How To Become A Patient Care Technician

A patient care technician, also referred to as a PCT, is a health care professional who takes care of patients at various facilities. There usually is not any extensive involvement in the medical treatments of the patient. The patient care technician is usually associated with caring for the patient in all aspects, from normal movements to assisting them in every activity. Attending to the patient’s medicines regularly, reporting any symptoms and keeping track of the patient’s records are also some of the tasks a patient care technician would perform.

The job of a patient care technician can be extremely rewarding if someone likes caring for people and there are many opportunities in the industry that can also pay very well.

To become a patient care technician, one would have to become a CNA (certified nurse assistant) first. Here are the steps how to become a patient care technician or a certified nurse assistant.

• There are many schools and universities offering courses and certification of certified nurse assistant (or patient care technician). You can choose state colleges, schools or private institutes. It is important for the course to offer certification at the end.
• The course typically covers general introduction to human anatomy. Thereon it educates the aspirant on nursing and everything associated with the profession.
• The course duration would vary and depend on the choice of school or institute. The shortest course duration available is of four weeks.
• It is important to check if the certification and the course are affiliated to any federal or state health care body or organization. The best certifications for patient care technician are those that are recognized by the Board of Nephrology Examiners Nursing and Technicians or the American Nephrology Nurses Association.
• If the certification is not recognized as widely then one can always opt for federal or state certifications and subsequent licensing. Federal certifications usually cover the requisites of most state regulations.
• The patient care technician course would include several theory classes which will be followed by a written and verbal test. Thereon, one must have clinical practice or experience as an intern or associate to be able to further the career.

Once the certification is obtained, one can look for jobs in hospitals, nursing homes, private home care or state run home care centers. There are numerous job opportunities for a certified patient care technician.