Nursing home · Top rated by CMS
University Care Center
5602 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105 · Map
For profit - Corporation · Part of Pacs Group (264 facilities) · 87 certified beds
University Care Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in San Diego, California. CMS rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall (2/5 for staffing, 4/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 4.11 hours per resident per day, below the California average of 4.51. Its most recent inspection on May 7, 2025 cited 8 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How University Care Center compares
This facility vs. the California and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | California avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 4.11 | 4.51 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.48 | 0.65 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.54 | 2.64 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 45.1% | 38.1% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 8.0 | 15.4 | 9.5 | below avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
- Every deficiency from the August 4, 2025 inspection was corrected by August 29, 2025
What inspectors found at University Care Center
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Aug 4, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · May 7, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · May 7, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · May 7, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that feeding tubes are not used unless there is a medical reason and the resident agrees; and provide appropriate care for a resident with a feeding tube.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · May 7, 2025 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · May 7, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · May 7, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Minimal
Provide rooms that are at least 80 square feet per resident in multiple rooms and 100 square feet for single resident rooms.
Environmental Deficiencies · May 7, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Jan 28, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 28, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Nov 13, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that nurses and nurse aides have the appropriate competencies to care for every resident in a way that maximizes each resident's well being.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · Nov 13, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 5602 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105 - CMS certification #
- 055328
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 87
- Avg residents/day
- 80.8
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1967-01-10
- Chain
- Pacs Group (264 facilities)
- Setting
- Urban
Part of Pacs Group
Pacs Group operates 264 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Pacs Group facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around University Care Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day
- Staff pay 1 federal wage case with violations found, since 2006
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What University Care Center says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
24/7 Nursing Care
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026)
Staff pay and workplace safety
Federal records about how the employer here treats its staff.
Federal wage and hour cases
The Department of Labor checks that staff are paid minimum wage and overtime as the law requires.
- Findings for Jun 13, 2006 to Jun 12, 2008. Violations found: Overtime. Back wages: $369 owed to 4 employees. Employer as DOL recorded it: University Care Center (Birch Holdings, LLC). Case 1500456.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, loaded Oct 15, 2026. Concluded cases only. The dates are the period in which DOL found violations, not when the case opened or closed. Back wages are what the employer agreed to pay; penalties are what DOL assessed. DOL does not publish a page for each case, so search the dataset by case number.
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego, San Diego. 3.2 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 4 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Jacob Healthcare Center, San Diego. 0.2 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Star Home Health, LLC, San Diego. 0.1 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy. 1.3 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 92105 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Fmc Dialysis Services Of College, San Diego, 0.7 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 4 of 5 stars)
Davita College Dialysis, San Diego, 0.9 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Ikidney Dialysis, San Diego, 1.0 mile away, straight line - Hospice
- 65 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 92105.
Anc Corporation, office in La Mesa, 2.6 miles away, straight line
Together Hospice Care LLC, office in La Mesa, 3.1 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars)
Mission Hospice Services Of San Diego LLC, office in San Diego, 3.6 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Family Health Centers Of San Diego Inc, Lemon Grove. 2.7 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: very low. By hazard: hurricane very low, inland flooding relatively low, tornado very low, heat wave relatively low, earthquake relatively moderate. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | See above |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: no FEMA wildfire rating of moderate or higher here |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is University Care Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives University Care Center an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars, including 2/5 for staffing and 4/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is University Care Center staffed?
University Care Center reports 4.11 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the California average of 4.51.
Has University Care Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 8 deficiencies.
How many beds does University Care Center have?
University Care Center is certified for 87 beds.