Services provided by nurse aides (NAs) directly influence quality of care. Consequently, NA training programs are critical in providing the qualified personnel who carry the bulk of the workload in long-term care facilities. Because studies related to NA pre-job training programs and student satisfaction are limited, we examined NA pre-job training programs and student satisfaction in Taiwan. The highest satisfaction levels were with lecturers and clinical applications. The lowest satisfaction levels were with tuition, class size and practice hours. General hospitals and nursing homes were the preferred sites for providing lectures and clinical practice instruction. The results of this study provide government departments and health care professionals data pertinent to designing more effective NA training programs.