It is without a doubt the dream of many to get into the medical field, but there are also many who will never fully realize this dream due to the educational requirements. If you wanted to become a full fledged doctor, for example, you would need to spend well over a decade of your life studying and preparing for the arduous task ahead of you. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. If you wanted to spend a little less time getting prepared then you might choose to pursue an RN or LPN career, though these are definitely still a bit on the heavy side.
A quick, easy, and highly rewarding way to jump into the medical profession would be through our patient care technician school at FVI School of Nursing and Technology. You won’t be performing open heart surgery any time soon, but you will definitely find yourself in a highly rewarding career before you know it. There is no rule that says offering help and aid to the injured is limited to doctors and nurses; our offering here is just one among many careers that allow you to jump into the medical field, but one of the biggest sources of confusion is the job title. People going into this field often confuse patient care technician schools for those that train medical assistants. The jobs might be very similar, but there significant differences that you need to be aware of before you make your choice.
Job Duties of a Patient Care Technician vs. the Medical Assistant
The first major difference is in the job duties of the two profession and there are quite a few. We’re going to take a look at each set of duties in depth and help you to determine which one you would want to pursue. Whichever you choose, FVI can help!
- Medical Assisting – if you’re interested in pursuing a job in this field then you would find yourself interacting with patients in a more administrative way.
- Clinical Duties:
- Recording vital signs
- Compiling medical histories
- Administering medications, etc.
- Administrative Duties:
- Greeting patients
- Setting up appointment schedules
- Completing insurance forms.
- Clinical Duties:
- Patient Care Technician – In this line of work you will find yourself working much more closely with patients and you will often work alongside nurses. You will perform some of the most basic healthcare for patients:
- Helping patients use the restroom
- Changing their clothes
- Generally making sure patients are comfortable
- Monitor vital signs
- Provide emotional support.
Overall, a patient care technician is a much more hands on job than medical assisting. It can be very rewarding for those who wish to follow through with it, and if you’re great at working directly with people, then this is probably the career path you want to take.
The PCT & Medical Assistant Skill Difference
Attending patient technician school will endow you with a series of skills that you can take into the field and as you’ve probably guessed, these skills are far different from medical assisting, even if they do intersect at some points. During your education at our patient care technician program in Miami, you will pick up these skills, and you will be able to use them effectively in your new career when earn your certification.
Similarities Between Medical Assistants and Patient Care Techs
Check out some of the similarities between medical assistants and patient care technicians right here.
- Basic Medical Skills Needed – Medical assistants and patient care technicians are not required to perform complex procedures, but they do need to know how to perform basic medical care. For example, both of these jobs require you to know how to measure vital signs and perform basic medical tests.
- Growing Employment Opportunities – Another similarity between these two jobs is that they will both experience growing employment opportunities in the coming years because there is more of a demand for workers in the medical field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that from 2016 to 2026 employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 29 percent, and employment of patient care technicians is projected to grow 11 percent.
Both medical assistants and patient care technicians are working in the healthcare field with growing employment options. They both need to know some basic medical care and procedures, but there are differences between these two jobs as well.
Differences Between MAs and PCTs
Now that we have discussed the similarities, let’s check out a few of the key differences between medical assistants and patient care technicians.
- Specific Job Focus – Above, we discussed that both medical assistants and patient care technicians need to have some basic medical skills and patient care skills. That is a similarity between their positions. However, when it comes to how they spend their time every day, things get a little bit different. Patient care technicians have a priority to the patient. Their main focus is that the patient is receiving good care, and they help the patients in any way they can. Medical assistants need to help with patient care as well, but a large part of their job also involves administrative and office work. For example, medical assistants can commonly be found scheduling appointments, stocking the office, taking inventory, doing billing, and dealing with insurance.
- Education Requirements – These two jobs are also different in their education requirements. For both of these positions, you need to know some basic medical care, but neither of them requires long educational programs. To become a patient care technician, you need to complete a training program and pass a certification exam. To become a medical assistant, you often have to attend a medical assistant training program to become eligible to earn a certificate, but there are no formal education requirements for this work.
- Place of Employment – Another difference between these two careers can be the location of their employment. It is common for a medical assistant to work in a doctor’s office. In a doctor’s office, the medical assistant can perform administrative tasks as well as basic medical tasks. On the other hand, patient care technicians are more likely to be employed in a nursing home or hospital. This allows them to focus more on patients and the care that they receive over the long term.
As you can see, there are some key differences between these two jobs. These differences can help you determine which job option is right for you.
Which Option is Right for Me?
If the medical field interests you as a career, becoming a medical assistant or patient care technician could be a good option. However, only you can decide which option is best for you. A good way to help your decision is to check out the differences between these two jobs that we discussed above. When you take a closer look at the differences, you can decide which option sounds better to you.
If you have any questions about Medical Assistant and/or Patient Care Technician careers, you can contact FVI School of Nursing and Technology. FVI offers Florida medical assistant training , as well as a patient care technician school in Miami, Florida, so we can help you get started on either one of these great careers. Our south Florida medical assistant program is available at both campuses. Apply to medical assistant school in Miramar or Miami.
Start Planning your Future
As you can see, both of these professions have different sets of requirements and they both call for you to complete training courses. Our patient care technician school in Florida and our medical assistant school in Florida not only provides you with the tools you need to get started, but also the financial aid required to get you in the door. We offer our medical assistant program in Miramar and Miami. Give us a call or or request information today. It’s time for you to embrace you future and truly become who you want to be in the medical field. If you’re willing to put in the work, then we can definitely help to get you there.
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/
