Job Duties
When patients are struggling due to illness, age, or injury, you’ll be there to provide basic care and help boost their quality of life. Patient care technician duties include the following responsibilities:
- Bathing and feeding
- Placing and managing catheters
- Collecting lab specimens
- Monitoring vital signs
- Cleaning patients’ rooms and supplies
- Performing EKG and phlebotomy procedures
Work Environment
Most patient care techs work in hospitals, nursing homes, or home care agencies, but some work in doctors’ offices or rehabilitation centers. You’ll get up close and personal with patients who need assistance with personal hygiene and bodily functions, including bathing, eating, and/or eliminating waste. You’ll need to be comfortable moving patients, drawing blood and collecting other lab specimens, changing bandages and catheters, and monitoring vital signs.
Maintaining a professional, attentive, and understanding demeanor is important (squeamishness won’t serve you well in this role). You’ll also need to work smoothly with other medical staff and be serious about maintaining a clean environment. Work hours vary from job to job, and the dress code will most likely call for scrubs.
Pay Scale
The salary for this role varies based on facility, location, and experience, but the national average annual income is $37,939.* Employment can often include health benefits and paid time off.
Industry Demand
As an increasingly large percentage of the population ages, there’s plenty of potential for an increase in the demand for skilled patient care techs. About 1.8 million jobs in healthcare*, as a whole, are expected in the next few years, which means that now could be a great time to take the next steps toward a new healthcare career.
Documents
Ready to Get Started?
Call (800) 411-7073
to speak with a career advisor
*PayScale. “Average Patient Care Technician Salary.” Payscale.com. March 25, 2024.
**Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. “Healthcare Occupations.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed March 25, 2024.
Statements found in the United States Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook are not a guarantee of any post-graduation salary, in part because the data used to create the Occupational Outlook Handbook includes workers from differing educational backgrounds, levels of experience, and geographic areas of the country.