Patient care technician

A patient care technician assists nurses with the hands-on clinical and personal care of patients. They take vital signs, draw blood, perform EKGs, help patients bathe, eat, and move, monitor conditions, and report changes — combining the basic care of a nursing assistant with additional technical skills like phlebotomy and EKG.

The role provides close, continuous patient contact in a physically active job, often the staff patients see most. PCTs work in hospitals, dialysis centers, and clinics, usually on shifts, and the expanded skill set makes it a step up from nursing assistant.

The job suits energetic, caring people who want broad bedside clinical experience.