Healthcare is quite a massive industry with diverse domains. However, if you want to enter the healthcare industry easily and quickly, being a patient care technician is a good option. You may like to become a patient care technician if you enjoy helping others.
As per the report, The demand for patient care technicians will grow and increase by 9% till 2028. These statistics show patient care technician career will be a good choice for you!
We have compiled a comprehensive blog covering all aspects of becoming a patient care technician. Learn about patient care technicians’ roles, responsibilities, and working conditions in various healthcare settings.
A Patient Care Technician
A healthcare professional under a registered nurse’s supervision is a patient care technician. Behind the scenes, patient care professionals are ensuring patients get the attention and comfort they need. Among their many responsibilities is the collection of samples for the laboratory and providing emotional support to families.
You may start as a patient care technician and work up to become an RN or medical practitioner with the right education and experience.
What Do Patient Care Technicians Typically Do?
The patient care technician duties from one hospital to the next differ widely. Here is the role and responsibilities of a patient care technician:
Customer service agent
Appointment takers and those curious about upcoming medical treatments might benefit from the assistance of patient service staff. They also welcome patients and answer the phone when they arrive for their scheduled appointments.
Assistant in Medicine
Under the direction of doctors and nurses, medical assistants conduct a wide range of clinical tasks, such as taking patients’ vital signs, giving them medicine, collecting specimens, and running basic lab tests.
Technician in Blood Collection
Phlebotomists are medical professionals that take blood samples from patients. They also use tourniquets or probes to get blood samples and encourage patients to keep their arms immobile.
Conversing
Care coordination is the responsibility of the liaison, who acts as a conduit for information between the various members of the healthcare team (doctors, nurses, technicians, etc.) inside the institution.
Technician in dialysis patient care
A person in the medical field who works at a dialysis clinic and offers direct care to patients and their loved ones. The PCA is the patient’s point of contact with the nursing team and is responsible for aiding with therapy.
Read More:- Medical Assistant vs. Patient Care Technician
Steps to Start a Career as a Patient Care Technician
One needs technical and work experience to become a PCT. These are the courses and credentials necessary to work as a PCT.
1. Mandatory Schooling
You will need at least a high school education or GED to work as a patient care technician. Beyond that, the specific PCT you want to pursue and the state or jurisdiction you intend to practise will determine the educational and certification criteria you must meet.
2. Having specialised knowledge
To become a PCT, you must train at a local community college, vocational school, or technical institute in most states. The curriculum covers various topics relevant to the medical field, such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, patient safety, medical legislation, and medical records administration.
First aid, dressing wounds, inserting catheters, and doing CPR are just some of the technical and soft skills of a patient care technician you will acquire. Internships are a common requirement for students to put their classroom knowledge into practice. Two years of full-time study are required for most of these academic programmes.
3. Certification
Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) certification is required upon patient care technician program completion. A criminal record check and other credentials may be necessary in your state.
While attending school in a different medical field, some people choose to gain job experience as a patient care technician. If you wish to participate in medical school or become a registered nurse, becoming a PCT can help you obtain clinical experience and pay for your study.
4. Abilities of a Patient Care Technician
The desire to serve others motivates many people to enter the healthcare field. Choose a patient care technician career if you want to make a difference in people’s lives. The days in the hospital might be difficult for patients, but with your help, they will get through it. Strengthening your foundational technical and workplace abilities can help you get this position.
Abilities in technology:
Indices of life: Taking and analysing vital signs is a crucial part of the work.
Try to guess what the patient might want before they ask: When a patient is unwell, they may be unable to express their needs. Thus, it is up to the carer to monitor the patient’s actions and anticipate their needs.
Normal daily routines: Patients may rely on you for help with eating, dressing, and personal hygiene.
Basic life support and first aid: All doctors and nurses need to be familiar with these techniques.
Know-how in electrocardiograms: EKGs may be a necessary part of the job for some PCTs.
Survival abilities: Whether assisting a patient get from their bed to the toilet or looking around the room for potential sources of infection, you should always put the patient’s safety first.
