7 Best PCT Schools in Bakersfield, CA

Kern Valley Medical College is a private healthcare training school located in Bakersfield.

It offers the most direct PCT option in the city, although applicants must already hold an active CNA license before entering the program.

Students without CNA certification can begin with the school’s four-week Nurse Assistant Training Program and continue into PCT training afterward.

Programs Offered

The eight-week Patient Care Technician program combines advanced patient-care skills with phlebotomy and EKG training.

Coursework covers vital signs, patient observation, activities of daily living, infection control, body mechanics, fall prevention, mobility devices, specimen collection, blood drawing, EKG procedures, and basic cardiac monitoring.

The program also includes an externship at a dialysis center.

Applicants must be at least 18, have a high school diploma or equivalent, hold an active CNA license, meet immunization requirements, and pass the school’s entrance assessment.

Tuition and Cost

PCT tuition is approximately $3,300.

Additional expenses may include registration, textbooks, uniforms, supplies, background screening, drug testing, health records, and certification exams.

The school’s separate four-week CNA program costs approximately $1,900 before additional fees.

Payment plans are available.

Program Length

The PCT program takes approximately eight weeks.

The prerequisite CNA program takes four weeks.

Bakersfield College is a public community college and one of the most affordable places in the city to begin patient-care training.

It offers separate nursing assistant and phlebotomy programs rather than one combined PCT certificate.

This route is useful for students who prefer college-based instruction and may later continue into vocational nursing or registered nursing.

Programs Offered

The Nurse Assistant Training Program includes 60 hours of classroom instruction and 100 hours of supervised clinical training.

Students study vital signs, infection prevention, patient hygiene, mobility, feeding, safety, communication, and basic bedside care.

The college also offers a Certified Phlebotomy Technician program covering blood collection, specimen handling, laboratory safety, patient identification, and clinical procedures.

Completing both programs can provide a strong foundation for PCT work, although students may still need separate EKG training.

Tuition and Cost

The estimated total cost of the nursing assistant program is approximately $1,500 to $1,600.

This may include tuition, college fees, books, uniforms, equipment, screening requirements, BLS certification, immunizations, and certification expenses.

Base tuition for the phlebotomy course is approximately $184.

The complete phlebotomy cost may reach about $1,200 when books, supplies, parking, background checks, drug screening, health tracking, and immunizations are included.

Program Length

The nursing assistant program includes at least 160 hours and is generally completed within one semester.

Phlebotomy training is also offered as a short college certificate with classroom, laboratory, and clinical components.

Bakersfield Adult School operates a Health Careers Center offering lower-cost occupational training in central Bakersfield.

Its CNA program may be a good fit for beginners who want full-time instruction without paying private career-school tuition.

Eligible students may qualify for workforce assistance with tuition, books, supplies, and uniforms.

Programs Offered

The Certified Nurse Assistant program teaches basic bedside care, vital signs, infection control, personal hygiene, patient transfers, feeding, safety, communication, and residents’ rights.

Students complete classroom instruction, hands-on skills practice, and supervised clinical training.

Applicants must meet physical and health requirements, including immunization records, a physical examination, TB screening, and drug testing.

This is a CNA program rather than a complete PCT course.

Graduates interested in hospital PCT positions may need to add phlebotomy and EKG training.

Tuition and Cost

Published program tuition is approximately $900.

Students should also budget for health screenings, fingerprinting, uniforms, books, equipment, and the California certification examination unless these items are included in their funding package.

Program Length

Classes generally meet Monday through Friday.

Recent sessions have lasted approximately two months, although exact dates vary between cohorts.

High Desert Medical College operates a Bakersfield campus offering accelerated healthcare career programs.

Its Nursing Assistant program is designed for students who want concentrated, hands-on training completed in several weeks.

Programs Offered

The Nursing Assistant program covers patient care, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, infection prevention, safety, body mechanics, rehabilitation, and restorative care.

Students complete 60 hours of theory and approximately 104 hours of supervised clinical instruction.

The program is designed to support eligibility for California nursing assistant certification after all state requirements are met.

Students planning to work as PCTs should ask about adding phlebotomy, EKG, or BLS training after earning CNA certification.

Tuition and Cost

The school does not prominently publish a current all-inclusive CNA price.

A reasonable planning range for private accelerated nursing assistant training is approximately $2,000 to $4,000.

Applicants should request an itemized estimate covering tuition, books, uniforms, equipment, registration, health screenings, fingerprinting, and certification testing.

Program Length

The program includes approximately 164 hours and can be completed in six weeks.

Cellan Education Resources is a private, state-approved CNA training school located in Bakersfield.

It offers small cohorts and an accelerated schedule for students who want to finish nursing assistant training quickly.

The school also offers Home Health Aide, Restorative Nurse Aide, and Basic Life Support training.

Programs Offered

The CNA program includes classroom lessons, skills-lab practice, patient transfers, vital signs, personal care, infection control, communication, safety, and preparation for California’s competency examination.

Students train with patient-care equipment and practice required nursing assistant procedures before completing the program.

Although Cellan does not offer a complete PCT certificate, its CNA training can serve as the first step toward a PCT program requiring active nursing assistant certification.

Tuition and Cost

Current tuition is provided during the school’s information and enrollment process rather than displayed as a fixed public price.

Students should request a complete quote showing whether textbooks, uniforms, BLS, fingerprinting, health screenings, supplies, and state testing are included.

A practical planning range is approximately $1,500 to $3,000.

Program Length

The accelerated CNA program takes 23 training days.

Phlebotomy Training Specialists operates an in-person training location in Bakersfield.

Its program is useful for current CNAs, medical assistants, or other patient-care workers who need to add blood-drawing experience.

No previous healthcare experience is required, but applicants must be at least 18 and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Programs Offered

The program covers routine and special blood collection, anatomy, medical terminology, infection control, specimen procedures, patient interaction, and safety standards.

Students complete 20 hours of classroom instruction and 20 hours of hands-on blood-drawing practice.

After passing the national examination, students complete a 40-hour externship in a healthcare setting.

Tuition and Cost

The all-inclusive cost is approximately $1,995.

This includes a $250 registration fee, $1,275 in tuition, $335 for the textbook and supplies, and a $135 national exam fee.

Students should ask whether California licensing and health-screening expenses require additional payment.

Program Length

The classroom portion includes 40 hours divided into ten four-hour modules.

Morning, evening, weekend, and accelerated schedules may be available, followed by a 40-hour externship.

Carrington College is a private career college with a Bakersfield campus.

Its Medical Assisting certificate is longer and more expensive than most local CNA or phlebotomy courses, but it provides broader clinical and administrative training.

Programs Offered

The program teaches vital signs, patient preparation, diagnostic testing, injections, basic laboratory procedures, medical terminology, records management, insurance processing, and office administration.

Bakersfield students train with equipment such as EKG machines, injection trainers, and sterilization equipment.

The curriculum also includes a 180-hour externship in a healthcare setting.

This is a medical assisting program rather than a dedicated PCT certificate, but it covers several transferable patient-care skills, including EKG procedures and clinical testing.

Tuition and Cost

The estimated total price for the campus-based Medical Assisting certificate is approximately $22,404.

This includes about $19,840 for the first academic year and approximately $2,564 for the remaining portion.

Students should verify whether uniforms, certification exams, background checks, health requirements, and transportation to the externship are included.

Program Length

The certificate requires approximately 750 contact hours and can be completed in about 36 weeks, not including scheduled breaks.