Patient Care Technician Certificate Program
Program Type
Certificate
Delivery Method
On Campus
Course Length
Approximately
8 Months
Program Objective
A patient care technician is an important member of a medical team, providing hands-on care to patients and covering an array of patient needs.
The day-to-day responsibilities of a patient care technician vary based on patient needs. Common duties include taking vital signs, performing electrocardiography (ECG), drawing blood, conducting catheterizations, saline locks and wound care and performing dialysis treatment.
Hands-on training, lab time and classes taught by instructors with years of experience will prepare students to perform a number of procedures, including, but not limited to:
- Drawing blood
- Inserting intravenous catheters
- Performing urinary catheterizations
- Performing nasogastric tube removal
- Providing wound care and removing sutures/staples
- Performing electrocardiography (ECG)
- Operating dialysis equipment and readjusting treatment parameters as defined by protocols and patient prescriptions
- Preparing, initiating and discontinuing dialysis treatment in both hemodialysis and central venous catheters
- Performing emergency room skills such as splint and cast immobilizations, crutch training, throat cultures, urinalysis and oxygen therapy
You must be a Certified Nursing Assistant/Nurse Aide (CNA) to enroll in the Patient Care Technician certificate program.
Graduates of the program from this school are prepared to sit for the National Certified Patient Care Technician (NCPCT) exam through the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT).
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Careers as a Patient Care Technician
What Are My Career Opportunities as a Patient Care Technician?
What Are My Career Opportunities as a Patient Care Technician?
This certificate program will prepare graduates to apply their skills in a number of different roles, such as:
- Hospital caregiver
- Emergency department technician
- Patient advocate
- Dialysis technician
- ECG monitor technician
- Home health aide
They can work in a variety of environments:
- Hospitals
- Rehabilitation centers
- Dialysis facilities
- Home healthcare agencies
Job Outlook
Job Outlook
Healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any of the other occupational groups. This projected growth is mainly due to an aging population, leading to greater demand for healthcare services.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow much faster than the national average for other occupations from 2020 to 2030, adding over 2 million new jobs.
Continued Education
Continued Education
At Pima Medical Institute, we offer an online associate degree in Health Care Administration, an online Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration and an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership. Get the skills needed to move up within the healthcare industry, with the flexibility of virtual instruction. Work on your degree anywhere, anytime.
Online Programs
When you’re a Pima Medical Institute student, you get access to our Career Services team—here for you when you need extra help with finding the right job opportunities, building a resume, strengthening your interview skills or just looking for general guidance.
Clinical Externships
At Pima Medical Institute, most programs allow students to work in their field through clinical externships—a chance to be mentored by full-time professionals and interface with real patients.
In addition to real-world experience, clinical externships offer students resume-worthy opportunities, letters of recommendation from supervisors, and sometimes job placement directly after graduation.
Program Outline
Learn more about the courses in this program.
Career Prep Sequence
Emergency Room Sequence
Electrocardiography (ECG) Sequence
Hemodialysis Sequence
Externship
Interested In Starting This Program?
Find out more about our Admissions Requirements or view our How to Apply page.
Success Is Within Reach
We are truly invested in making sure our students succeed.
“Shortly after completing my CNA, I began the PCT program. I became so passionate and didn’t want to miss a day. My externship was at a hospital emergency room and I really enjoyed it and the nurses trusted me. After graduating, I was hired at Banner Heart Hospital as a monitor technician and I fell in love with EKGs.”
Taylor Diaz, Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Technician Graduate
Pima Medical Blog
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Wondering what kind of career you’ll have as a patient care technician (PCT)? PCTs have a lot of variety to pick from. They work at…
Skills You Need to Become a Great Patient Care Technician
Providing basic and direct care to patients daily takes a lot of dedication, patience and compassion. As a patient care technician, you will help patients…
Pima Medical Institute Houston Campus Now Enrolling for New Patient Care Technician Program
HOUSTON (Jan. 5, 2016) – Pima Medical Institute has added the patient care technician program to its Houston campus, providing students with another avenue into…
Disclosures And Accreditations
State Licensure Determination Disclosure
The Patient Care Technician program is offered via on-ground and hybrid delivery methods. The program is available to residents of Arizona, and Texas. Applicants to the PCT program must have obtained a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential prior to enrollment in the program. While there may be online components, completion of this program requires on-ground attendance at the campus at which the student is enrolled and cannot be completed solely via distance education. Prospective students and enrolled students should understand that moving out of the state in which they enrolled may adversely impact a student’s ability to complete the program. If a student is planning to relocate outside of their state of enrollment he or she is required to discuss this with the Student Services Coordinator and/or Program Director.
In compliance with 34 CFR 668.43 Pima Medical Institute has made a reasonable effort to determine graduate eligibility for licensure in all states for programs designed and advertised as leading to licensure. The Patient Care Technician program does not lead to licensure. Graduates of the PCT programs are eligible to apply to take the Board of Nephrology Examiners Nursing Technology (BONENT) Exam. The document below lists Pima Medical Institute programs and states where the curriculum meets licensure requirements, states where the curriculum does not meet licensure requirements, and states in which Pima Medical Institute has been unable to determine if the curriculum meets state licensure requirements. All consumers should be advised that due to the frequent changes to state statutes, rules, and regulations Pima Medical Institute cannot guarantee licensure based on the lists below.
State Licensure Determination Disclosure – Certificate Programs
Advance Your Medical Career as a Patient Care Technician
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