Pittsburgh offers several routes into Patient Care Technician work, including direct PCT programs, paid hospital training, CNA education, phlebotomy, and medical assisting programs with EKG and blood-drawing skills.
Training ranges from about two weeks for an employer-based PCT program to 12 months for self-paced online study, with costs ranging from paid or tuition-free programs to approximately $3,500 for private training.
Patient Care Technicians annual average salary in Pennsylvania is $34,000 - ABOVE U.S. AVERAGE!
#1 Community College of Allegheny County
Community College of Allegheny County is a large public community college serving Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
CCAC offers both an online Patient Care Technician program and an in-person Nurse Aide Training Program.
The online PCT option is best for students who need scheduling flexibility, while the nurse aide course provides more direct hands-on patient-care experience.
Programs Offered
The Patient Care Technician course covers bedside care, medical terminology, anatomy, infection control, vital signs, patient mobility, wound care, specimen collection, phlebotomy fundamentals, and introductory EKG procedures.
The program includes preparation for a national Patient Care Technician certification examination and an exam voucher.
CCAC’s Nurse Aide Training Program provides classroom instruction and clinical experience under registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.
Students learn activities of daily living, patient hygiene, mobility, safety, infection prevention, and vital signs.
Tuition and Cost
The online PCT program costs approximately $3,089.
The Nurse Aide Training Program has separate workforce tuition.
Students should also budget for uniforms, books, health screenings, background checks, certification testing, and clinical requirements.
Program Length
The online PCT program includes approximately 325 hours and provides up to 12 months for completion.
Nurse aide training is considerably shorter and is offered through scheduled workforce cohorts.
Address: 808 Ridge Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, United States
#2 Energy Innovation Center Institute
Energy Innovation Center Institute is located on Bedford Avenue near downtown Pittsburgh.
It operates a Nursing Assistant and Patient Care Technician training program connected directly with UPMC.
This is one of the most attractive choices for beginners because accepted students are hired by UPMC and paid during training.
Programs Offered
Students learn how to assist patients with activities of daily living, provide hygiene and comfort care, collect specimens, obtain blood glucose readings, record weights, and measure vital signs.
Training combines classroom instruction with hands-on skills practice.
Applicants must generally be at least 18, have a high school diploma or GED, possess basic computer skills, and pass required employment screening.
Tuition and Cost
Students do not pay traditional tuition.
Participants are hired as UPMC employees and currently receive approximately $17.38 per hour while completing the training program.
This makes the program particularly valuable for students who want both training and immediate healthcare employment.
Program Length
The classroom and hands-on training portion takes two weeks.
Classes run Monday through Friday from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Address: 1435 Bedford Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, United States
#3 Pittsburgh Job Corps Center
Pittsburgh Job Corps Center is a federally funded career-training campus located on Highland Drive.
It offers Patient Care Technician training along with CNA and Clinical Medical Assistant programs.
Job Corps is primarily designed for qualifying students ages 16 through 24 and can provide an unusually affordable route into healthcare.
Programs Offered
PCT students learn direct patient care, vital signs, medical documentation, patient safety, communication, infection prevention, and other basic clinical responsibilities.
The program can lead to the Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant credential.
Students may also have access to related healthcare training such as Certified Nurse Assistant and Clinical Medical Assistant education.
Tuition and Cost
Qualified Job Corps students attend at no cost.
Job Corps can provide career training, housing, meals, basic healthcare, and other support services to eligible participants.
This makes it substantially different from a traditional tuition-based career school.
Program Length
Completion time varies because Job Corps training is competency-based rather than organized around one fixed semester schedule.
Students should expect several months of training depending on their starting education level, progress, and selected healthcare pathway.
Address: 7175 Highland Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, United States
#4 Bidwell Training Center
Bidwell Training Center is a nonprofit career school located in Pittsburgh.
Its Medical Assistant program is especially notable because eligible Pennsylvania residents can complete the training without paying tuition.
The program is broader than a PCT certificate and is primarily designed for outpatient medical assisting, but it includes several skills useful in patient-care positions.
Programs Offered
Students learn vital signs, injections, phlebotomy, specimen collection, laboratory procedures, patient examinations, electronic health records, and clinical communication.
The program includes extensive laboratory practice and a four-week clinical externship.
Students interested specifically in inpatient PCT positions should check whether prospective hospitals require CNA experience or additional bedside-care training.
