Sierra College ranked as best nursing school in California

ROCKLIN — Sierra College’s nursing program was just named the best in all of California.

The program was ranked number one by RegisteredNursing.org.

Nancy James is the dean of nursing and allied health sciences at Sierra College. She said the results were a little surprising. 

“Because the competition is fierce,” she said. “All of the nursing programs in the Sacramento area, and honestly state, are amazing nursing programs.”

James added that now is a great time to enter the field.

“It’s a great profession here in California,” James said. “My new grads with absolutely no experience are starting between $55-60 an hour.”

That is around $120,000 per year. It’s rewarding, but James warns that the work is not easy. Nursing is two years of school – after prerequisites – and can be highly competitive.

“No one can prepare you for what nursing school is like,” she said. “We just met with a student the other day and she said, ‘I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into.’ “

Then there’s the workload. More and more, nurses are being asked to carry more of the load in hospitals and private practices. We’ve covered multiple protests, calling for more help.

“You try to help each other. We try to work as a team all of the time, but often, you really feel torn,” Jenny-Wong-Swanson told CBS13 during a rally in May. “I can’t be here and there at the same time.”

Burnout, especially post-COVID has become a big issue that health care professionals are trying to address.

“We’re looking at including in the second year of our nursing program more professional development in preparation of that so they don’t have burnout,” James said. “It’s a common thing and it’s discussed all the time.”

In the end, James said it’s a great career. She just wants people to know what they’re signing up for.