The Nursing Student's Guide to Orange County Education and Careers

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By C.J. Gustafson, Nursing Schools.com Contributing Writer

The Shoshone Indians had been living in the area of what is now Orange County, California for hundreds of years when Gaspar de Portola, Father Junipero Serra and their party reached the area in 1769. Members of the exploration group named the region The Valley of Saint Anne. Father Serra later returned to the area and established the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, Orange County's first permanent settlement, in November of 1776.

Orange County, California Additional missions and several expansive ranchos were built over the next decades, and cattle, sheep, and silver mining helped drive the economy and encourage development of small towns and cities. Agricultural produce was another top industry, with a year-round harvest of Valencia oranges, lemons, avocados, and walnuts. The large number of orange trees in the region (about 150,000) led to the Orange County name.

Orange County was formally organized as a political entity separate from the County of Los Angeles in 1889, and the area grew quickly with the discovery of oil, the development of aerospace and film industries, and Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park, which opened in Anaheim in 1955.

Today, Orange County encompasses over 50 towns and cities and covers nearly 800 square miles between Los Angeles and San Diego. Santa Ana is the county seat and has a population of just under 350,000 people. Other large cities include Anaheim with 343,000 residents, Huntington Beach with nearly 200,000 people, Irvine and Garden Grove with populations around 150,000 each, and Orange and Fullerton with about 135,000 residents each. All totaled, the cities and unincorporated areas of the Orange County metropolitan region are home to around 3,000,000 people.

Expansive Healthcare Infrastructure
As might be expected, Orange County has an expansive healthcare infrastructure to provide services for this large population. The University of California, Irvine Medical Center is one of the top facilities in the region, offering a full scope of acute and general-care services including a Level 1 trauma center, transplant services, a regional burn center, and the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center is a 413-bed acute care facility located in western Orange County. In addition to a comprehensive list of services, they are also home to the Orange County Regional Cancer Center and a heart center. Mission Hospital serves residents in southern Orange County. Recognized as a Nursing Center of Excellence, they have 340 beds and house the region's designated trauma center as well as Mission Heart Center. CHOC at Mission, a separately licensed pediatric hospital located on the top floor of Mission Hospital, is a unique partnership with Mission Hospital and Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Other area hospitals include Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, St. Jude Medical Center, Anaheim General Hospital, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center, and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, which has various locations in the county. In addition, there are a vast number of clinics, nursing homes, specialty care services, research institutions, and other medical facilities.

Nursing in Orange County, California A Network of Educational Facilities
It is not surprising that an area with such an extensive array of medical care services would also have a well developed network of colleges and universities to help train healthcare professionals. In addition to the University of California - Irvine mentioned above, other institutions that provide health care education in Orange County include California State University-Fullerton's, Nursing Department, Santa Ana College's, Nursing Department

Students at these and other area schools can study a variety of nursing specialties including Midwifery, Critical Care Nursing, Hospice Care Nursing, Forensic Nursing, and Nursing Informatics. They can train to become a Registered Nurse (RN), Nurse Practitioner, or Legal Nurse. Related career fields include Health Care Administrator or Medical Researcher.

The OC Lifestyle
The health care and educational services are just two of the reasons many people choose to study and work in Orange County. With its diverse geography and comfortable climate, the area also offers a wide array of activities and entertainment. According to Orange County Living.com, "What most newcomers to the region will see is that this is the southern California of every American's imagination. The one with surfboards and Beach Boys' songs. With kids on bikes and adults firing up the barbecue…With its beach communities and rugged coastal bluffs, rolling hills, the Pacific Ocean, and mild temperatures that vary between 45 and 70 degrees, Orange County has much to offer."

Frani Doctorow, a realtor with Spectrum Realty-Law Group in Ladera Ranch, adds, "Coastal Orange County is one of the premier attractions to the southern California region and is famous for being able to ski in the local snow-covered mountains in the morning and hit the beach in the afternoon."

If these activities and life in a larger metropolitan area appeal to you, one of the communities in Orange County may be just the place to pursue your career in nursing or a related field.

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