A patient care assistant is someone who works alongside nurses to help patients reach and maintain their highest level of health and functioning. Patient care assistants are often responsible for ensuring that their patients’ basic needs are met, such as feeding, dressing, and basic hygiene.
Patient care assistants and patient care technicians are terms often used interchangeably but they’re considered the same role within healthcare.
Becoming a patient care assistant is one of the best and most affordable ways to jumpstart your career in nursing. Not only does the experience look good on nursing school and job applications, but nurses who start their careers as patient care assistants build a great base of skills that they will use throughout their careers.
This guide will go over everything you need to know to become a patient care assistant.
What is a Patient Care Assistant?
Patient care assistants, also referred as patient care technicians (PCT), are important members of the healthcare team. Not only do they help nurses meet their patients' basic needs, they also keep patients safe, keep the healthcare area clean and organized, and respond to emergency situations.
Patient care assistants typically work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and home health. Many choose to specialize in areas such as pediatrics, intensive care, labor and delivery, or assisted living.
What Does a Patient Care Assistant Do?
The roles and responsibilities of a patient care assistant can vary based on where they work. Those working in home health typically focus on helping patients with self-care, while those in the hospital may be responsible for helping with emergency equipment.
In general, patient care assistants help patients with the following:
- Regular hygiene, such as bathing, combing hair, and brushing teeth
- Activities of daily living such as dressing and eating
- Ambulation or transferring to and from a wheelchair
- Range of motion exercises
- Repositioning
- Skin care
- Communicating with others
In addition to helping patients meet their basic needs, patient care assistants have many other tasks. These include:
- Organizing supplies
- Applying basic bandages
- Measuring the patient's fluid intake
- Measuring patients’ urine output
- Gathering emergency equipment as needed
- Performing CPR in an emergency
- Offering emotional support to patients and families
- Keeping patient areas tidy
Any patient care assistant must work under the guidance and supervision of a licensed medical provider. Medical providers can be registered nurses, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and dentists. A patient care assistant should never perform any task that requires advanced medical knowledge, interpretation of medical data, or technical skills.
How to Become a Patient Care Assistant
Patient care assistants have a lot of responsibility. They need to have a good understanding of basic anatomy and physiology, infection control, patient safety, and patient care. Because they work so closely with nurses and other medical providers, they should also know how to manage medical equipment and understand medical terminology.
While not all organizations require patient care assistants to earn a certification or complete a formal training program, completing a training program makes you a more competitive job applicant and helps you prepare to enter the medical field with confidence. According to the BLS, 85% of all healthcare support jobs require the completion of a formal training program.
Stepful offers a patient care assistant training program that covers everything you need to know to work as a patient care assistant. In just a few weeks, you will be ready to find a job in a hospital, care center, home health agency, and many other locations across the United States.
Patient Care Assistant Job Outlook in the US
In the United States, the overall expected job outlook is 4% between 2025 and 2035. For healthcare professions, the expected job growth is 14% in the same time frame.
Between 2024 and 2034, job opportunities for patient care assistants and nursing assistants is 4%, which is about the same as the overall expected job outlook, according to the BLS.
In addition to having fantastic job security, patient care assistants can earn a decent salary and have great opportunities for growth. Most nursing schools require their students to have some healthcare experience before starting their programs, and working as a patient care assistant is a great way to get started on a career in nursing.
>> Read More: Patient Care Technician Salary
Patient Care Assistant vs Patient Care Technician
If you are interested in a healthcare career, you will come across many different job opportunities. It can be confusing trying to understand the difference between each type of caregiver.
The titles “patient care assistant” and “patient care technician” are interchangeable in most facilities. They both have the same types of responsibilities, certification requirements, starting salaries, and job outlook.
Patient care assistants and patient care technicians should not be confused with medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, or surgical technicians. While they may seem similar, they each have different training requirements and scope of practice.
