Patient care technician is a lucrative job profile in medical field that provides numerous career opportunities to a candidate. However, benefits are followed by responsibilities. Candidates pursuing a patient care technician program have to perform similar job responsibilities of a certified nurse aid (CNA) but with some additional medical care duties.
PCTs need to work primarily with patients under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or doctor. Their typical job duties include taking vital signs, drawing blood samples, assisting patients during medical exams, organizing patient charts, acquiring patient histories, preparing medical procedures, coordinating test procedures, and changing dressings.
In addition, they also help patients with basic hygiene, exercise and other various daily tasks. It is a rewarding profession for people who want to make a career in it. But, to become a patient care technician, students need to complete a two years program.
This two years coursework covers topics like –
- Medical terminology & abbreviations
- Phlebotomy
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Wound care
- CPR
- Food & Nutrition
- EKG
- Glucose monitoring
- Hemoccult testing
- Reviewing vital signs
- Urinalysis
- General Patient Care
Students should excel in all the above-mentioned topics and achieve certification as well. To take the certification exam, a student needs to fulfil the qualification criteria, which includes at least 40 hours of clinical training and formal education. Moreover, students should be expert in different medical procedures like drawing blood, performing electrocardiogram (EKG) & cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) etc.
Students who excel in certification exam have good career and job opportunities. They can provide support services to nurses and physicians in healthcare centers. They also have the opportunity to work in rehabilitation clinics and physicians’ offices.
So, if you want to become a certified patient care technician, then find a reputed training institute. But, make sure that the institute has best-in-line teaching professionals to provide quality education.
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