How to Become a PCT in North Dakota

If you’re hoping to get hired in the healthcare industry, you could consider a job as a patient care technician.

Through this article, you’ll learn what it takes to become a PCT in North Dakota, so read on if you’re curious!

Patient Care Technician Job Description and Duties in North Dakota

The job of a patient care tech is very similar to that of a nurse aide.

The main difference lies in the fact that as a PCT you’ll be working without being supervised.

As far as your duties go, here’s a list of the most common of them:

• 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

Keep in mind that some of these tasks will depend on each patient, and they could repeat throughout your shift.

Patient Care Technician Job Requirements in North Dakota

You can’t work as a PCT without meeting some criteria.

For the patient care tech position, you’ll need to meet these prerequisites:

• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Have good communication skills
• Be detail-oriented
• Be compassionate
• Have a clean criminal background
• Be certified
• Have physical stamina
• Be listed on the North Dakota Nurse Aide Registry

Patient Care Technician Education in North Dakota

Certification comes after you attended a training program or you accumulated at least 1 year of related work experience.

You’ll also have to pass an exam, but more about this later.

Currently, in North Dakota, there are no schools offering courses for PCTs.

If you’re interested in this, you’ll need to search for a suitable program in another state.

You’ll be able to choose from at least three types of diplomas:

• Certificate
• Associates’ degree
• Bachelor’s degree

The higher the credential you earn, the better your career outlook will be.

Keep in mind that a certificate will take less than 2 years to complete, while the degrees will be at least 2 years long and up to at least four.

All the programs require the students to fully attend the clinical practice hours included.

All the courses have a limited number of spots, and for this, only candidates with the following will be accepted:

• 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

Some of the theory or practice classes you’ll attend are:

• 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 North Dakota

As mentioned, for certification, you’ll have to pass the examination.

The best exam to pass as a future PCT is the one offered by the National Health Association.

This test requires candidates to sign up first.

These are the conditions to register for the exam:

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

What not many individuals know beforehand, is that the exam fee could be included in the tuition you paid for the training.

When the testing time comes, you’ll have almost 2 hours to answer correctly some 120 questions in total.

20 of these are pre-test questions.

Patient Care Technician Employment and Salary in North Dakota

Now that you’re certified, it’s time you found a job.

These are the places highly likely to hire you:

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

The average annual salary in North Dakota is about $32,000.

You could be earning more depending on the hours you work, experience, and even location.

Regional Salary in North Dakota

Additional Information for Patient Care Technician in North Dakota

Here are some places where you could find some help, should you ever need it:

• North Dakota Nurse Aide Registry
• North Dakota Department of Health
• National Health Association