Along freeway exits and major intersections in L.A. County, drivers and pedestrians encounter neon signs that read: “FREE NURSE ASSISTANT TRAINING, CALL NOW!!” The signs are usually stapled to utility poles. They include a phone number, but there’s no indication of who’s behind them.
Certified nurse assistants provide a wide range of care — everything from helping patients eat to supporting them with other necessities, such as bathing, grooming, and using the restroom. Nurse assistants also monitor patients’ vital signs and help them move around safely. Typically, these health care professionals work in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Nurse assistant training programs serve students who may be looking for an entryway into a relatively stable career: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care sector saw some of the largest growth in employment over the past decade, and is projected to be the fastest-growing sector over the next decade.
A number of local community colleges have nurse assistant training programs, but they don’t advertise on utility poles. So we called to see what this one was about.
Who answered?
The phone number on the neon signs belongs to Prestige Career College, a for-profit institution with campuses in Huntington Park, Pomona, and Van Nuys. The ads are for a five-week nurse assistant training program.
When LAist called, a representative immediately began asking questions. “Are you employed?” he asked. “Are you comfortable handling bodily fluids?”
The program is free, he added, but spots are limited, and they go fast. To get started, a serious prospective student would need to go in for a physical, the sooner the better.
What is this college all about?
Prestige Career College offers classroom and hands-on training, where students learn about best practices and legal responsibilities. The college also promises to prepare students for the state certification exam and help them find work.
But to qualify for the program, the representative told LAist, prospective students must be unemployed or have a part-time job. They also can’t have felonies on their record. The college also requires students to present a Social Security card. DACA recipients can also apply.
The representative did not provide details about the admission criteria, but he did share that funding for the program comes from the state.
California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) — which administers federally-funded workforce development plans and state unemployment benefits — confirmed that it has provided funding to Prestige Career College. In an email, the state agency said it has allotted $4,323,488 to the school and that its partnership began in 2022. The partnership is set to expire next spring.
Prestige Career College did not respond to multiple requests for interviews about its programs or admissions criteria.
What do students say about the program?
Melissa Fontanet signed up for Prestige Career College’s nurse assistant program after seeing an ad on the street. She’d worked as a nurse assistant before enrolling, but her certification expired, she told LAist. When weighing her options, Fontanet also looked into other for-profit institutions, but she has an 8-year-old son, and the other schools’ schedules did not align with hers. She took the Prestige ad as a sign.
Fontanet, a first-generation college student, completed her coursework at the Pomona campus and is now employed at a nursing home in El Monte. When she looks back on her time at Prestige Career College, she recalls dedicated instructors — particularly when it came time to do hands-on training. One of her favorite instructors was especially strict, Fontanet added, “always making sure we were following correct protocol and, you know, not picking up bad habits.”
Fontanet also recalls a strong sense of camaraderie among her classmates. If one of them was short on gas money, the others would make sure they got to class.
At the end of their time together, Prestige held a potluck. “It made a lot of people emotional,” Fontanet said, "like they accomplished something.”
What are my other options?
California’s public community colleges also offer certified nurse assistant programs, and they don’t have the same admissions criteria as Prestige Career College. Many of the community college programs are tuition-free, but students may have to pay for other essentials, including textbooks, uniforms, and physical exams.
To find the right program, be sure to ask about tuition and other anticipated costs. Also, find out if the school loans any supplies. (At Prestige Career College, for instance, students are required to have their own computer. But at Santa Monica College, students can check out Chromebooks.)
Prospective students should also inquire about a program’s graduation rate, as well as the pass rate for the state exam.
