California offers a wide range of medical certificate and degree programs, and the Department of Commerce lists nursing schools with campuses in every major city, including the greater Los Angeles area, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco. Despite the presence of campus-based nursing programs, the state has a comparatively low number of registered nurses per capita. The California Board of Registered Nursing has been working to make education more accessible, which includes increasing the number of California nursing schools online.

The California Board of Registered Nursing spearheaded an affiliation between Southwestern College, San Diego State University and the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing (OU). Students located in San Diego can gain clinical experience while earning education credits through the OU online Accelerated Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.

A similar program exists between Sonoma College and Indiana State University. The state has approved other California nursing schools online accredited with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Online schools include these:

• University of Phoenix School of Nursing
• Walden University School of Nursing
• Jacksonville University

Living and working in California

Online nursing schools in California offer convenient scheduling, but students still may face financial constraints. California is attempting to address these, and students have access to scholarships such as these:

• Sandra Spaulding Scholarship
• Shirley Titus Scholarship
• Region 11 Scholarship

The nursing workforce and general population are both aging in California, and despite the state's efforts, the nursing shortage may continue to grow. In some states, this might mean overwork for nurses, but California's unionized nurses and recent legislation aim to keep working conditions reasonable.

In 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California had the highest number of registered nurses out of all the states, with 240,030 professionals in this field. The state also paid the top wages for RNs, with a mean yearly salary of $87,480.