5. Work experience
Social abilities: Working with patients and other medical professionals daily means you must have a genuine interest in people.
Problem-solving: Whether it’s as simple as changing a patient’s bedding or as complex as getting a nurse’s attention for a medical emergency, you need to be able to respond swiftly to the needs of your patients.
Communication: Every day, you’ll need to update the physicians and nurses on your patient’s status so that they can provide the best care possible.
Kindness and endurance: Many of your patients will be agitated, angry, and disappointed because of their circumstances. Because of their injuries or sickness, they may be slower to act or think. Patience and deference are always required traits.
Energy levels: You may spend the day for a patient care technician helping people into and out of wheelchairs and beds. You’ll need to put in some serious gym time.
Read More:- CNA vs. Patient Care Technician
What Exactly Does a Patient Care Technician Do All Day?
A patient care assistant’s day may consist of various tasks. The patient care technician interacts with the patient and the doctor and is responsible for maintaining a sanitary, secure, and productive work environment. Their ability to do so is crucial, as they are responsible for making medical treatment as pleasant as possible for their patients.
You may find a wide variety of patient care technicians in a hospital. People might specialise in working with either children or adults or with both.
A patient care technician’s shift may begin before they arrive at the facility; thus, they are responsible for ensuring they have everything they need. Some staff members may need to spend time cleaning up after others or assisting in a different section of the hospital or clinic. It all depends on the job you land and the qualifications you bring to the table.
Read More:- What Does a Patient Care Technician Do?
Career options for patient care technicians
Extra education as a patient care technician might lead to a specialised career path. Common areas of expertise for patient care technicians include the following.
Treatment for drug and alcohol abuse
Rehabilitation-trained patient care technicians provide specialised support to those undergoing treatment for substance abuse.
Dialysis
Dialysis is a procedure for cleansing the blood of impurities and eliminating excess fluid. Patients with renal failure undergo comprehensive therapy. Technicians in this field maintain dialysis equipment clean and sanitised and monitor patients receiving the treatment. They might find employment in clinics or haemodialysis facilities.
A trip to the ER
Technicians at the emergency department assist the doctors and nurses who work there. Technicians in this setting give patients fundamental medical treatment such as cast and crutch fittings and procedure supply management.
Health care for mental and behavioural issues
Specialist patient care technicians in behavioural health work at psychiatric hospitals, assisting patients with various mental health issues.
Conclusion
Technicians in patient care need to be people who can connect with patients even as they help them through tough situations. If you are looking for patient care technician training in Connecticut, AIHT is your best option. Start your career today with them. Contact us for more information.
FAQs
What is a typical day as a patient care technician?
Help the patient with routine tasks like getting dressed and taking a shower. Assure your patients’ comfort by checking in on them regularly to see if they have any issues with the care they are receiving.
Is working as a PCT hard?
A patient care technician’s duty might range from assisting a patient in getting out of bed to moving them to a different position in bed to transporting them to an exam room. There may be some stooping and lifting involved.
What are a patient care technician’s responsibility?
In hospitals and other healthcare facilities, patient care technicians provide basic care. Their responsibilities include taking vitals, aiding with everyday tasks, and facilitating patient movement. They also take vital signs, change bandages, and ensure patients are comfortable. PCTs are important in-patient care and collaborate closely with nurses and doctors.
What skills do you need as a PCT?
As a Patient Care Technician (PCT), you need skills in vital sign monitoring, patient assistance, medical equipment operation, infection control, and effective communication with both patients and healthcare professionals.
How many days a week do PCTS work?
The typical schedule for a PCT at this clinic is three to four days a week, with Saturday hours rotated in.
Where do patient care technicians make the most money?
Houston, Texas, is a city in the United States that offers the best salaries to patient care technicians. The current hourly rate is $23.01.
What does a patient care technician do?
A patient care technician (PCT) is a healthcare team member who assists nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals in providing patients with routine medical services. Face-to-face communication and providing practical assistance to patients are key to this role.
