Healthcare Industry

Growing faster than most employment sectors

Increasing dependence on unlicensed personnel

Benefiting from trends such as…

Extension of health coverage to uninsured

Chronic diet and exercise related illnesses

Growing number of retired Baby Boomers

Patient Care Technicians

Unlicensed assistive personnel

Employed in nearly every branch of healthcare

Assigned several job titles

Perform routine tasks of client management

Supervised by nurses and physicians

Common Job Titles

Medical assistant

Nurse aide

Orderly

Dialysis technician

EKG technician

Surgical technician

Radiology technician

New Providers

Typically start out in an entry-level position

May be able to find work in some specialties

Medical assistant and nurse aide are popular

Gain experience and master the basics of care

Exposure to specialized departments

Acquire list of positive references

Experienced Providers

May work in specialties such as dialysis, surgery, radiology, cardiac care, and more

Might need a college degree, certification, and state licensing in some advanced fields

In-house or independent training is often offered

National certification almost always expected

Surgery and radiology have additional requirements

Selecting a Pathway

Considerations to think about…

Education

Credentials

Experience

Work responsibilities

Room for advancement

Long-term career objectives

Earning potential

References

http://www.patientcaretechniciansalary.net/patient-

care-technician-duties/

http://www.patientcaretechniciansalary.net/patient-

care-technician-job-description/