VOCATIONAL NURSING
Pacific College · Costa Mesa, CA
- Cost
- $34,277
- Length
- 48 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 79%
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 140
- Finished the program
- 69%Based on 51 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 79%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $12,610A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
The job this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
No regional figures for this program's city
Costa Mesa is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Job ads may call this: Charge Nurse · Clinic Nurse · Office Nurse · Private Duty Nurse
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Typical pay in California
- $81,982per year
- Projected openings
- 81,600
- Projected change
- +15%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: Started college, no degree — 55% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award. That is not one of the steps below, so there is no way to count how many people meet it.
- No high school diploma
- 2%
- High school diploma
- 20%
- Started college, no degree
- 55%
- Two-year degree
- 18%
- Four-year degree
- 4%
- Master's degree
- 0.6%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.3%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job. It is also measured on a different scale from “Usually needs” above, so the two cannot be subtracted from one another.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
This program will provide students with quality education and training in the area of vocational nursing. The vocational nurse provides direct care to patients under the supervision of a physician or registered nurse in hospitals, long-term convalescent care facilities and home health agencies. This program will prepare students to take the state licensure examination. The purpose of this program is to provide students with the didactic theory and clinical experiences.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.
The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator
Orange County Workforce Solutions Center- Mobile Unit -Affiliate site
Phone: 866-500-6587
1300 S. Grand AvenueUse this link to find location-https://www.ocworkforce-solutions.com/mobile-unitSanta Ana, CA 92705about 5.1 miles away
Hours: Varies- Check website to book
Santa Ana WORK CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 714-565-2600
801 West Civic Center Drive,Suite 200Santa Ana, CA 92701about 5.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Has a veterans' representative
Anaheim Workforce ConnectionComprehensive center
Phone: 714-765-4350
201 S. Anaheim BoulevardWest Tower Suite 203Anaheim, CA 92805about 11.4 miles away
Hours: Mon. thru Fri 8:00 - 5:00
Has a veterans' representative
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →