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Patient care technician training in California

2 patient care technician programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

2 schools offer these patient care technician programs, and California has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

The federal job guide has no separate profile for patient care technicians; the closest is nursing assistants, who give basic care and help patients with daily activities. Nursing assistants often complete a state-approved program and pass the state's competency exam, which puts them on the state registry that nursing home work requires.1

In California, both programs ask for a high school diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 2 programs here are patient care technician with nursing assistant (CNA) training (1 program) and patient care technician course (1 program).

See the 2 programs

How much does patient care technician training cost in California?

$4,000 to $9,504

from the lowest-priced program to the highest, if you pay yourself

These two programs

Finished the program
87%
Working 6 months later
63%
Earned a year, estimated
about $10,900
Length
20 to 24 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in California may also offer patient care technician training. How these figures are made

Is there free patient care technician training in California?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 2 patient care technician programs in California approved for WIOA funding

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2 programs

  • Patient care technician with nursing assistant (CNA) trainingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Patient Care Technician

    RCOE School of Career Education

    Riverside

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    RCOE School of Career Education, RiversidePatient care technician with nursing assistant (CNA) training · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$10,900
    Price if you pay yourself$9,504

    8 students trained with WIOA funding

    Program website, Patient Care Technician at RCOE School of Career Education
    More details about Patient Care Technician at RCOE School of Career Education
    Finished
    87%
    Working at 6 months
    63%
    Earned in a quarter
    $2,729
    Length
    20 weeks, 30 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $596
    Students counted
    32
    Earned a year, estimated
    $10,900
    Price if you pay yourself
    $9,504
    students trained with WIOA funding
    8
    Program website, Patient Care Technician at RCOE School of Career Education

  • Patient care technician courseOnlineHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Patient Care Technician

    Pacific Union College

    Based in Angwin, CA

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Pacific Union College, based in Angwin, CAPatient care technician course · Accredited schoolOnline · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$4,000
    More details about Patient Care Technician at Pacific Union College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    24 weeks, 16 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $500
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $4,000

How to pay for patient care technician training in California

WIOA funding can pay for patient care technician training in California

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for patient care technician training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for patient care technician training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Other training in California

How patient care technician training compares with the rest of nursing and patient care: Nursing and patient care programs in California

Where the California patient care technician program numbers come from

Which California patient care technician programs are on this list?

These are the patient care technician programs California approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what California offers.

How the prices and results of California patient care technician programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about patient care technician training in California

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nursing Assistants and Orderlies
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List