California Certified Lvn Schools

Many certified, or accredited, educational programs are available throughout California for those who wish to become licensed vocational nurses (LVNs). These schools are accredited by California's Board of Vocational Nursing & Psychiatric Technicians (the Board), which is responsible for the licensing and regulating of vocational nurses. To qualify for California's vocational-nurse licensing exam, the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), an individual must have attended an accredited school.

Accredited Schools

In accrediting a nursing program, the Board determines that the program complies with the Vocational Nursing Practice Act, the regulations governing nursing. It also reviews the curriculum of a program to be certain that instruction is provided in the knowledge and skills essential for nursing and that, once licensed, the nurse will administer safe and capable care at the beginner's level. The list of California's accredited schools can be found on the Board's website (see Reference number 3 below).

Additional Accreditation Issues

The Board, whose "highest priority," as it states on its website, is to protect the public against "unprofessional" and "unsafe" nursing, reviews such additional issues as the instructor-to-student ratio, which can be no higher than 1:15. Among other tasks, the Board evaluates the education and training of instructors, determines if the curriculum contains a balanced amount of theory and clinical hours and evaluates the appropriateness of clinical facilities.

Selecting a Program

It is critical to select a LVN school or program that is accredited. Consult the Board's list of accredited schools on its website or call the organization (916-263-7843). To evaluate an accredited program, check the rate of those who passed the licensing exam. The pass rate (listed on the Board's website) of the best schools is 100 percent.

Curriculum

LVN study covers basic nursing and patient care. Subjects include nutrition, anatomy, physiology, pediatrics, drug administration and first aid. A total of 1,530 training hours are required to qualify for the licensing exam: 576 hours in theory; 954 in clinical care. The program length is 12 to 14 months for full-time students and 18 to 20 months for part-time students.

Cautions

In California, a growing number of unaccredited nursing programs claim to be accredited. Before enrollment be certain that the school is accredited. Any portion of a vocational nursing program taken at an unaccredited school will be disqualified from the NCLEX licensing exam. Online courses will also be disqualified.