What is a Patient Care Technician
Updated July 2023 by: Bridget Ramsey
Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) help doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. They play a key role in patient care. PCTs can work in a variety of places including, hospitals, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and more.
What Does a Patient Care Technician Do?
Patient Care Technicians work under the supervision of nurses and other medical staff. They are responsible for interacting with the patients and supporting their basic needs. The day-to-day work a PCT does depends on the patient and the workplace.
Patient care technician responsibilities can include:
- Assisting patients in and out of bed
- Checking vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, pulse)
- Listening and noting concerns the patient may have
- Collecting blood and urine samples
- Changing bedding
- Monitoring food and drink intake
- Offering emotional support and guidance
- Escorting the patient to additional testing, such as X-ray
- Deliver samples to the laboratory
PCTs play a vital role in the health care team. The support they provide helps streamline the delivery of medical care, improving the patient's overall experience and comfort.
What Are the Education Requirements to Become a Patient Care Technician?
Patient Care Technicians are required to complete a state-approved education program and pass their state competency exam to become licensed or certified*. There are a variety of programs available and it is important to do your due diligence when choosing which program. Check your state requirements to ensure that the program you choose is an accepted program.
How Much Does a Patient Care Technician Make?
Patient care technician salary varies depending on location, experience, and place of employment. The median salary of orderlies, nursing assistants, and other types of PCTs according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is $30,290.
There are other certifications a PCT can get to increase their median earnings, like a Phlebotomist certification whose median salary is $37,380.
Where Can a Patient Care Technician Work?
Patient care technicians can work in a variety of healthcare entities. Nursing homes, Hospitals, nursing homes, home health care agencies, and assisted living centers are the typical places a PCT can work. But PCTs can also work in dialysis centers and emergency rooms.
How to Become a Patient Care Technician?
Becoming a patient care technician can be an awarding, exciting career! If you would like to work in the healthcare field and make an impact on patients' lives, then a career as a PCT could be perfect for you!
*Source https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nursing-assistants.htm received 6/6/2022
