A 5-Step Patient Care Tech Guide for Finding the Right PCT Program For You
Patient care technicians, in short PCTs, are healthcare team members who give primary care to patients alongside doctors and nurses. Working as a PCT can be an excellent option to explore other careers in healthcare. Additionally, you may utilize it as a stepping stone to going into the medical industry.
This guide is what you need for anyone interested in pursuing a career as a patient care technician. We will give you a full guide about everything you need to know about patient care tech. So keep on reading to discover many things you need to know before becoming a PCT!
Step 1: What Is a Patient Care Technician?
Before becoming a PCT, it is very important to understand what that is clearly. Patient care technicians provide fundamental care to patients alongside doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. They work in different locations such as hospitals, dialysis centers, private physicians’ offices, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and many more.
The job details for patient care technicians vary slightly between each state and facility. But no matter where you work, it is a must to finish a state-approved educational curriculum that teaches primary patient care like- CPR, oxygen administration, checking vital signs, and many other basic skills. After receiving the education and certification, patient care technicians then build up their skill sets by on-the-job training in a facility of their choice.
Step 2: What Do Patient Care Technicians Do?
Patient care technicians have extensive responsibilities ranging from medical tasks, like oxygen administration, to basic care duties, like feeding and bathing the patient. PCTs are also responsible for taking patients for diagnostic testing and helping in the discharging process.
But from all the responsibilities PCTs have, the two most critical responsibilities are giving emotional support to patients and their families and helping communicate patient care needs.
Other duties that a patient care tech has are:
- Bathing
- Ambulation
- Drawing blood and other phlebotomy procedures
- Transporting the patients
- Ensuring rooms are clean
- Feeding
- Toileting
- Obtaining ECG readings
- Catheter care
- Monitoring crucial signs like temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation
- Performing safety checks
- Assistance with staff communication
PCTs should be able to communicate with the staff about the patient’s questions and concerns. Giving emotional support to patients and their families is a duty that PCTs must fulfill at all costs. As they are in frequent touch with the patient, they are usually the first to notice any changes in their condition.
Step 3: Types of Patient Care Technicians
Most people don’t know about it, but like doctors and nurses, patient care technicians can also work in various medical settings, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, clinics, nursing homes, and home health care services. While most of them are generalists, there are some possible specializations if you follow this career path. To achieve it, you may require extra training or education.
Following are the types of PCT and what each of them does:
Telemetry technician
- Performing EKGs
- Monitoring a patient’s heart waveforms
- Notifying the doctors and nurses when a patient’s heartbeat changes
Dialysis technician
- Stopping and starting dialysis for patients with kidney failure
- Keeping dialysis equipment sterile
- Providing support for dialysis patients
Hospital patient care technician
- Working regular hospital shifts that are usually assigned to certain patients
- Monitoring vital signs
- Helping with wound care, catheters, gastric tubes, and IVs
Emergency room technician
- Working in the fast-paced ER
- Taking medical histories, vital signs, and essential information from patients
- Assisting doctors and nurses with exams
Rehabilitation technician
- Providing support for patients in mental hospitals
- Helping those with substance use disorders
- Helping to stabilize behavior
- Assisting with basic daily living need
Phlebotomist
- Drawing blood for testing
- Assisting with transfusions
Step 4: How to Become a Patient Care Technician
Now that we have covered the duties and types of PCT, it is time to inform you about how to become one.
1. Achieve a High School Diploma or GED
The minimal requirement for getting into a patient care technician program is to have a high school diploma or GED. So, to go any further, you must fulfill this requirement first.
2. Finish the patient care technician program
The thing you need to do next is to get into a patient care technician program. You have to take different programs based on the type of PCT you want to become. You can finish your course through a community college program or certificate program.
The time period for most programs is four to eight-month, but some can take more than that. If you need financial aid, loans, scholarships, or grants may also be available.
Few of the coursework you will need to complete despite the program you choose include:
- Patient Care Skills
- Medical Terminology
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- EKG skills
- Electronic Medical Records
- Rehabilitation skills
- Communication in the Healthcare Setting
- Phlebotomy
- Math in the Healthcare Setting
3. Pass the Certification Exam
The last step is to take the Nationally Registered Certified Patient Care Technician (NRCPCT) credentialing exam after graduation. Getting a score of 70% or more shows the employers and other medical providers that you have the knowledge and skills required to provide competent patient care in a health care setting.
To earn their credentials, PCT students can also partake in an exam to be a Certified Patient Care Technician (CPCT) through the website of the National Healthcare Association. This certification program also provides study materials if you need them. You can take the test at either a testing center or at a place of your choice with live remote proctoring.
Step 5: Pursuing Education Requirements for Patient Care Technicians
Even after finishing your programs, the training doesn’t stop there. PCTs need to renew their certification in an interval of two years. You are also required to finish ten continuing education credits to prove that you are continually updating your knowledge and skills.
Many free continuing education classes teach the latest protocols and techniques to their members on the National Healthcare Association website.
Final Words
Finding the right PCT program for you totally depends on what you want to do and what your goal might be. By doing proper research, you can find plenty of programs and choose the one that meets your requirements. Hopefully, this article gave you a proper rundown on what PCT is and how to choose a program that suits you.
