A patient care technician (PCT) or also referred as patient care assistant is someone who works alongside a nurse to take care of patients. They may work in care centers, hospitals, home health, or doctors’ offices. A patient care technician usually works under the direction of a nurse, and can perform any task that is safely delegated to them.
Many PCTs eventually become registered nurses or even advanced practice nurses. Working as a PCT gives you the basic skills necessary to become an excellent nurse. While it isn't always a requirement, getting experience as a patient care technician can make a big difference on your nursing school application.
This guide will go over all the responsibilities and requirements you need to know to become a patient care technician.
Most Common Patient Care Technician Duties & Responsibilities
Patient care technicians usually spend their days caring for patients and helping them care for themselves. Rather than assuming all cares, patient care technicians help their patients maintain as much independence as possible while ensuring that their basic needs are met.
Here’s a look at the most common duties patient care technician job responsibilities:
- Assist with basic hygiene. Patients need varying levels of assistance with showering, bathing, hair care, oral care, shaving, and hand washing. Some patients may just need help maintaining their balance while showering. Others need complete assistants, such as patients who have lost function in their extremities or who have major cognitive delays.
- Help patients look and feel their best. Some patients are relatively independent, but need assistance with things like buttoning their shirts, combing the back of their hair, and tying their shoes. The goal of a patient care technician should always be to help their patients maintain as much independence and dignity as they can.
- Placement of intravenous lines and blood drawing. Depending on the laws in your state, some patient care technicians can be trained to place IV lines for patients in the hospital. These PCTs can also draw blood to be analyzed in the laboratory.
- Provide assistance with mealtimes. Mealtimes can be a challenge for patients in hospitals and care centers, as well as those who are living at home but need extra assistance. Patient care technicians can do everything from opening packages for patients without good dexterity to feeding patients who have lost the ability to feed themselves.
- Clean up and help with elimination. Unfortunately, many patients who are sick or injured have difficulties getting themselves to and from the toilet. This can be a difficult challenge for patients and their caregivers. Patient care technicians help their patients transfer to a toilet, use a bedpan, or clean up after an episode of incontinence. While it is not the most glamorous part of the job, it makes a huge difference for the patients in need of care.
- Measure and record vital signs. Patient care technicians are often responsible for measuring and reporting a patient's vital signs to the nurse. This can include measuring blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature.
- Keeping things clean and organized. Keeping patient care areas clean and organized is another important responsibility of the patient care technician. Not only does a clean area look and feel better for patient caregivers, it can also eliminate safety hazards that may cause a patient to fall or injure themselves.
>> Read More: What is a Patient Care Technician
Less Common Patient Care Technician Duties & Responsibilities
Some PCTs responsibilities require extra training or even certification. These less common duties are often performed by patient care technicians who work in high-acuity areas such as intensive care units and emergency departments.
- Perform CPR. Patient care technicians are often assigned the duty of giving compressions to patients during a code blue. They perform this essential task while nurses give life-saving medications and manage the defibrillator.
- Give medication. Some patient care technicians can earn a certificate that allows them to administer common medications.
- Check blood glucose levels. In some healthcare facilities, checking blood glucose levels is the responsibility of the patient care technician. This is usually done by pricking the patient’s finger and applying a drop of blood to the glucometer.
- Administer tube-feedings. Patients who cannot eat regular food are often given liquid food through a feeding tube. Patient care technicians may use a syringe or a feeding pump to make sure their patients’ receive adequate nutrition.
- Perform dressing changes. Patient care technicians can perform basic or even sterile dressing changes in some facilities. They must receive adequate training on how to do this safely.
>> Read More: Patient Care Technician Salary
Patient Care Technician Requirements
Each state and healthcare organization has different training requirements for their patient care technicians. According to the National Healthcareer Association, 96% of employers require or encourage certification for patient care technicians.
Whether or not you choose to earn a certification, you will need to complete high school or earn a GED. After that, you can choose a patient care technician training program.
Programs like Stepful’s online patient care technician are often the least expensive and most convenient options for training to become a patient care assistant. Completing a formal training program will help you learn everything you need to know to prepare for a successful career as a patient care technician.
What Makes a Good Patient Care Technician?
Working as a patient care technician is not easy, but it is one of the most rewarding jobs you can have. It takes a very special kind of person to be a good patient care technician.
Some of the qualities that make a good patient care technician include:
- Patient. Many people find it challenging to help others with basic care. Allowing a patient to do what they can for themselves before jumping in, even if it takes a while longer, is one of the best things a patient care assistant can do.
- Kind. People in need of a patient care technician are often sick, vulnerable, or hurting. Patients may feel embarrassed, unwell, tired, and frustrated. Having a kind caregiver can make a huge difference in their quality of life.
- Organized. Patient care technicians are often responsible for ten or more patients at a time, and have a to-do list that seems to never end. Staying organized and managing their time well is essential if they are going to take care of everything that needs to be done.
- Resilient. While the job is rewarding, patient care technicians work hard and may experience challenges like having patients pass away. Anyone working in healthcare must be resilient and be able to stay positive and hopeful in difficult situations.
- Able-Bodied. Patient care technicians spend most of their shift on their feet, lifting patients, gathering supplies from high and low shelves, or pushing patients in stretchers in wheelchairs. Patient care technicians must be in good physical condition to fulfill all of their responsibilities.
