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Patient Care Technician Certification
About our Patient Care Technician Certification Course
This 150 hour program is intended for students who want to prepare for an exciting, challenging and rewarding career in healthcare. This program will train students to assist physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals by performing critical day-to-day functions related to the care some patients require. As a Patient Care Technician you’ll provide hands-on assistance to serve patients’ basic needs. Instruction includes learning how to provide basic patient care such as bathing, feeding and catheter care. Students will also learn skills necessary to acquire, distribute and administer patient care supplies, perform safety checks, ensure cleanliness in patient rooms, obtain EKG readings, monitor vital signs, perform phlebotomy procedures and provide emotional support to patients and families. This program includes 60 hours of classroom lecture, 90 hours of hands-on labs and a clinical externship opportunity of 40 hours at a local healthcare provider. To be eligible for the clinical rotation, students must successfully complete the 150-hour program, submit to a thorough background check, drug screening and meet other requirements.
Career Details
What Is a Patient Care Technician?
A patient care technician (PCT) provides hands-on care to patients with a variety of healthcare needs.
What Does a Patient Care Technician Do?
PCTs help patients with procedures such as taking vital signs, performing electrocardiography (ECG), blood draws and other needs. In addition, a PCT will:
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provide bedside care and advocate patients’ needs
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interact in daily communication with patients, nurses, doctors and patients’ families
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conduct catheterizations, saline locks, and wound care procedures
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prepare, initiate and discontinue dialysis treatment of the patient in both hemodialysis and central venous catheters
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What Career Opportunities Does a Patient Care Technician Have?
PCTs need strong communication skills, empathy and to be attentive to patient needs. PCTs can work in many settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, dialysis facilities and home healthcare agencies as a:
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hospital caregiver
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emergency department technician
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patient advocate
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dialysis technician
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ECG monitor technician
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home health aide
Course Details
What Will I Learn With This Training?
Our hands-on training and specialized courses will teach you how to:
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draw blood and insert intravenous catheters
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perform urinary catheterizations and nasogastric tube removal
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provide wound care, including the removal of sutures and staples
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operate dialysis equipment and readjust treatment parameters as defined by protocols and patient prescriptions
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perform emergency room skills such as splint and cast immobilizations, crutch training, throat cultures, urinalysis and oxygen therapy
Topics Covered
1. Intro to Patient Care
2. Infection Control & Standard Precautions
3. Legal Issues in Healthcare
4. Introduction to Human Anatomy & Physiology
5. Medical Conditions, Diseases & Disorders
6. Physical Assessment and Examination
7. Patient Positioning and Bed Mobility
8. Range of Motion
9. Therapeutic Exercises
10. Gait
11. Assistive Devices
12. Orthosis and Prosthesis
13. Transfer Techniques
14. Wound Care and pressure sores
15. Wheelchair Management
16. Patient Care Competency Skills