Like nurses assist doctors, patient care techs (technicians) assist nurses. They are the direct link in the chain of people who care for the sick in nursing homes and hospitals. Patient care techs spend the most time with a sick person taking care of their needs and attending to their routine clinical tasks.
Apart from having certification as a qualified patient care associate, they must possess basic skills of situational and perspective understanding while dealing with patients, must be calm and clear in their communications and disciplined with time, be attentive to patient needs, and respond with sensitivity to all the chores he/she is assigned. The certified one-year course teaches the patient care tech the basic skills of being a nursing assistant and a phlebotomy technician, about electrocardiograms, and gives instructions on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
The challenging job of a patient care tech pays well to those who are willing to be accommodative and gentle, and eager to learn and grow with the management of every patient. Being a team person is essential because in the healthcare field various medical professionals are constantly working toward the welfare of one patient. Spending time with the patient involves keenly observing, recording, and communicating all vital information of the patient like their temperature, blood pressure, changes in their physical or mental state to nurses and doctors, and being an active participant in the wellbeing of the patient. Keeping the interest of the patient in mind at all times is essential.
The reward for being good at patient care jobs not only pays the patient care associate well but also gives the satisfaction of having brought comfort and relief to patients and to people who are ill. The job of a patient care tech is a stepping stone, a real learning process, in being part of the larger healthcare field and the hands-on experience gained here will be extremely beneficial over the years.