Citrus College Health Sciences

Citrus College is a public community college in Glendora, about 25 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, with nursing programs housed in the Health Sciences Department. Students can enter through a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) pathway, complete the one year Vocational Nursing (LVN/PN) program, apply to the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program, or bridge through the LVN to ADN advanced placement option. The RN program also offers an LVN 30 unit option for NCLEX eligibility without earning the degree, which is a specific California pathway students should understand before choosing it.

For students focused on a faster route to licensure, the Vocational Nursing program is full-time over one year with cohorts of 24 students and classes and clinical rotations scheduled five days a week, with occasional evening or weekend assignments. Admission is tied to performance in NRS 100 (Introduction to Vocational Nursing), which is graded pass/no pass based on program selection for the immediately following semester, so planning your timeline matters.

Cost planning is most concrete for the LVN year: as of April 2025, estimated in-program costs total $5,218 (fees, uniforms, books and NCLEX prep materials, background check tracking, and health requirements), with about $900 in post-completion expenses such as licensure-related fees. For ADN students, the program notes that a sizable portion of expenses often comes in the first semester and that transportation to clinical sites and similar costs can add up, so budgeting early is important.

The ADN program has been offered since fall 2007. Coursework is structured around nursing theory alongside lab and clinical practice across the lifespan, with adult-education principles and concept-based courses such as Pharmacology, Mental Health, Medical-Surgical nursing, maternal-newborn, pediatrics, and a capstone focused on clinical judgment and transition to practice. For LVNs entering via advanced placement, Role Transitions: LVN to RN (RNRS 200) includes on-campus lab time to validate and build skills such as physical assessment.

On NCLEX outcomes reported to the state, Citrus College’s average weighted NCLEX-RN pass rate is 96.4% compared with the 2024 California average of 92.7%, and the average weighted NCLEX-PN pass rate is 93.1% compared with the state PN average of 83.8%.

Health Sciences offices are in the Professional Center (PC) Building at the northeast corner of campus at Foothill Boulevard and Barranca Avenue (PC 204), a practical reference point for advising appointments, workshops, and program support.