What Is a Patient Care Technician? Career Snapshot & Benefits
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities for medical care professionals, including patient care technicians (PCTs), will increase by 16% between 2020 and 2030. But, what is a patient care technician?
In this guide, you'll discover what PCTs are and what they do, what the benefits of becoming a PCT are, and how you can become one.
What Is a PCT? What Do They Do?
A patient care technician (PCT) is a certified healthcare professional who mainly assists medical practitioners in caring for patients. This career is rewarding and the job outlook is just as encouraging.
Patient care technicians play a supporting role to medical experts, especially doctors and nurses. On a typical workday, your responsibilities may include:
Helping patients move from one location to another
Recording vital signs
Adjusting a patient's sitting or sleeping position for comfort
Listening to the complaints, questions, and concerns of patients and reporting them to senior medical practitioners
Monitoring a patient's response to treatment
Where Can a PCT Work?
You may have concerns about gaining employment when venturing into any field. Fortunately, there's no shortage of places to apply your trade as a PCT, including:
Assisted living communities for the elderly
Nursing homes
Hospitals
Rehabilitation centers
Correctional facilities
Outpatient wellness facilities
How to Become a Patient Care Technician?
To become a patient care technician, you need to complete a PCT program, such as that offered by MedCerts, and earn a certificate from an accredited institution. Also, you only need a high school diploma to enroll in this course, including other viable programs for high school graduates.
Completing the training makes you certified and eligible to write the Nationally Registered Certified Patient Care Technician certification exam.
Benefits of Being a Patient Care Technician
Here are some reasons that becoming a PCT would be a great idea.
A rewarding career — According to Korn Ferry's recent survey, working in a challenging, rewarding environment is why professionals don't consider quitting their jobs. It's one of the most rewarding professions as it makes you a part of people's journeys to optimum health and happiness.
Unlimited Opportunities — As a PCT, you'll be able to have many opportunities, besides joining a health center, to work and grow.
A Decent Salary — Expect to earn a starting salary of $37,000 on average after completing your course. However, the salary for a PCT depends on the work environment, employer and location. In the U.S., California, Alaska and New York are among the highest-paying states for a PCT.
A Fast Route to the Health Sector — MedCerts provides the relevant online training to become a certified PCT in an ultramodern, immersive learning environment within 24 weeks.
Kickstart Your Career With MedCerts
From impacting positively on people's lives to working in a dynamic environment, the benefits of being a PCT are numerous.
Kickstart your PCT career within just six months of online schooling in game-based, interactive learning settings at MedCerts. The career advancement potential and favorable job outlook also mean that you'll be relishing this occupation for a long time.
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Barbara has over 40 years of experience in healthcare. She’s worked in various roles and environments in the ambulatory setting as a healthcare team member. Her expertise also extends to the hospital setting and a medical department of a large corporation. Barbara is a member of the American Association of Medical Assistants, the American Academy of Professional Coders, and the National Healthcareer Association.
Prior to joining MedCerts, healthcare education became her focus over 18 years ago when she began teaching administrative and clinical medical assisting, medical billing and coding, office administration, and electronic health record courses at Ross Education. As a lead instructor, her role advanced to Program Chair for Medical Assisting and Medical Insurance Billing and Office Administration.
Along with her role in education, she has worked closely with learning solution representatives as a technical and content expert reviewer for healthcare publications and technology. As a part of MedCerts’ Product Development team, she is involved with instructional design and development, content writing, production, and quality assurance. She serves as a subject matter expert in allied health, provides training and quality assurance for additional curriculum content writers, and is a Program Director at MedCerts.
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