Patient care technicians play a critical role at healthcare facilities, assisting with inpatient treatment and helping provide quality of life.
Patient Care Technician
Become a Patient Care Technician
Technicians who provide patient care play an important role in healthcare facilities, assisting with inpatient treatment and providing quality of life for patients. The 100% online course will prepare you to work as a patient care technician.
Job Outlook for Patient Care Technician
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that patient care professionals, including nursing assistants and orderlies, earn a median annual salary of $28,000.
- The BLS also estimates that job opportunities in the patient care field will grow by 8% by 2028.
Patient Care Technician Program Course
Curriculum
- Instruction to Patient Care
- Infection Control and Standard Precautious
- Legal issues in healthcare
- Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology
- Medical Terminology
- Physical Assessment and Examination
- Patient positioning and bed mobility techniques
- Range of Motion
- Therapeutic Exercises
- Gait
- Assistive devices
- Orthosis and Prosthesis
- Transfer Technique
- Wound Care and Pressure Sores
- Wheelchair Management
- Patient Care Competency
- Special Topics
Patient care technicians help care for patients in healthcare facilities, which include hospitals, medical offices, and long-term care facilities. Specific patient care duties may include:
- Helping patients get in and out of bed
- Assisting with patients or mobility
- Tracking patient progress
- Listening to patient concern and communicating these to the primary care provider
- Checking vital signs and collecting samples
Essentially, patient care technicians and nursing aids perform the same duties in a healthcare setting. However, patient care technicians may also work under doctors and physical therapist in addition to nurses.
Course Objectives
- Introduction to patient care, legal issues in healthcare, standard precautions and infection control
- Medical terminology, physical examination, patient positioning, bed mobility, range of motion
- Therapeutic exercises, gait, assistive devices, orthosis and prosthesis, transfer techniques
- Wound care and pressure sores, wheelchair management, patient care competency, special topics
Prerequisites and Requirements
There are no prerequisites to take the course.
Instructors
Jacqueline Garcia
Jacqueline Garcia is a Certified Postsecondary Professional Instructor (CPPI), specializing in patient care education. Beyond actively training future patient care technicians, she develops academic content and curriculum for a number of programs.