Role of a Patient Care Technician

A patient care technician frequently has the same job function as a certified nursing assistant, although some employers assign more technical duties to the technician. The role of patient care technicians is essential because they often have more direct contact with patients than any other staff members.

Basic Duties

Patient care technicians assist patients with daily living tasks while they are staying in a hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation clinic or long-term care facility. They help patients with bathing, shampooing their hair, dressing and other personal hygiene activity.

Mobility Assistance

Helping patients with mobility is another important part of a patient care technician's job. The technicians assist patients with exercising, moving to and from wheelchairs and walking. They also reposition bedridden patients to prevent skin sores.

Technical Duties

Additionally, patient care technicians check vital signs, such as pulse rate and blood pressure;check blood glucose; assist in medical examinations; obtain electrocardiograms; and collect blood samples.

Home Health Care

Some patient care technicians work as home health aides in which they perform most of the same job duties they would at a health care facility but, typically, do some light housekeeping as well.

Clerical Role

Increasingly, employers are expanding the role of the patient care technician to include assisting with clerical tasks such as data entry, word processing and help at the reception desk.