There are many opportunities to receive free healthcare training and help to pay to take a degree or training curriculum for a healthcare field in California.
Career Specific Grants and Scholarships
Some scholarship opportunities will be specific to a career. Take for instance, the “Past Presidents’ Parley Nursing Scholarship.” This scholarship is offered through American Legions to help students who had a parent that served in the military during past wars. You will need to find an American Legion in your local area that will sponsor you if you are eligible to apply for this scholarship.
You may find other civic groups in your area that offer the opportunity for students in specific healthcare fields to apply for funding. If your tuition costs more than the award amount, apply for more than one scholarship and grant option.
Career Training through an Employer
For some healthcare careers, you might be able to apply for training through an employer. You will work for the employer who covered your training after your successfully complete the program. This option is frequently available for individuals wishing to become CNAs but may be available for other entry level medical field careers as well.
You can contact local nursing homes to see if they are hiring and if they provide you with your training direction to become a CNA. For example, Country Villa Maple Healthcare often has CNA training at their Los Angeles, California location. Chances are pretty good that you could find free CNA training at a nursing care facility somewhere near you.
Colleges that Were Provided Government Grants
Sometimes colleges are provided grants to offer education for at risk students or to help fill job shortages. For example, the Los Angeles Southwest College was given a grant to help get more students trained for healthcare related fields. One such training field they offer is for certified nursing assistants. You can talk to the financial aid office to determine if you can apply for this scholarship and the steps to do so.
You will find that there are other colleges with similar career training fields to help get people trained for jobs so they can be self sufficient in a short amount of time. Visit the financial aid office on any schools of interest to find out what opportunities they might have for you.
Employer reimbursement
Employer reimbursement can help you pay for healthcare training for short-term programs such as phlebotomy, EKG or CNA. Sometimes if you have recently completed training in one of these areas, your new employer will reimburse you for any out of pocket expenses you already paid to your school or training facility. When seeking employment in one of these career areas, do not by shy about asking if they have a reimbursement benefit for you if you are hired.
The American Red Cross
Various Red Cross Chapters throughout California offer nursing assistant training. They do typically charge a fee for this training. However, most chapters have scholarships and other financial assistance opportunities for which students can apply. If you are struggling financially and can show that you will benefit from this training and go on to become a successful and helpful certified nursing assistant, you could be one of the individuals approved for free CNA training at a nearby Red Cross location.
Health Professions Education Foundation
The Health Professions Education Foundation offers various scholarships for Allied Health Care program. One such scholarship is the Allied Health Care Scholarship Program for individuals enrolled in the following programs:
Certified Nurse Assistants, Clinical Laboratory Science, Community Health Worker, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Medical Assistant, Medical Imaging, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Pharmacy Technician, Physical Therapy Assistant, Radiation Therapy Technology, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care, Surgical Technician, Ultrasound Technician
You need to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 and must be enrolled in 6 units or more. You must also be free from any other service obligation except HPEF Scholarship programs. At the end of the course, you will be required to give a 12 month full time service commitment at a qualified facility in California or 100 hours of Volunteer service.
Contact Information:
400 R Street, Suite 460, Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone : (916) 326-3640, Fax: (916) 324-6585
Email: hpef-email@oshpd.ca.gov
You may also want to apply for their scholarship program if you are enrolled in one of their California Board Committee approved program which includes Dental Hygiene. You would need to be enrolled in 6 units or more and maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher. At the end of the program you will need to work in a medically undeserved area to provide care for 24 months. You may check on their website to see if a site is a qualified facility.
Depending on funds available they provide upto USD 50,000 in scholarships.
You may apply through CalREACH or call 1-800-773-1669 for more information.
Radiology, Health and Medical Sciences Scholarship
The Health Professions Education Foundation also offers a scholarship award of upto USD 4,000 to students wishing to study Radiology, Health and Medical Sciences. It is restricted to Students residents of California who are studying in California itself. It is a one time award and has no deadline for application. This scholarship is available through Peterson’s. You can create an account on their website (petersons.com) and apply. There are also other awards and grants available through Petersons that may be worth checking out.
