Health Pathways

health pathways

Do you enjoy working directly with patients and providing face to face, hands-on care?

Careers in health care are abundant and involve different types of roles and responsibilities. Direct patient care or “hands-on" patient care is just one of five health care pathways. Careers that fall into this category involve a high level of patient interaction. If your primary interests include maintaining or improving the health of patients over a period of time, you should explore the careers listed below.

Job possibilities in this sector of health care are seemingly endless. Fresno Adult School offers Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) courses.

To learn more about each of these patient career training programs, click on the links below.

How do I register for classes?

* Required for entry into Fresno Adult School’s LVN program

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

This program prepares students to take the state certification exam. Students will learn to address basic care services such as bathing, grooming, feeding and checking patient vital signs. Classes combine theory, skills, and clinical training.

Note: Medical Terminology is not required, but is highly recommended. Completion of a High School Diploma or High School Equivalency is preferred and often required for employment.

Please call (559) 457-6000 for additional pre-requisites and requirements.

Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

Licensed Vocational Nurses provide patient care under the supervision of physicians and registered nurses (RNs). LVNs initiate basic data collection and assessments and provide care for patients who are sick, injured, convalescing, and have physical and mental disabilities. LVNs work in medical, surgical, maternity, newborn, pediatric, and emergency department, ambulatory / outpatient and long-term / extended care facilities.

LVN duties include evaluating and prioritizing patients’ needs, assessments of vital signs, recording input and output of food and fluids, treatments such as inserting foley catheters and nasogastric tubes, blood sugar testing, tube feeding, applying and changing dressings, preparing and administering medications.

This program provides students with the theory and clinical experience needed to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse.

Pre-Requisites: High School Diploma or High School Equivalency Certificate will be required for admission to the LVN Program and must be provided at the time of application.  Foreign diplomas/transcripts must be evaluated and translated by an accredited agency and the evaluation must state, “These studies are equivalent to graduation from a secondary school (high school) or General Equivalency Test in the United States."

Please call (559) 457-6000 for additional pre-requisites and requirements.

Fall 2024

Anatomy & Physiology (Online)

Medical Terminology (Online)

Medical Terminology FCC (In person – FAS Campus)

Medical Math (Online)

Medical Math FCC (in person – FAS Campus)

Medical Pre-Requisites

LVN Pre-Requisite Courses

These classes will provide you with the knowledge and understanding to be considered for our vocational nursing program.  These classes are also for those who would like to gain knowledge in these subjects.

Anatomy & Physiology
Book:  Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology 8^th Edition. – ISBN-13: 9780803669376

Medical Math
Book: Pharmacology 3^rd edition – ISBN: 9780134525358

Medical Terminology
Books: Medical Terminology for Health Professions 9th Edition.  – ISBN: 9780357513699

Starting the 2024 Fall semester, Fresno Adult School will be partnering with FCC to offer Medical Math and Medical Terminology classes here at Fresno Adult School that will count for the FAS LVN Pre-Requisites. Please call FAS Main Office for more information.