Patient Care Technician
Build the knowledge behind frontline patient care: the PCT role and reporting relationship, infection control, safe patient handling, vital signs, EKG, personal care, specimen collection, and recognizing a deteriorating patient.
About This Program
Patient care technicians spend more time at the bedside than anyone else on the team, which is the role's real contribution: sustained proximity produces observations nobody else is positioned to make. The job combines nursing assistant duties with technical skills such as phlebotomy and EKG, all performed under the supervision of a registered nurse. This coursework builds the knowledge that must precede supervised clinical practice, and returns throughout to the two things the role runs on — accurate observation, and reporting it in time for someone to act.
By the end of this program you can
- Describe the PCT role and how it differs from CNA and medical assistant roles
- Report observations to a nurse specifically enough to be acted on
- Apply Standard Precautions and PPE during sustained direct patient contact
- Use body mechanics and transfer techniques that protect you and the patient
- Identify fall risk and apply prevention measures
- Measure vital signs accurately and interpret them against a patient's own baseline
- Place EKG leads correctly and recognize artifact
- Provide personal care that preserves dignity and independence
- Prevent pressure injury and recognize a stage 1 injury
- Assist with feeding safely, including aspiration precautions
- Recognize early clinical deterioration and escalate effectively
Roles This Prepares You For
- Patient care technician
- Patient care assistant
- Nursing assistant
- Dialysis technician
- Emergency department technician
- Nurse extern
Related Certifications
- CPCT/A — Certified Patient Care Technician/AssistantNational Healthcareer AssociationRequires a training program or documented work experience.
- NCPCT — National Certified Patient Care TechnicianNational Center for Competency TestingSeveral eligibility routes.
- State CNA certificationIndividual state registriesOften a prerequisite for PCT roles. Requires a state-approved program with supervised clinical hours.
What This Coursework Is
This is coursework, not a credential, and it cannot make anyone competent to perform hands-on patient care. Every clinical skill here — transfers, personal care, venipuncture, EKG, feeding assistance — requires supervised instruction and competency assessment before it is performed on a patient, and the consequences of performing them untrained fall on the patient. Many states also require CNA certification as the foundation for PCT employment, which means completing a state-approved program with a mandated number of supervised clinical hours; that requirement cannot be satisfied online. Verify what your state and prospective employer require before relying on this coursework alone.
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Course Modules
Work through the modules in order — each one builds on the last.
The Role & Patient Rights
What PCTs do, the reporting relationship to nurses, and the rights that govern how patients are treated.
Infection Control & Safety
Standard Precautions and PPE during close patient contact, plus body mechanics and fall prevention.
Vital Signs, EKG & Testing
Measure vital signs accurately, read them against the patient's baseline, and perform EKGs and point-of-care tests correctly.
Personal Care & Mobility
Provide personal care that preserves dignity, and prevent the pressure injuries that develop when patients are not moved.
Nutrition & Specimens
Assist with feeding safely, record intake and output accurately, and collect and label specimens so results can be trusted.
Deterioration & End-of-Life Care
Recognize a declining patient and escalate in time, provide comfort-focused care, and sustain yourself in demanding work.