How to Become a PCT in Maine

Maine offers many career opportunities to those wanting to work in healthcare.

For example, you can easily start a new career as a patient care technician.

If you are interested in finding out more info, check out the article below.

Patient Care Technician Job Description and Duties in Maine

As a PCT, your job will share common aspects with a CNA.

However, as a patient care tech, you will mostly work by yourself and without any supervision.

Your main job will entail helping patients in the facility you work at, their families as well as staff.

The most common job tasks for a patient care tech include:

• Bathing and feeding the patients
• Catheter care
• Maintaining patient rooms clean
• Vital sign monitoring
• Performing phlebotomy procedures
• Talking to the patients’ families
• Escorting patients to various places for further investigations

In Maine, you are required to show up in the Maine Registry Of Nursing Assistants.

You might need to perform some extra job tasks.

Patient Care Technician Job Requirements in Maine

If you plan to work as a PCT, you need to submit:

• Having a high school diploma or GED
• Having good communication skills
• Being detail-oriented
• Being compassionate
• Having a clean criminal background
• Being certified
• Having physical stamina

Remember that you may need to have extra skills.

To show up in the Registry, you need to pass a test.

Patient Care Technician Education in Maine

The Maine Nurse Registry asks candidates to enhance their skills by joining a training program.

As some tasks don’t require supervising, you should have a certain skill set.

Maine has only one school offering training for nursing assistants, the certification you’ll need.

You can find more patient care tech courses in other states, all with a different duration.

They can last for a few months, or an entire year.

Your certification will be issued once you complete the training program.

You can also choose to get an Associates’ degree.

This degree lasts for longer, about 2 years, but also provides better credentials.

Generally, the patient care technician programs offer theory hours as well as clinical practice hours.

To join a PCT program in Maine, you need to:

• Have a clean criminal record
• Passed a drug screening test
• Passed a TB skin test
• Have the following health immunizations done:
  • MMR
  • Varicella
  • Hepatitis B
  • Flu
  • Tetanus

As a patient care tech, you will study how to perform these tasks among other subjects:

• Providing patient safety
• Providing basic care
• Medical terminology and abbreviations
• Basic infection control procedures and techniques
• The structure and function of body systems
• Identifying and reporting changes in the patient’s condition
• Monitoring and recording bodily functions
• CPR
• First aide techniques
• Drawing blood
• Inserting catheters

Patient Care Technician Certification in Maine

It is not hard to apply for a patient care tech license in Maine.

You need to complete the program, and take the certification exam.

To register for the NHA exam, you need to:

• Be over the age of 18
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Graduate from a specialized training program
• Pay the exam fee – $149
• Show proof of citizenship or nationality
• Submit a set of fingerprints

As per the NHA, you need at least 1 year of experience if you did not finish a training program.

If you attend a program, you will get your tuition fees covered by the school you attend.

This PCT certification exam has a 2-hour length and features 100 questions.

You also need to be ready to take 20 pre-test questions.

Patient Care Technician Employment and Salary in Maine

In Maine, having a PCT license lets you get hired in any healthcare facility.

Some of these facilities are:

• Hospitals,
• Clinics,
• Rehabilitation centers,
• Long term care and assisted living facilities,
• Hospices
• Home care

In Maine, the average salary for patient care technicians is around $32,871 per year.

Salaries are higher in more populated areas of bigger cities.

Average Salary of Patient Care Technicians in Maine

Maine Salary by Metro Area

Additional Information for Patient Care Technician in Maine

Do you need more job resources?

If so, you can easily check out the below organizations:

• Maine Registry Of Nursing Assistants
• National Health Association