Education: Best Nursing School

JEFF GRITCHEN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Register readers voted CNI College as the top nursing school as part of the 29th annual Best of Orange County awards. 1. CNI College

1610 E Saint Andrew Place, Suite 200, Santa Ana; 714-437-9697, 888-220-3701; cnicollege.edu

Celebrating 28 years in Orange County, CNI College offers accredited postsecondary vocational training in nursing and the health sciences fields, including programs in Vocational Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the RN-toBSN Completion Program.

After a number of years in the city of Orange, CNI moved to its single location in Santa Ana in 2019. Designed to look like a hospital, the 52,000 square-foot campus features high-tech classrooms and laboratories, an operating room lab and high-fidelity simulation labs, including high-fidelity mannequins that can simulate childbirth. Additionally, the site provides traditional campus spaces, such as a student union, library and other student support services.

“The simulation labs provide a safe learning environment where students have hands-on training to practice and apply fundamental and advanced skills before they go into the clinical settings,” says Director of Digital Marketing & Community Relations, Shannon O’Hara.

Supplemental resources are available to CNI’s approximately 950 students through their Library Information Resources Network (LIRN) online database and St. Joseph Hospital’s Burlew Medical Library.

The school’s “excellence in education” extends to serving the local community through a number of annual volunteer efforts.

“Our school believes in giving back to the community with its time, talents and energy,” says O’Hara, as CNI students consistently support local organizations such as CHOC Children’s Hospital, Orangewood Children’s Home and the Ronald McDonald House. — Jenelyn Russo

2. Stanbridge University

2041 Business Center Drive, Irvine; 888-789-6208; stanbridge.edu

Stanbridge University’s Orange County campus, located in Irvine, is home to more than 1,000 students, with over half enrolled in one of their five nursing programs. Learning paths include Associate of Occupational Science in Vocational Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, including RN-SN Degree Completion, and Master of Science in Nursing Education or Leadership.

The school boasts 98% NCLEX-RN and 96% NCLEX-PN licensure pass rate averages over the last five years.

“Stanbridge University Orange County campus’s pre-licensure nursing programs offer students a unique emphasis on thorough admissions review, academic rigor and innovative hands-on learning to support preparation for modern nursing careers,” says Victoria Sauer, Stanbridge University’s director of marketing.

Students have access to state-of-the-art tools, such as a the first SynDaver Synthetic Cadaver Lab on the West Coast, an Anatomage Table anatomy visualization system that provides fullscale human virtual dissection and an Advanced Laerdal Haptic IV Trainer for repeat practice of intravenous techniques.

With locations in Los Angeles, Ontario and Anaheim, American Career College has more than 40 years of experience providing handson health care training to more than 50,000 graduates. ACC’s Anaheim campus provides education tracks for 12 health care programs, including an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), Medical Assistant, Surgical Technology and Vocational Nursing.

The school places a focus not only on educating the next generation of health care professionals, but also on the “soft skills” that accompany the nursing profession. ACC Co-President and COO, Timothy Lee, says both the art and science of nursing are infused into the school’s curriculum and culture, which allows for a “student-centric” approach to all operations.

“We have a service-based curriculum and mentality,” says Lee. “We encourage empathy and giving back.”

As a result, Lee says that ACC’s programs produce great practitioners, as well as great people.

“Every student at ACC leaves a little bit better than they came.”

3. American Career College

1200 N. Magnolia Ave., Anaheim; 714-763-9066; americancareercollege.edu