Palomar College

Palomar College’s Nursing Education Department is based at the San Marcos campus (1140 W. Mission Road) in North County San Diego. The main campus sits just south of CA-78 with quick connections to I-15, which matters for early-morning clinical check-ins and skills labs. For many students, commuting from nearby communities such as Escondido, Vista, Oceanside, and Rancho Bernardo is typical; traffic increases around the CA-78 and I-15 interchange during peak hours.

Palomar is a public community college offering two pre-licensure associate-degree routes: an ADN program and an LPN-to-ADN option. Within the ADN, students can graduate with either an Associate in Science (AS) in Nursing or an Associate in Arts (AA) in Nursing; the nursing coursework is the same, and the AA includes additional general education units in American History and Institutions. The generic RN sequence is structured as four semesters after prerequisites and general education, moving from fundamentals and medical-surgical nursing to focused semester content in pediatrics, behavioral health, and obstetrics, then advanced medical-surgical concepts, gerontology, ICU exposure, and a preceptorship in the final term.

Coursework is built around theoretical instruction paired with clinical learning experiences, and the curriculum is mapped to QSEN competencies (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses). The program’s stated approach also highlights evidence-based nursing interventions, clinical decision-making using the nursing process and critical thinking, and care across the lifespan in diverse settings.

The RN program is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing and accredited by ACEN, with continuing accreditation reported. On NCLEX-RN outcomes, Palomar reports an average weighted pass rate of 94.9%, which is above the 2024 California state average of 92.7%.