Answering Common Questions About Working as a PCT
A PCT or patient care technician might not be a career you are familiar with. This type of profession involves working in the medical field and caring for patients, but it is not as commonly talked about as jobs like doctors and nurses. Below, you can check out some common questions about patient care technicians and their work.
- What Does a Patient Care Technician Do? A patient care technician is someone who is focused on patient care for those in long-term healthcare facilities. The type of patient care they provide depends on the specific place they work, but a patient care technician may perform tasks such as checking vital signs, conducting medical tests, monitoring patient food intake, providing emotional support, and more. This type of work can be rewarding because you are helping others with their health.
- Do I Need Schooling or Certification to Become a PCT? Yes, you do, but becoming a patient care technician does not require an intense amount of schooling or certification. To become a patient care technician, you must go through an approved educational course like a patient care technician training program. This type of program will usually only be under a year, but it will teach you what you need to know about caring for patients. After you complete this educational program, you will have to pass a certification exam. Then, you will have to get certification from the state you live in, which means your name will be put on a list of approved patient care technicians in your state. Those are the main requirements, but your individual employer may also require training and a background check.
- Is There a High Demand for People to Become Patient Care Technicians? There is a growing demand for many people who work in healthcare professions over the coming years. This is because the population is the United States is getting older, and our medical knowledge and technology are getting more advanced. Employment of nursing assistants/patient care technicians is expected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means that this type of work could be a good field to go into because there will be a lot of opportunities for work.
- What Skills and Abilities Do I Need for This Type of Work? To be a good patient care technician, you need to have the ability to perform basic medical care like checking patient’s vital signs. However, you can gain the specific medical skills you need through a patient care technician program. You also need to have strong communication skills to be successful in this type of work because you will need to communicate effectively with patients as well as doctors and nurses. It is also important for patient care technicians to have patience and compassion. When you are providing care for the sick, injured, and elderly, you need to have compassion for them as well as patience for where they are with their health.
- Will Working as a PCT be a Good Fit for Me? Every person is different, but if you enjoy helping others with their health, this may be a good job option for you. Patient care technicians provide both medical support and emotional support to their patients. In this type of role, you spend more time with patients than a doctor because you are providing them with care throughout the day. You need to really enjoy working with people and helping others, but if you do, this could be a great fit. In addition, if you’ve ever thought of becoming a nurse, this is a great way to start in the industry to see if Nursing is something that interests you.
Above, we discussed some common questions that are asked about patient care technicians. This job is not the first job you think of when you think of working in the healthcare field, but it is an important one. Patient care technicians provide their patients with medical and emotional support, so they play an important role in the health and medical care of patients.
FVI School of Nursing and Technology or FVI has a patient care technician training program. We teach you all that you need to know about providing proper care to your patients, and we get you prepared to pass your certification exam. If you would like to learn more about the patient care technician program at FVI School of Nursing and Technology, you can click here.
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/
