There are many different job opportunities in the medical field. One of these jobs is a patient care technician. A patient care technician is a patient-focused medical professional. This is different from a job like a medical assistant because medical assistants are more focused on assisting a physician, while patient care technicians focus on the patient.
Patient care technicians often work in long-term healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes. They focus on helping the patient by performing duties such as listening to patient health concerns, checking vital signs, helping patients dress and bathe, and more. This is a profession with growing job opportunities as well because there will be more patient care technicians needed to care for the growing elderly population. According to BLS.gov, job growth in this field is expected to grow eleven percent from 2016 to 2026.
Does becoming a patient care technician sound like a good opportunity for you? If you are interested in this job opportunity, you can learn more about it below.
The Process for Becoming a Patient Care Technician
As discussed above, a patient care technician is someone who is very focused on the patient and their needs. To be qualified to assist patients in this way, there are some steps you have to take. Check out the process of becoming a patient care technician right here.
- Attend a State-Approved Education Program – When you work as a patient care technician, you are working to serve the needs of the patient. You will have a variety of job duties, but some of these job duties include basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and dispensing medication. To be sure you are qualified and prepared to perform such job duties, you need to complete a state-approved education program. This will teach you the skills and abilities needed, and train you on basic medical procedures and knowledge.
- Complete Program and Clinical – Your education program will likely have a clinical component to it. This clinical experience will offer you the chance to get some supervised work experience. You will be supervised by another medical professional, but you will actually get the chance to work with patients and help them. This will give you some good experience for your future job.
- Pass a Certification Exam – To become a patient care technician or nursing assistant, you also need to pass a certification exam. This exam helps to ensure that you are prepared for your future work. It is a competency exam that checks whether or not you know the information to be able to perform your future job duties. After you have passed the exam, you will be put on a state registry. This state registry is important because you have to be on the state registry to work in a nursing home.
- Check Your State for Any Other Requirements – You also want to check your state specifically to see if there are any other requirements for becoming a patient care technician. You may find that your state has a required criminal background check. There also may be required continuing education in your state. There may not be any other requirements, but it is important to check because some states have those extra requirements.
- Apply for Jobs – The final step is to apply to different jobs as a patient care technician. This type of job can typically be found in nursing homes, hospitals, or other long-term healthcare facilities. Find some options that work well for you and send in applications.
There is a little bit of a process when it comes to working as a patient care technician or nursing assistant. You need to complete an education program and pass a certification program to be sure you are ready and able to do your work in the future. Learn more about patient care technician school below.
Attending Patient Care Technician School
Patient care technician school can set you up for a great entry-level position in the healthcare field. You can have a rewarding job helping others after completing a patient care technician school. This schooling will cover a lot of topics over the course of the eight month program. You will learn all about anatomy and physiology, phlebotomy, electrocardiograms, and patient care. You will also get the chance to do a clinical program at the end of your schooling. This clinical will help you gets some real work experience, but you will be supervised by a medical professional.
The FVI School of Nursing and Technology has a patient care technician school for you to attend. Check out our website for more information about the patient care technician program at the FVI School of Nursing and Technology. We look forward to hearing from you!
For more information about graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website: https://fvi.edu/consumer-information/.
