For medical assistants licensed by the State of California, there are several different career paths to go from a Medical Assistant to a Registered Nurse in Bakersfield Ca.
So, you’ve gone through the Medical Assistant program at Kaplan, Bakersfield Adult School, High Desert, etc….wherever you went, you’re now a Certified Medical Assistant. But what if you want to continue your education, and you’re thinking about going to nursing school for your RN. You’ve already had to take some tough classes: Administration of Meds, proper drug dosing, pharmacology, phlebotomy, EHR, injections, universal precautions/maintaining a sterile environment, ethics/medical law, etc. So you already know how to study, prioritize, and have the tools to finish a healthcare program successfully. In Bakersfield, there’s many avenues to get through nursing school without getting caught up in all the hurdles so many new students have to deal with.
The Quickest (AND MOST EXPENSIVE) Way To Finish Nursing School
One of the debates that is always raging is, should you pay for a private nursing program, if it costs tens of thousands of dollars?
Well, there’s pro’s and con’s to going that route. Obvious Con: Very expensive, it’ll cost between $30,000-$40,000 for the whole thing. The Pro: Let’s say you don’t have to deal with waiting lists, excessive prerequisites, and all that. It’s possible to finish from A to Z in as little as 2 1/2 years. So, you could be making RN pay a couple of years early. The most expedient route is to enroll in one of the private LVN programs in Kern County. Some of these programs can be finished in as little as 50 weeks. Once you have your LVN, you can “Bridge” over in the Bakersfield College nursing program, which means you start in the THIRD semester, instead of the first.
- 50 week LVN program
- Bridge program at Bakersfield College, enter in the 3rd semester
Please remember, though, that you’ll still need to have your Bakersfield College nursing program prerequisites done. Those 5 classes can be taken while you’re IN the LVN program, or before or after.
Here’s the list of LVN programs in Bakersfield & Kern County
The Cheapest, Traditional Route: Bakersfield College Nursing Program
Then there’s the tried & true way of getting your Registered Nurse license, which has been around forever. Although this may take a couple of years longer due to waiting lists, etc, it’s also the cheapest.
There’s a few choices, and they all use our existing public education facilities. Bakersfield College Nursing Program: With this, you have to do the standard apply for admission, take your prerequisites, enroll in the two year nursing program, and you’re done! Obviously, it’s never that easy, as any of the former students can tell you. It’s a competitive program, and also highly regarded. With the lottery system for deciding who gets accepted to the program, and with talk that it may soon be “Merit-Based” in the near future, it’s possible to get in on your first try. I know quite a few Bakersfield Nurses who started their prerequisites, finished those in two semesters, applied & were accepted the first time they applied, and finished the two year program. For them, from A to Z, it took 3 1/2 – 4 years. BUT… they had no student debt when they were done! Between the Pell Grant, and the Board of Governors Tuition Waiver For California Community Colleges, you can make it through Bakersfield College without shelling out big bucks for it. There are lots of grants and scholarships (which don’t have to be paid back) to partially or even completely pay for your education. That’s a win for everybody, because once you’ve gotten your license, you’ll be making more money, which means you’ll be paying more in taxes!
Tons of information on the Bakersfield College Nursing Program
ADN Program
The Associate’s Degree in Nursing program typically takes 3 years to complete. It depends on which Kern County college you’re attending, but most require at least a few prerequisites.
BSN Program
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is available from Cal State/Bakersfield. Currently, their nursing Program is impacted, so a spot is in no way guaranteed. In order to apply to the nursing program, you first have to be enrolled at CSUB.
CSUB First Time Freshmen
For students applying at CSUB who have never attended a university or college, and have earned a GED or high school diploma, are classified as first-time freshmen. There is a specific office at CSUB dedicated to these students: the Records & Admissions Office FTF(First Time Freshmen) can be found online HERE. Once a student has been admitted to CSUB, the first-time freshman will be able to work directly with an adviser specializing in Pre-nursing. The purpose of working with this CSUB adviser is to put pen to paper to put together a solid, coherent pre-application plan and a working educational plan.
CSUB Transfer Students
For the student who has attended a university or college in the past and is interested in pursuing a degree in Nursing are considered Transfer Students. CSUB has an office dedicated to Transfer Students: Records & Admissions for TS(Transfer Students. The BSN Program accepts Transfer Students applications. Any requirements that haven’t been fulfilled at the previous college or university must be completed by the published deadline. As of 2015, there is only 1 starting BSN class per academic year. Information sessions are regularly scheduled to discuss transferring or applying to CSUB.