National Institute of Health
If you are looking for a scholarship because you find the cost of training unaffordable then you may want to try and apply for the scholarship offered by the National Institutes of Health. This is a NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds. There is an opportunity to obtain a renewable scholarship of upto USD 20,000. You need to be an undergraduate student enrolled in a 2 or 4 year college and maintain a GPA of 3.5. The award is restricted to certain fields of study but includes health and medical sciences. They have about 10-15 spots available every year and many apply so it is a competitive award.
Most of the colleges and universities have scholarships and financial aid available. You can ask for more information from the financial aid office of your chosen institution. The most important thing in the application process is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms. You may want to spend some uninterrupted hour or two to fill them out as they are time consuming but extremely important.
Location Specific Scholarships
Sometimes there are specialized scholarships for students living in a certain area and meeting other niche requirements. For example, medical assistant students who are of Latino heritage residing in San Diego, can apply for the Alice Newell Joslyn Fund. The fund is intended to help economically disadvantaged students who will excel in their career and their community. Scholarship information can be found by visiting:
http://www.becafoundation.org/scholarships.
Talk to a counselor at your high school of financial aid adviser at college to learn about other scholarships for people living in particular communities within the state.
Foundation Scholarships
Students can find foundation scholarships through their university. As an example: California State University-San Marcos nursing students can apply for the Mary Lesko Family Foundation scholarship. A student need to have a GPA of not lower than 3.0 and must be going to school full-time. Students who qualify are those who cannot afford their education on their own due to financial need. Visit the financial aid office for the complete application.
333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd-San Marcos, CA 92096
Many scholarships are available for students in California who wish to pursue healthcare degrees at an entry level of even those at a midlevel. You can use a combination of financial supports to cover the entire cost of your training.
JobTrain
JobTrain is devoted to reducing unemployment in the region and provides various types of support to out of school youths and adults looking to transform their lives. They also provide free certified vocational training in a number of areas, Medical Assistant being one of them. If you live in or around the Silicon Valley then this can be a good opportunity for you.
Contact Information:
1200 O’Brien Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Phone: (650) 330-6429
Local Unemployment Agency
The unemployment agencies have career training centers affiliated with them that provide free or low cost training to help individuals get back on their career path and get a job as well. You may want to contact your local agency and see if they have an option that suits you. Below are some contact details that may be helpful.
PCT Trainee-Satellite Healthcare
You can make a difference in the lives of individuals with kidney disease by applying to train to become a PCT. You will take part in procedures for hemodialysis for patients. You must be able to provide compassionate care for your patients. Additionally, you will need to be able to interact well with other members of the person’s healthcare team. A person must be a high school graduate to apply. It is preferred but not necessarily required that you have some former medical experience. You will need to have your CPR certification. You can apply here:
Dental Lab CD/CAM Trainee-San Francisco
You can begin a career working in a dental related field by applying for this job opportunity. You will be paid while you train to work in leading edge dental lab. Have your own part in helping people to have a lovely smile again if they have dental and medical conditions that have caused a decline or even loss in their teeth. If you do well in this training, there are opportunities for more training and an advance career working for the dental lab. This is an excellent opportunity for people in the San Francisco area. Being the application process here:
Pharmacy Technician Trainee-CVS in San Francisco
Do you want to help prepare prescriptions for patients? Do you enjoy working with people and interacting with the public on a regular basis? If you say yes to these questions, you might want to consider a CVS Pharmacy Technician training program. You will receive hands on training but there will be tasks that you are not able to completely until you finish their extensive training program and become fully licensed. This job opportunity is available to people who are at least 16 years old, with a willingness to learn and an ability to work in a busy environment.
CVS-732 Market Street-San Francisco CA, 94103. Other CVS locations will have the opportunity too.