weeks.
There are no completely online LVN programs in California. Most programs in Bakersfield take a "hybrid" approach. This means that some prerequisite courses or classroom courses can be completed online.
However, every program must have clinical rotations. These rotations involve working hands-on in skilled nursing and/or hospital facilities. Hands-on experience is critical in nursing school, and a program cannot become accredited if there aren't in-person clinical rotations.
The total cost of the LVN program is $7,286. That covers application fees, 3 semesters of tuition($2,020), books(total of $1,900), assessments & reviews($1,402), and physical and immunizations($440). The rest are costs for application fees, parking, health fees, etc.
The California Community College Board of Governors allows for many California students to participate in a fee waiver program. The cost for attending Bakersfield College, or any other community college in California is $46 per unit.
So, the LVN program is 44 units. That means that the CCPG will cover the total $2,020 tuition. It can also be used to waive a portion of the student's parking fees.
The majority of LVN programs in California are through California's community college system, so no matter where you go in the state, you can apply. But it's ONLY through community colleges, not private ones.
Many other aid programs are also available to students. The Federal Pell Grant is money that doesn't have to be paid back. The maximum possible Pell award is $6,495 for the 2022-23 award year. The amount of the grant varies based on financial need.
BC has many other healthcare career paths apart from nursing: