What Can You Learn in Patient Care Tech Training?
You have a kind heart along with a desire to care for and help others. You want to pursue a career in healthcare but aren’t sure what path may be right for you. Pursuing a career as a Patient Care Technician could be a great way to put your skills to good use and break into the healthcare field. Patient Care Technicians play a critical role in the day-to-day care of patients. As a Patient Care Technician, you could pursue employment at a variety of health care settings. Some of these include a long-term care facility, an extended care setting, home healthcare, or even a hospital. You may be wondering though, what can you learn in Patient Care Tech Training and how is it going to help as you pursue your new career? Well, you’ve landed in the right place. Today we’re going to break down some of the things you can learn in Patient Care Tech Training that can help you prepare for your newly chosen career. Read on below!
Medical Knowledge You Can Learn in Patient Care Tech Training
If you are pursuing patient care tech training, you can learn knowledge and skills that can help set you up for success on the job. The first thing we are going to talk about is the medical knowledge you can learn in a patient care technician program. Examples of topics you may be exposed to in your patient care tech training include medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology. Infection control and promoting patient safety are also key topics that may be covered. After all, you want to ensure you are keeping your patients safe and well while they are in your care. While this may not sound exciting, this knowledge presented in your PCT program sets a foundation for skills you may learn and situations you may be exposed to once you’re in the field.
Clinical Skills You Can Learn in Patient Care Tech Training
In addition to medical knowledge, you will also likely have an opportunity to learn clinical skills as part of your pct program. These skills may include things like measuring vital signs, first aid, CPR, and phlebotomy. A big part of a Patient Care Tech’s job is assisting patients with day-to-day activities. That said, you will want to make sure that your PCT program covers these skills in detail. This includes, but is not limited to, helping patients dress, bathe, eat, and perform other daily activities. It may also include how to help reposition patients in bed or help them transition or reposition themselves. Mastering these clinical skills can help you prepare for your daily duties as a patient care technician once you have successfully completed your training program.
Soft Skills
We have discussed the knowledge and skills that you can learn in a patient care tech program thus far. At this point, you may be thinking that you have all your bases covered. Hold on for just a second. Your patient care technician program may also help you develop your soft skills and reinforce their importance on-the-job. Soft skills are traits and behaviors that help establish someone’s relationship (or interactions) with other people. Soft skills are desirable in just about any profession, but they are especially important if you are working in health care settings. Think about it like this… How do you feel when you or a loved one are sick or hurt? You may be anxious, upset, tired, or just feel unwell. That’s perfectly normal, right? Well, as a patient care technician, it is important to understand that your patients as well as their family members may feel these emotions, and you will want to know how to best respond in those situations. Soft skills include effective interpersonal skills such as communication, listening, emotional expression and conflict, and personal perceptions. While soft skills may not immediately come to mind when you think about what you can learn in patient care tech training, it is a necessary and critical component.
There you have it! We have answered the question, “What can you learn in Patient Care Tech Training?” and provided you with some examples. We hope this information is helpful as you seek out the pct program that will be right for you as you pursue your newly chosen career!
The Patient Care Technician program at Dorsey College
The hybrid patient care technician program at Dorsey College offers a broad foundation of skills expanding the traditional role of the nursing assistant while providing skills for students who wish to pursue a career in healthcare. During the Patient Care Technician program at Dorsey College, students can develop skills such as assisting with patient hygiene and comfort, patient safety, obtaining lab samples, drawing blood, and performing ECGs. The Patient Care Technician program also includes training in for students on how to assist with clinical procedures, the follow-up of patient care for
medical examinations and treatments, and basic health diagnostic procedures. At the end of the Patient Care Technician program at Dorsey College, students will participate in an externship where they can apply the knowledge and skills they have learned while obtaining professional exposure in a healthcare setting. Students who have successfully completed this pct program may go on to challenge a national certification exam. In addition, Dorsey College will pay the cost one time for graduates of this program to challenge a certification exam as selected by Dorsey College, contingent upon the graduate meeting Dorsey College’s exam preparation requirements. To learn more about the Dorsey College Patient Care Technician program visit us online today!