Patient Care Tech Trade School Programs
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Among the allied healthcare professions are patient care technicians, or PCTs. Patient care techs support medical staff in caring for patients’ emotional and medical needs.
Similar to nursing assistants, they require the proper training and certifications to perform their roles successfully.
Path to Becoming a Patient Care Technician
Most healthcare technicians must complete an official training program before beginning their careers in the field.
The steps to becoming a patient care technician include:
1. Obtaining a high school diploma or GED
2. Graduating from an accredited patient care technician degree program
3. Completing an externship or practicum
4. Taking and passing a certification exam
5. Applying to PCT job openings
After gaining employment at a medical office, hospital, or another facility, patient care technicians also receive on-the-job training to acclimate them to that office’s procedures.
Certified PCTs must complete continuing education credits to keep their certification, too.
Education Requirements
To enroll in a state-approved patient care technician school, applicants must have their high school diploma or GED and pass a background check.
Some programs may also require the completion of a placement exam.
PCTs also need to understand how to care for patients’ physical and emotional needs. During their time in class, students learn how to provide quality patient care while attending to various medical responsibilities.
Courses You Might Take
During training, patient care technician students learn the ins and outs of what it’s like to work directly with patients. Most programs include hands-on training with a variety of medical equipment. There are various courses PCTs must take to master both the medical and emotional sides of patient care.
Common courses include:
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Pharmacology
- Medical terminology and procedures
- Legal policies and regulations
- HIPAA training
- First aid and wound care
- Phlebotomy
- CPR
- ECG/EKG administration
- Catheterization
- Physical and occupational therapy
Clinical Training
After receiving the proper classroom education, students often finalize their training with an externship or practicum. Practicums allow students to receive hands-on instruction working with actual patients inside an established healthcare facility.
This clinical experience enables students to test their skills and knowledge while gaining confidence in their abilities.
A successful externship can pave the way for job opportunities in the future. Employers like to hire candidates who complete all their academic requirements and have the practical experience to prove themselves. Plus, clinical experience can make it easier to qualify for certain certifications.
How Long Does it Take?
The average time to complete training at a patient care technician school is less than one year.
Some trade schools offer accelerated training programs in which students can earn their diplomas within nine months.
The length of training depends on the institution you attend and whether you plan to obtain additional credentials.
Future patient care technicians can also attend school to earn an associate degree. Two-year degrees include coursework on nursing basics along with general education courses. A higher education level and the degree to show for it can lead to more job opportunities and higher pay when compared to PCTs with a diploma alone.
What Qualifications Do You Need?
To become a patient care technician, job hopefuls must first graduate high school and earn their diploma or a GED. Most trade schools, employers, and certification agencies require this proof of education.
You also must complete an accredited training program that includes in-class instruction and clinical experience.
Certification & Continuing Education
Some employers and states require individuals to pass a background check and obtain professional certification. Because the medical field is constantly changing and innovating, patient care technicians also need to complete continuing education credits during their careers.
People Skills
The role of a PCT involves working daily with patients face-to-face. Therefore, qualified candidates should have excellent people skills and a drive to help others live their lives with dignity and comfort. Additionally, techs help patients with basic tasks like moving, feeding, or bathing and must know how to assist people while ensuring they feel comfortable and capable.
Career Overview
Job Duties
A patient care technician is an allied health professional who works under the supervision of nurses, doctors, and other medical staff to provide essential day-to-day care for patients. A PCT’s job involves making patients feel comfortable during hospital visits or stays while assisting them with daily tasks and providing medical attention.
Patient care technicians make a meaningful difference in their patients’ lives and overall well-being, which also impacts the lives of patients’ families. In addition to their medical training, PCTs ensure patients feel emotionally and mentally cared for and supported.
What Does a Patient Care Technician Do?
Patient care technician jobs require a certain level of medical training that allows PCTs to perform advanced care. While most of their day consists of helping patients with basic living tasks, their everyday schedules fluctuate depending on their workplace and patient needs.
The essential job duties of a patient care technician include:
- Escorting patients to appointments and procedures
- Providing patient care such as bathing or feeding
- Dispensing medications
- Tracking patient food and liquid intake
- Inserting catheters
- Cleaning and sanitizing patient rooms
- Removing stitches, changing dressings, and caring for wounds
- Monitoring vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature
- Collecting samples, such as blood or urine, and delivering them to the lab for testing
- Assisting patients with mobility tasks like getting in and out of bed or exercising
- Operating advanced medical equipment like ECG/EKG machines
- Offering emotional support to patients and their families during stressful times
- Supplying any additional help for patient needs
Where Can a Patient Care Technician Work?
PCTs work in medical facilities that usually require round-the-clock care for patients. Schedules are full-time and often include holidays, weekends, and night shifts. Patient care technician jobs are available wherever doctors and nurses need assistants to help them tend to the everyday needs of their patients.
Some common places where PCTs find employment include hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living communities, home healthcare facilities, and specialty care units. Some PCTs may even specialize in a particular area of healthcare, such as kidney care, and work in dialysis treatment centers.
Is Being a Patient Care Technician a Good Job?
Due to the aging of the general population and a national shortage of nursing professionals, patient care technicians should see increased job growth and more responsibilities. As elderly individuals enter nursing homes or assisted living facilities, these employers need trained PCTs to provide patient care.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics considers patient care technicians as part of the nursing assistants and orderlies occupation. Overall, the industry predicts a 5% growth in job outlook over the next decade. This equates to about 220,200 job openings for patient care technicians and similar careers each year.
Salary
How Much Does a Patient Care Technician Make?
The average annual pay for patient care technicians and other jobs in the nursing assistant field is just over $30k.
Orderlies, home health aides and psychiatric aides make around $29k a year.
Certified patient care technicians may earn higher salaries, with the top 10% of earners in the field making more than $44k a year.
The highest-paid patient care technician jobs are in junior colleges, government facilities, and research services. Meanwhile, the next tier of top-paying places of employment includes hospitals, nursing facilities, and retirement communities. Place of work, location, and experience are all factors that determine how much patient care technicians make.
Is Being a PCT Hard?
Whether a patient care technician’s job is hard or not depends mainly on the individual and whether they have the necessary skills and education. Working as a PCT certainly has its challenges, such as performing tasks under pressure and managing the emotions of multiple people.
However, patient care technician careers enable students to gain an education quickly, graduate with less debt than if they went to a four-year college, and start earning wages immediately. By spending less time in the classroom and more time in the field, PCTs begin making a difference in patients’ lives sooner.
What Other Career Options Do Patient Care Techs Have?
Due to the advanced medical training and responsibilities that patient care technicians have, they also qualify for various careers. Those interested in becoming a PCT may also look into working as a: