Overview
Career outlook
Employers hire licensed practical nurses to provide basic patient care such as monitoring vital signs, administering medications, and assisting with daily needs under the supervision of registered nurses and physicians.
Getting in
What Southwestern College asks for, taken from its own admissions page.
What you'll need
- Prerequisite courses
Catalog plan of study for the Vocational Nursing Certificate of Achievement (also offered as an AS) at the Higher Education Center at Otay Mesa: three semesters of VN courses after prerequisites of CNA certification or equivalent, ENGL C1000 (or 115H/ESL 115A), BIOL 260 Human Anatomy, BIOL 261 Human Physiology, HLTH 204 Nutrition and STAT C1000; COMM 103 or 174 required for general education. Proficiency in college-level reading and composition and elementary statistics is required for department acceptance; transfer credit for related education within five years is case by case. Application dates, fees and entrance exam are not published on the college or catalog pages.
Checked Oct 2026 on the school's site. Requirements change each cycle, so confirm before you apply.
Prerequisites
The prerequisites you'll need to meet to apply to this program at Southwestern College. Open a category to see each one.