What Is a Patient Care Technician? Job Duties, Skills, and More

Key Insights:

• Patient care technicians (PCTs) provide basic patient care under the supervision of nurses and doctors. Their duties can include assisting with daily activities, monitoring vital signs, collecting samples, and offering emotional support — all tasks that support patient well-being.
• PCTs can benefit from both interpersonal and technical skills. Beneficial traits include patience, compassion, and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
• PCTs must also know how to assist with daily care and be able to perform medical tasks like taking vital signs and administering EKGs.PCTs must typically complete a training program, which can include learning about anatomy, medical terminology, phlebotomy, and EKGs. Hands-on experience and certification are also often required.

If you’re interested in working with patients but don’t see yourself as a doctor or nurse, a career as a patient care technician may be the answer. While this type of hands-on role can be demanding, it also allows you to help make a difference in the lives of the patients you serve.

Do you think this could be the career path for you? Keep reading to discover what a patient care technician does and learn about typical work environments, skills needed for this role, and how to become one.

What Is a Patient Care Technician?

A patient care technician (PCT) works under the supervision of a nurse, doctor, or other health professional to administer basic care to patients. However, the term “basic” can be misleading, as it does not necessarily mean unimportant tasks.

Many of a PCT’s required job functions are a vital component of patient care. This position involves interacting with patients face-to-face and aiding with daily tasks.

Patient Care Technician Duties: What Does a PCT Do?

Specific tasks performed depend on the patient’s needs, as well as the technician’s workplace. Some of the duties that may be expected of a PCT include:

• Helping patients with mobility issues move between a bed, chair, and/or wheelchair
• Assisting patients during exercise
• Tracking patient progress during care, including physical therapy
• Listening to and noting patient concerns
• Checking vital signs
• Collecting samples, such as blood or urine, and delivering them to the laboratory
• Acting as a companion for patients and providing comfort and support
• Serving as a liaison for family visits

Patient Care Technician Pay Information

The average pay for a patient care technician can vary depending on where you live, where you work, what credentials you hold, and how much experience you have. Look at local job posts to learn more about the wages for PCTs in your area.

Where Patient Care Technicians Work

Patient care technicians can work in a variety of healthcare settings. You can find them in:

• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Doctor’s offices
• Urgent care clinics
• Dialysis clinics

Patient Care Technician Job Outlook

The BLS projects that the employment of nursing assistants and orderlies, the category in which PCTs lie, will grow 4% from 2023 to 2033, which is as fast as the average for all occupations.¹ It adds that this anticipated growth is due to the aging population of baby boomers who will need more senior care.

According to the BLS, home- and community-based facilities may see the most demand for these healthcare professionals due to both patient preferences for these healthcare settings and a shift in government funding.¹

Key Skills of a Patient Care Technician

If you’re thinking of becoming a PCT, consider whether the following list of skills is a good fit for your personality, abilities, and interests. Keep in mind you’ll be working closely with patients in any number of contexts. Having the skills needed to handle unexpected situations with confidence can be beneficial in this role.

People skills

One important quality for a patient care technician is good people skills. When working in this role, you’ll be dealing with people all day long, including patients, their families, nurses, doctors, and other professionals.

In stressful situations, it can get tense. PCTs must be able to keep a calm, clear head in these situations. They need to be able to make patients feel comfortable and at ease.

Anticipating patient needs

Patient care technicians do more than just care for their patients’ current needs. They must also anticipate patients’ needs and plan for them.

This means you not only have to be good at listening to what a patient says, but you also need to recognize behaviors that illuminate what they’re not saying. You should be attentive to detail and able to provide solutions before issues arise, or at least know how to reach out to the appropriate healthcare professional for the situation, who can assist.

Basic patient care skills

An essential skill for PCTs is understanding how to properly assist patients with basic tasks of day-to-day life. This can include helping a patient eat, drink, bathe, dress, use the bathroom, and/or move around.

A PCT’s job duties enable patients to maintain a daily routine that allows them to feel comfortable and competent. A good PCT knows how to perform their job duties or assist with tasks in such a way that makes the patient feel secure, supported, and capable.

Performing electrocardiograms and taking vital signs

In addition to helping make patients’ daily lives easier, patient care technicians can also be responsible for a few more technical healthcare tasks. They should have the skills needed to take patients’ vital signs, for instance, such as temperature, pulse, and blood pressure.

Another common PCT task involves performing an electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) on patients. This test measures electrical activity in the heart and, according to the Mayo Clinic, is used to help healthcare providers diagnose cardiac issues such as heart attacks and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats).²

How to Become a Patient Care Technician

Now that you know what a patient care technician does throughout the day and the skills needed, do you think this is the right career path for you? If so, the next step could be to enroll in a PCT training program to help you prepare for this important healthcare role.

PCT education and training

Because patient care technicians perform specialized tasks such as taking blood pressure, drawing blood, and positioning patients, employers may require you to complete a PCT program to gain these skills. Training may also be required if you plan to pursue certification.

In a patient care technician training program, you can learn about anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and pharmacology. You can also gain practical skills related to:

• Specimen collection and handling
• First aid, wound care, and emergency care
• ECG/EKG administrationPatient care procedures
• Assistive device usage

Clinical experience

To help students obtain clinical experience, training programs may include an externship. This gives you the opportunity to practice what you’ve learned in the classroom in a hands-on, real-world environment. It can help you gain confidence in the duties you perform, also helping you feel comfortable around patients.

Certification

Ninety-six percent of employers require or encourage their patient care technicians to be certified.³ Certification says you have the knowledge and skills needed to perform that job role. It also tells potential employers that you take your healthcare career seriously — that you’re willing to take the steps needed to ensure you can perform the duties you will likely be assigned.

Certifications that may be required, or that you may wish to pursue include:

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A)
• Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)

Completion of an approved training program may be required to apply for certification exams. A PCT program can also help prepare you to sit for these exams, if eligible.⁴

Start Your Journey to Becoming a Patient Care Technician

Are you ready to become a patient care technician? Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) can help prepare you for a career in this growing field with our Patient Care Technician diploma program, which includes preparation to sit for the CNA, CPCT/A, and CPT exams.⁴

Visit our admissions page to get started. You can also call us at 888-213-4473 to speak with one of our friendly team members, or fill out our convenient online form and we’ll reach out to you.

If you want to learn about other jobs in the allied health field, check out our guide to healthcare careers to explore your options.

FAQs

• What does a patient care technician do? A patient care technician (PCT) supports healthcare professionals by providing basic patient care in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities. Responsibilities can include assisting with mobility and daily tasks like bathing and eating, tracking patient progress, checking vital signs, collecting samples, and offering emotional support.
• What skills are important for a PCT? Beneficial skills for PCTs can include the ability to work with people and anticipate patient needs. It’s also important to be comfortable assisting with daily tasks, as well as to have the technical skills needed to take vital signs and perform EKGs.
• Where can a PCT work? PCTs can be found assisting doctors and nurses in hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis clinics, urgent care clinics, and physicians’ offices.
• How much does a PCT earn? PCT wage information can vary depending on a variety of factors, from the geographical area in which you work to your level of education and experience, and more. Research jobs in your area to learn more about local PCT pay. You can also check national resources for information, such as those offered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
• How do you become a PCT? Becoming a PCT can involve completing a healthcare education program, where you can learn about topics such as anatomy, medical terminology, phlebotomy, and EKGs. Some employers may also require you to be certified.