Patient Care Technician
SUNY Jefferson
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Patient Care Technician

Two cheerful patient care technicians gently guide the mid adult woman onto the CT patient bed.

Patient care technicians (PCTs) are crucial healthcare professionals who play a vital role in assisting nurses and other medical staff in providing care to patients. With the occupation demand at an all-time high, after successfully completing this patient care technician program and certification exam, you can become a technician primarily focused on direct patient care and support within a hospital, clinic, long-term care facility, or home health care.

This occupation is expected to grow rapidly in the next several years, will have large numbers of job openings, or are new and emerging occupations, resulting in a bright outlook.  The median wages (2023) for this occupation are $18.36 hourly, $38,200 annual.

Cost: $2,795.00

Online Class
325 course hours
Textbooks included
Exam Voucher Not included
12 months
Open enrollment
Self paced

Program Description

This patient care technician certification course will give you a comprehensive overview of working as a patient care technician. During this asynchronous training course, you will learn how to demonstrate your knowledge of the healthcare delivery system. You will learn how to apply knowledge and skills to provide individualized basic nursing care to a diverse population of patients and how to problem solve and use critical thinking skills within the PCT scope of practice while fostering a positive patient outcome.

This patient care technician training course will also provide you with comprehensive, all-inclusive training, which will assist you in pursuing a new career as a patient care technician and includes a complimentary voucher to sit for either the Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) certification exam through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), or the Patient Care Technician (PCTC) certification exam through American Medical Certification Association (AMCA), upon eligibility.

Disclaimer: Training and certification requirements for patient care technicians vary by state, healthcare setting, and employer. Students are responsible for determining the training and certification requirements of employers in the states in which they wish to work.


Traditional Army tuition assistance, GI Bill® funding, MyCAA funding and traditional college financial aid does not apply.


Are you eligible for funding?
Register with funding here.

Program Objectives

Students will learn:

  • Demonstrate characteristics of a healthcare professional by communicating using proper medical terminology with the interdisciplinary team
  • Obtain knowledge of the healthcare delivery system and the legal, ethical, and professional standards within the role of the PCT
  • Gather the knowledge and skills to provide individualized basic nursing care to a diverse population of patients
  • How to apply problem-solving and critical thinking skills within the PCT scope of practice and in coordination with team members to foster positive patient outcomes
  • Knowledge needed to pass either the NHA's Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) exam or the AMCA's Patient Care Technician (PCTC) certification exam

How you will benefit

  • Jump-start your career in the medical field by learning how to care for patients in a variety of conditions and healthcare settings
  • Develop the communication style needed to communicate positively and efficiently with patients, their family members or caregivers, and healthcare team members
  • Understand how to create positive, efficient experiences for patients to make them more comfortable
  • Learn your legal and ethical responsibilities for practicing patient care
  • Obtain a certificate of completion and be prepared to sit for the professional certification that best aligns with your interests and career goals
  • Your choice of a certifying exam voucher—either for the NHA's Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) exam or the AMCA's Patient Care Technician (PCTC) certification exam

Certification Opportunities

After completing this program, learners will be prepared for the Certified Patient Care Technician (CPCT) certification exam through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) or for the Patient Care Technician (PCTC) certification through the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA), leading industry-recognized credentials for today's patient care technicians.

Your choice of a certifying exam voucher—either for the NHA's Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) exam or the AMCA's Patient Care Technician (PCTC) certification exam

NHA's Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) exam

AMCA's Patient Care Technician (PCTC) certification exam

Possess a high school diploma or GED/high school equivalency and must have completed a patient care technician training or education program.

Disclaimer: Training and certification requirements for patient care technicians vary by state, healthcare setting, and employer. Students are responsible for determining the training and certification requirements of employers in the states in which they wish to work.

REQUIREMENTS

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 10 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Microsoft Word Online
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Instructional Material Requirements

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment. The following digital textbook will be provided via links in the classroom after enrollment in the Medical Terminology course:

  • Medical Terminology for Health Professions (eBook)

The following textbook will be shipped to you approximately 7-10 business days after enrollment in the Patient Care Technician course:

  • Fundamental Concepts and Skills for the Patient Care Technician

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Disclosure: In partnership with Jefferson Community College, this program will be fully delivered by Education To Go (Ed2Go).  Ed2Go is headquartered at P.O. Box 760, Temecula, CA 92593. There are no additional costs students are expected to incur as a result of enrolling in the educational program.