Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) provide primary patient care to individuals in various healthcare operations. Their duties include taking necessary signatures, assisting with medical procedures, administering medications, and providing primary nursing care. They also provide emotional support and help patients and their families understand the situation well.
The International Council of Nurses report highlights an exciting opportunity for Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) as the overall demand for healthcare services endures to rise. With a projected global shortage of nurses by 2030, PCTs will play an increasingly important role in providing essential patient care services and filling the gap in the healthcare workforce.
Soft Skills You Need as a Patient Care Technician
If you are planning for this as a career, here are the soft skills you need as a patient care technician:
1. Excellent communication skills
Efficient communication is essential to ensure that patients’ families get accurate information and can collaborate with other healthcare team members. Practical communication skills also aid in building trust and relationships with patients.
2. Empathy
Compassion and empathy are essential for patient care technician skills as they assist in understanding and addressing the demands of the patient’s emotions. By showing empathy, you will be able to offer patients the feeling of security and safety during their journey of recovery.
Read More:- Key Responsibilities of a Patient Care Technician
3. Attention to details
Paying attention to detail is essential because even the most minor mistakes could cause serious harm. As a PCTs, you must be careful with your approaches to patient care and ensure that every task is completed correctly and thoroughly.
4. Physical Dexterity
PCTs frequently require activities that demand manual exercise, for example, getting signatures and approvals and helping with dressing, bathing, and mobility of the patients. Physical dexterity assists PCTs in performing these tasks with efficiency and effectiveness.
5. Adaptability
PCTs must be able to adjust to new situations and perform under stress. Being adaptable, flexible, resourceful, and capable of thinking about your feet in difficult circumstances.
6. Teamwork
PCTs are an integral part of the health team. They must collaborate effectively with colleagues to deliver patients the highest quality of care. Skills for teamwork include cooperation, collaboration, and a desire to support and aid other people.
7. Stress management
Managing stress in healthcare in an intense work environment is essential for PCTs. They should be competent in managing stress to avoid burning out. Skills for managing stress involve strategies, including mindfulness, deep breathing, and managing time.
8. Strong work ethics
PCTs with a solid moral code require healthy management of professionalism, integrity, and a dedication to providing top-quality care for patients. A solid work ethic can help PCTs maintain their standards and offer consistent, caring patient care.
9. Time management
Time management is crucial in healthcare because PCTs typically have a lot of work to complete within a restricted time. Effective time management is about assigning tasks to assignments, setting objectives, and efficiently utilizing time.
10. Confidence
Being confident is one of the crucial qualities of a patient care technician as they have to choose to provide care and interact with families and patients. Confidence assists PCTs in performing their jobs efficiently, even under challenging circumstances.
Since you have known all the primary soft skills vital to be a Patient care technician, you must also know the basic steps to become a patient care technician.
How to become a patient care technician?
A career as a patient care technician needs a mix requirement of training and education. Explore more details:
- A person needs to go through a patient care technician certification course. Vocational schools and community colleges generally offer these courses. At AIHT Education our program is 4 months in length.
- After being certified and gaining experience, you can begin working in various healthcare organizations, such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health services, etc. They could also decide to specialize in certain areas, like rehabilitation or geriatrics, with further studies.
Key Takeaways
The profession of a Patient Care Technician is an excellent career option for those passionate about helping others and impacting their lives. With the appropriate education, hands-on Training, and certifications, Patient care technicians can learn the necessary skills and offer high-quality care.
Since there is an increased demand in this profession, it is essential to ensure you give your best. The employees tend to hire people with good soft skills who know the profession and responsibilities satisfactorily. It doesn’t matter if you’re beginning your career or are looking for a change. This blog gives you a gist of what employers look for in a good patient care technician.
FAQ for Essential Soft Skills for a Patient Care Technician
1) What soft skills do you need to be a patient care technician?
Some of the essential soft skills required to be a PCTs are communication skills, empathy, attention to detail, hands-on experience, team collaboration, a positive attitude, managing workload, and record keeping.
2) What are the 5 soft skills needed to be a medical provider?
The five most important soft skills expected from medical professionals are excellent communication, empathy, attention to detail, flexibility, and collaboration with the other team members.
3) What are soft skills in healthcare?
Soft skills in healthcare refer to the personal skills and attribute crucial to success in the field of healthcare. These soft skills help professionals deliver their duty effectively and add value to patients’ lives.
4) Which are the 5 most important soft skills medical employers are looking for?
The five most crucial soft skills that a medical professional seeks are exceptional interpersonal skills like empathy, attentiveness, flexibility, collaboration, using medical equipment, understanding anatomy and physiology, and taking stress.
5) What are the technical skills of a patient care technician?
Technical abilities of the Patient Care Technician are doing basic tasks for assisting patients, including taking vital signs, helping with daily activities, and administering medication. Other technical abilities include using medical equipment, like blood glucose and oxygen tanks, and monitors and providing essential wound treatment.
6) What are the hard skills required to be a patient care technician?
The essential skills of an individual who is a patient care technician include understanding anatomy and physiology as well as basic medical procedures and patient care methods. Some of the other skills that are hard to master include the ability to work with medical equipment, an understanding of procedures for emergencies, and the ability to carry out essential wound treatment.
