Patient Care Technician Diploma Program

All programs have been converted to a hybrid format incorporating online instruction with on-campus instruction for hands-on components.  Please contact the school for program specifics and safety guidance and protocols.

Enrollment and financial aid can be done from home. Use your time wisely and enroll today.

What is a Patient Care Technician?

A Patient Care Technician is responsible for providing direct and indirect patient care under the supervision of a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. Depending on the setting, a Patient Care Technician may be responsible for tasks such as obtaining and documenting patients' vital signs, helping patients complete activities of daily living, performing phlebotomy, obtaining electrocardiograms (ECGs), providing patients with emotional support, setting up patient rooms during periods of turnover, helping with procedures such as dressing changes, providing post-mortem care, and reporting patient changes to supervising nurses or physicians. A Patient Care Technician can provide care to people of all ages, from neonates to geriatric patients. A Patient Care Technician is a highly rewarding career, where your compassion and support may turn what could have been a difficult day for an elderly, ill or chronically sick person into a great one.

What Career Options Are Available For Patient Care Technicians?

After meeting with area employers, they directly expressed the need for a Patient Care Technician Diploma Program to fulfill their growing needs for individuals with this type of training.
Patient Care Technicians work in a variety of settings. Hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, outpatient centers, surgical centers, hospice, home health, dialysis clinics, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers all need patient care technicians as team members.

Most Importantly, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of healthcare occupations is projected to grow +11%-+21% depending on speciality.^{1 2 3}

How Do I Become A Patient Care Technician?

There are multiple pathways to become a Patient Care Technician. For example, some hospitals or nursing homes will hire and train you to become a Patient Care Technician, although not all of these facility-based programs will allow you to sit for a certification exam. Some facilities also require that you sign an agreement to work for them for a certain period of time and this may limit your initial career advancement options.

A more linear path to becoming a Patient Care Technician is to enter our diploma program. You must first have a high school diploma, GED or pass an approved ATB exam. In this program you will receive end-to-end training in a classroom, in a laboratory, and in clinical hands-on experience settings. Our Patient Care Technician Program takes just 11 months to complete. Upon successful completion of the Stautzenberger Patient Care Technician Diploma Program, you have the ability to sit for the Patient Care Technician exam by the National Healthcare Association.
Course includes:

• General Anatomy and Physiology
• Medical Terminology
• Introduction to Heath Care
• Healthcare Settings for Nursing Assistants
• Nursing Assistant Skills and Patient Care
• Nursing Assistant Administration
• Phlebotomy
• Emergency Room Technician
• Pathology
• Electrocardiography
• Medical Ethics and Documentation
• Principles and Practices of Hemodialysis
• Dialysis Technology and Devices
• Patient Care: Treatment and Care of Kidney Failure
• Patient Care Technician Clinical Externship
• Student Success Strategies
• Professional Success Strategies
   

Why Choose Our College?

We take a streamlined approach to education, with curricula focusing on developing a particular skillset and knowledge base for a career rather than receiving a general education.   We focus on training you in jobs that employers tell us are truly needed in your community.

We offer affordable programs that typically take less time to complete, have smaller class sizes, and the majority of the training is hands-on, which is an ideal environment for many types of learners. We offer on-campus, hybrid and completely online diploma and degree programs that could provide you more opportunities to well-paying jobs with room for growth and managerial potential.

We know it's all about a job. Our career services team has done the networking for you with numerous local employers. Prior to graduation, we could help you find that perfect job. Employers have consistently placed confidence in our graduates' abilities.

Financial Aid available to those who qualify.

Program Length - 11 months

41% of the program can be taken online (learn more)

After you complete the Patient Care Technician Diploma Program, you could continue with our online, 7-month Healthcare Administration Associate Degree completion program.  That's only 18 months total to get an associate degree.

References:
¹ onetonline.org/link/summary/31-9097.00, retrieved 2/13/2020
² onetonline.org/link/summary/31-9097.01, retrieved 2/13/2020
³ onetonline.org/link/summary/31-9097.02, retrieved 2/13/2020