Crafton Hills College Launches Vocational Nurse Program, Expanding Pathways into High-Demand Healthcare Careers

Publish Date: Aug. 12, 2026

Crafton Hills College has rolled out a new Vocational Nurse (VN) Program, expanding the college's healthcare education offerings and creating a direct pathway into one of the region's most in-demand professions. The program comes as the Inland Empire faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals, and Crafton Hills College is looking to help close that gap by preparing more students for careers in nursing. The inaugural cohort began classes on May 26 and is scheduled to graduate on August 13, 2027.

The program is a full-time, 55-week curriculum divided into four terms (Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer), comprising a total of 1,530 hours—576 hours of theory and 954 hours of clinical training and prepares students for careers in skilled nursing facilities, sub-acute recovery centers, and acute care hospitals. Students must first complete the college's Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program and a pharmacology course before applying, and admission requires a separate application process. Upon completion the students are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination-- Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Once completed they will be a Licensed Vocational Nurse. 

The VN Program is designed as a living-wage certificate program that will give students a direct route to stable employment while helping address a persistent nursing workforce shortage in the Inland Empire. To be competitive in employment a post IV Certification course will be offered to all students holding an active license as an LVN, this gives them additional employment skills for clinics, acute care facilities and others. In addition to tuition and registration fees, students should budget for textbooks, program supplies, clinical fees, and licensing and testing costs.

“This program does far more than provide workers to fill gaps. It provides students in our community with a clear path into stable and respectable healthcare careers and provides local healthcare providers with the skilled nurses needed today,” said John Cordova, Vocational Nursing Program Director.

There were twelve students enrolled in the initial cohort; however, Crafton Hills College intends to increase enrollment for the next cohort to twenty students in order to increase student participation in nursing education and support increasing demands for qualified health care personnel.

“Students receive hands-on clinical training from day one, therefore, by the time they graduate, they can confidently enter skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, or recovery centers,” said Dan Word, Dean of Career Education and Human Development.

For more information about the LVN Program, contact John Cordova, Program Director, at jcordova@craftonhills.edu or visit https://www.craftonhills.edu/nursing