Category Archives: Los Angeles Campus

​American Career College Massage Therapy Students Offer Services to Mark National Nurses Week

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Los Angeles—May 14—American Career College’s Massage Therapy students put their skills to work during National Nurse’s Week by offering free 15-minute massages to nurses and other personnel at St. Vincent Medical Center. The event enabled ACC to strengthen its relationship with St. Vincent, and the massage therapy students gained much needed experience honing their technical, communication, assessment, and networking skills. Some MT students gained new clients; ACC’s Surgical Technology and Vocational Nursing programs assisted in the event.

“This was a win-win for all participants and a way for us to pay tribute to nurses in our own way during their week of national recognition,” said Charles Celeste, Director of ACC’s Massage Therapy program. “It was gratifying for our students to be able to give them a 10-15 minute escape from their busy, stressful work.”

Each year, National Nurse’s Week celebrates the profession and all the work nurses do. The week begins on May 6, National Nurses Day, and runs through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

“It was a privilege for our Massage Therapy students to be a part of National Nurse’s Week,” said Tom McNamara, President of American Career College. “These kinds of experiences help them to graduate with confidence as they prepare to enter a dynamic profession projected to grow rapidly over the next several years.”

ACC’s massage therapy students enroll in a 720-hour modular program that encompasses multiple facets of the massage industry to prepare than as entry-level therapists. Students learn Swedish, deep tissue, and Shiatsu methods; spa and sports treatments; non-traditional bodywork and treatments for special needs populations; and business, ethics and professional training. The program teaches anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and pathophysiology as they relate to massage, in order to provide students with a basic understanding of the body, how dysfunctions occur, and how these relate to each subject.

About American Career College
American Career College (ACC) is a health care educator with four campuses located in Southern California. Founded by David Pyle (www.davidapyle.com) over 35 years ago, ACC offers students a comprehensive array of high-quality educational programs which prepare graduates for a challenging and rewarding career in health care. For more information, visit www.americancareercollege.edu.

Contacts
American Career College
Celia Ffrench
Vice President of Marketing
949-783-4080

Raymond Mirzabegian: One Person, Making a Change and Making a Difference

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Life is full of teachable moments. Three years ago, optician Raymond Mirzabegian, an optical dispensing instructor at American Career College’s Los Angeles campus, mentioned to his class that he had an epileptic child.

It was just an aside in a lesson on eye muscles and seizures, but after class, student after student came up to tell him about some instance of epilepsy in their family. Those conversations gave Mirzabegian—who has been involved in epilepsy awareness since the birth of Emily, his 9-year-old daughter—an idea that has turned into an annual classroom seminar.

“Every March 26, which is Epilepsy Awareness Day, I set aside a half-hour,” says Mirzabegian. “I ask students, ‘Suppose the person next to you were to have a seizure? What would you do?’”

Most people, he says, are unaware that the best First Aid is to roll the person onto their side, cushion their head, make sure they can breathe—and then time them. “Seizures often look very scary, but they’re not that bad if they’re less than five minutes, and often the person will get back up and continue with that they were doing,” he says.

That information and more was presented last month to some four dozen faculty and students on ACC’s Los Angeles campus, where Mirzabegian’s Etalk has become an annual observance: “We all wore purple in honor of Epilepsy Awareness Day,” says Kari Cheevers, ACC program director for optical dispensing. “It was phenomenal.”

“Obviously, this is a medically oriented college, and any First Aid awareness is good,” says Mirzabegian. But, he added, so is awareness of a neurological disorder that, according to the Epilepsy Foundation, affects some 2.2 million Americans and is more prevalent than autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease put together.

“Every time I do the session, students come up to tell me their personal stories,” he says. “It’s a very common condition, but rarely spoken about.”

ACC LA Students Volunteer at American Lung Association’s Fight For Air Climb

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On Saturday, April 6th, 2013, ACC LA Respiratory Therapy students volunteered at the American Lung Association Fight For Air Climb event in Los Angeles.

In support of the AB 746 bill, ACC students educated and asked people at the event to sign postcards that would later be sent to California’s State Capitol in Sacramento. The AB 746 bill prohibits smoking in multifamily housing and would protect women, infants, and children from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke exposure.

In all, our students obtained around 200 signed postcards, and the American Lung Association was very grateful for our efforts.

Our students got a chance to meet with 2008′s The Biggest Loser winner, Ali Vincent (pictured below)!

Thank you to everyone who took part in this wonderful cause!

 

ACC LA Students Give Over 80 Massages at Local Spring Health Awareness Fair!

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The ACC LA Massage Therapy students have come out to Pasadena! On April 2nd, 2013, ACC LA Massage Therapy students participated in the Pasadena City College (PCC) Spring Health Awareness Fair. In total, the ACC LA students gave 80 attendees massages, all in a little over three hours! They gave free chair massages and educated the attendees on overall health and wellness.

Call us now at 888-400-4974 to learn more about ACC’s Massage Therapy program! You can also visit http://americancareercollege.edu/programs.html to learn about ACC’s 10 health care training programs.

American Career College’s Open House Recap – March 12th, 2013

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On Tuesday, March 12th, 2013, American Career College campuses held an Open House event that consisted of music, campus tours, networking, free refreshments, and more. This was an excellent opportunity to learn more about ACC by chatting with current ACC students, teachers, and Program Directors. In addition, tours of our hands-on labs, classrooms, and facilities at our Los Angeles, Orange County, Ontario, and Long Beach campuses were provided by our knowledgeable Program Directors and Admissions Advisors.

Check out photos from our recent Open House events, and stay tuned for announcements on upcoming events!

To learn more and to set up a campus tour at one of our four convenient Southern California locations, call us now at 888-400-4974!

Open House Event - 03/12/2013