As you may know this site focuses on patient care technician career information such as what types of schools and training programs are out there as well as what the typical care technician can expect to earn.
The interesting thing about this particular specialty in the medical field is that it doesn’t seem to have an official name.
Besides the term “Patient Care Technician” additional titles used for nearly -if not completely- identical positions are:
- Nursing Assistant
- Nurse Auxiliary
- Patient Care Assistant
- Home Health Aide
- Nurse Aide
- Nurse Tech
- …and others
Obviously these do not all perform exactly the same functions in the same places but there is considerable overlap to be found.
Regardless of the name the main responsibility of someone in a PCT position is to assist patients who are sick or injured.
Typically people in this position will need help moving about -if they are mobile at all- as well as adjusting their bed, wheel chair or the like.
There are also medications to keep track of and administer besides other tasks that might be directed by a more senior medical professional.
Wikipedia lists some of the common tasks for patient care technicians as:
- Observing, documenting and reporting clinical information such as patient behavioral changes
- Assisting patients with rehabilitation exercises
- Recording patient data such as blood pressure, temperature etc.
- Helping patients move about
- Assisting with hygiene
If you pursue a position as a patient care technician your daily tasks will depend largely on the type of work environment you find yourself in.
Getting your training for becoming an unlicensed assistive technician is actually fairly straightforward since you should be able to find a program of study -such as a one semester CNA course- at a community college in your area.
You can click here to read more about patient care technician training.
One thing to keep in mind is that though classroom training my be necessary and helpful getting real world experience is going to be the biggest benefit to your career whether you decide to move on from an entry level type position or are merely getting a feel for whether you want to work in this sector of the medical field or not.
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