HEALTH CARE BENEFIT JOINT VENTURE FUNDS NURSES' TRAINING.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS - The ``clinic assistant'' designation on Ricardo Gonzalez's name tag will soon be replaced by ``licensed vocational nurse,'' a change that could net the Kaiser Permanente employee an additional $3 an hour.

Gonzalez has spent the last 22 months taking 20 hours worth of classes a week. The course work, which would normally cost more than a third of Gonzalez's annual income, was subsidized by Kaiser Permanente and Concorde Career College Inc. The health maintenance organization and for-profit medical education company recently formed an alliance that entitles Kaiser employees to receive credit from Concorde at a discounted rate.

But while the relationship furthers the education of Kaiser's medical assistants, it also provides a newly found source of revenue for publicly traded Concorde - at least $105,000 in tuition fees generated from a recent graduating class of Kaiser employees.

``It also provides Concorde with an endless supply of LVN students for the future,'' said Caryn Pola, a department administrator at Kaiser in Woodland Hills who was instrumental in establishing the program.

But Concorde is doing well without Kaiser's help. The company generated about $17.4 million in revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2003, a 20.9 percent increase compared with the same period a year ago. The company also posted net income of $1.5 million versus $838,000 in first quarter 2002.

Indeed, Concorde has been focusing on enrollment growth and student retention, according to its quarterly statement.

The LVN course at Concorde costs about $15,000, but Kaiser employees can enroll in the program for about $11,000. That figure doesn't include a $3,000 grant from Concorde and $6,000 kicked in by Kaiser just for being an employee. And instead of Concorde instructors teaching the LVN course, the institute essentially hired Kaiser employees to teach their own colleagues.

The North and West Valley Occupational Centers offer an LVN program that costs $1,100 - several thousand dollars less than the Concorde program. But the occupational centers are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, a characteristic that enables their LVN programs to cost significantly less than private schools.

Pola said Kaiser decided to partner with Concorde instead of another school because a relationship already existed between the institute's medical assistant program and an externship through the health care provider.

Private post-secondary institutes like Concorde have come under greater scrutiny as public schools question the validity of their curriculum.

``My biggest concern is whether or not these (private schools) really offer viable programs or if they are just taking people's money away,'' said Angela DiMascio, assistant principal at the West Valley Occupational Center.

Gonzalez, 25, certainly believes his training at Concorde was worth the $4,000 he paid. ``I've always dreamed of becoming a nurse. And this program allowed me to keep my job and go to school,'' he said.

The occupational centers only offer full-time LVN programs, a detriment for many medical assistants who would like to become LVNs but can't afford to quit their jobs for a year, Pola said.

Gina Sigala, 30, wanted to enhance her job prospects, although with three kids and one on the way, quitting a job to go back to school wasn't an option. She also had to pay back loans after completing a medical assistant program several years ago.

``I know of a lot of medical assistants that want to become LVNs but cannot because they're in situations like me,'' Sigala said.

Kaiser's reimbursement coupled with Concorde's grant enabled Sigala to enter the LVN program. She said even though it was difficult to work full time and take care of her family, she couldn't pass up the opportunity.

As the nursing shortage continues to create a crunch on quality health care, recruiting and retaining staff has become a priority for many providers. Pola said there are slots open for 24 LVNs in Woodland Hills.

``There's a huge demand right now, and it's nice being able to look to our employees for help,'' she said. ``It's unfortunate we can't accept everyone.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Clinic assistant Ricardo Gonzalez gives a blood pressure check to Alisha Ybarra at Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills. Gonzalez will soon be a licensed vocational nurse, thanks to a Kaiser joint venture.

(2 -- color) Gina Sigala, a gastroenterology clinic assistant, took the vocational nurse program offered through a joint venture with her employer Kaiser Permanente and Concorde Career College Inc.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer