Tap to Read ➤

Patient Care Technician Job Description

Kundan Pandey
Besides looking after a patient, the job of a patient care technician (PCT) entails several working activities that are indirectly meant to provide patient care. Here is more information about the same.
One of the crucial members of a hospital staff or a health care unit, patient care technicians work alongside doctors, surgeons, nurses and physicians to support and care for patients.
As per the data of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical jobs related to nursing profession, that is, in providing medical aides to patients, have tremendous growth opportunities. The career development path for this field is expected to rise in the span of 10 years, that is between 2018 - 2028.

Job Description

These are vital in bridging the gap between doctors, nurses, surgeons and patients. They are in constant touch with patients, monitoring their health. They spend more time with patients than any other medical professional.
In essence, the most crucial part of patient care job description is that he is entitled to actively participate in direct patient care activities. That is, primary care technician (PCT) helps patients in clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and various other places.
They help and support patients during regular walking, bathing, eating, getting out of bed, brushing teeth and similar other routine chores. In fact, their work encompass a wide range of professions.
Various duties of a patient care job description may be similar to professions like those of nursing, hospital attendants, nurse attendants, certified nursing assistant (CNA) and nurse aides. Candidates interested in dialysis jobs have to specialize and focus in understanding various facets associated to dialysis.
One of the facets of a patient care job description is that he is responsible for collecting patient samples. They record vital signs about patient's health. Collecting samples for height, weight, past medical record, medications etc. are some of the most crucial data they are expected to collect.
They also help in dressing patients, checking their pulses, turning bed ridden patients sides and they also record medical treatments. These jobs hold promises for increased job responsibilities in the coming years as this profession will demand more personality and medical skills with increased challenges.

Educational Qualifications

An individual interested to become a patient care job technician, must have at least a high school diploma or a GED equivalent. Moreover, besides these degrees, you have to go for a training of four to twelve weeks as a part of this job. During this program, candidates are trained in all facets of this job. They're even given a certificate in first aid.

Salary

The salary of these professionals in the recent years has been decent. Like various salary ranges, there are several facets associated to it. Work experience in the relevant industry and area of work location majorly decide their salary.
Besides that, the employer type is also a major factor that governs the salary range. For instance, an emergency room technician can earn nearly US $44,000 per year while a cardiologist patient care technician can earn close to US $30,000 yearly on an average. An intensive care unit technician, on the other hand, can earn US $30,000.
It's clear that a sense of sensitivity and compassion for patients is an essential prerequisite in the personality of patient care technicians. Before opting for a career in this field, one must ensure that he or she is interested in this field as without an inner drive to work for people, it's not possible to survive in this profession for a long duration.