Tuition and Cost
Training is offered at no cost to eligible Pennsylvania residents with a high school diploma or equivalent.
Tuition, fees, textbooks, uniforms or scrubs, and required training supplies are covered for accepted students.
Program Length
The Medical Assistant program includes approximately 790 instructional hours and takes about seven months.
A four-week clinical externship is included.
Address: 1815 Metropolitan Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233
#5 Pittsburgh Medical Assistant School
Pittsburgh Medical Assistant School offers accelerated hybrid training for students who want clinical skills without spending a full academic year in school.
The program is primarily designed for medical assisting but provides several technical skills that overlap with PCT work.
Programs Offered
Students practice taking vital signs, patient intake, phlebotomy, EKG procedures, injections, medical histories, and other hands-on clinical tasks.
The program combines online assignments with practical training in a medical-office setting.
Students should compare hospital PCT job requirements before choosing medical assisting instead of a CNA or dedicated PCT program.
Tuition and Cost
Tuition is approximately $3,490.
The school includes hands-on clinical instruction and certification preparation in its tuition package.
Flexible payment arrangements are available.
Program Length
The accelerated Medical Assistant program takes approximately 18 weeks.
Address: 7231 Steubenville Pike Oakdale, PA 15071
#6 The Phlebotomy Training Center
The Phlebotomy Training Center is a Pittsburgh-based school specializing in blood-collection training.
It has operated for more than three decades and offers a particularly hands-on program with an externship.
This is a useful option for CNAs, nursing assistants, or other healthcare workers who already have bedside-care training and want to add phlebotomy to their PCT skill set.
Programs Offered
Students learn venipuncture, specimen collection, blood-handling procedures, patient interaction, laboratory safety, infection prevention, and professional phlebotomy practices.
The program includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and 30 hours of externship experience at a hospital, laboratory, or other healthcare facility.
Tuition and Cost
Tuition is approximately $1,975 when using the school’s five-payment plan of $395 per week.
Students should ask whether certification testing, uniforms, health screenings, and other employment requirements are additional.
Program Length
Students attend evening classes twice per week for approximately one month.
The 30-hour externship can then be completed in four full working days.
Address: 2950 S Water St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203, United States
#7 St. Clair Health
St. Clair Health operates a paid Medical Assistant Intern Program in the Pittsburgh area.
Like the UPMC pathway, this is an employment-based training option rather than a traditional tuition-based school.
It can be especially attractive for students who want structured education combined with substantial hands-on clinical experience.
Programs Offered
Participants receive medical assisting education followed by supervised clinical training at St. Clair Health facilities.
Training covers patient interaction, vital signs, clinical procedures, documentation, medical office responsibilities, and other practical healthcare skills.
Because this is medical assistant training rather than a dedicated inpatient PCT course, students should compare the curriculum with the requirements of their preferred PCT positions.
Tuition and Cost
There is no tuition charge for accepted participants.
Students are paid while completing their training.
The primary personal expenses are a stethoscope and transportation to the training and clinical locations.
Program Length
The complete program takes approximately five months.
Students complete 12 weeks of coursework followed by approximately 300 hours of hands-on clinical training.
Address: 1000 Bower Hill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15243
Schools Summary Table
Pennsylvania Salary by Metro Area
This table provides a breakdown of average salaries by metro area, showing how wages differ across regions within the state using recent BLS data.
| Metro Area | Employed | Avg. Annual | Avg. Hourly | Top 10% | Bottom 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 4,930 | $41,440 | $19.92 | $46,950 | $36,470 |
| Altoona, PA | 800 | $39,650 | $19.06 | $46,110 | $33,500 |
| Chambersburg, PA | 580 | $43,730 | $21.03 | $52,150 | $35,980 |
| Erie, PA | 1,680 | $38,930 | $18.72 | $44,700 | $35,160 |
| Gettysburg, PA | 370 | $41,490 | $19.95 | $46,870 | $36,640 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 4,140 | $40,440 | $19.44 | $46,320 | $36,530 |
| Johnstown, PA | 430 | $37,020 | $17.80 | $42,790 | $30,680 |
| Lancaster, PA | 3,200 | $41,820 | $20.11 | $46,950 | $37,130 |
| Lebanon, PA | 670 | $43,670 | $21.00 | $51,410 | $36,460 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 30,390 | $43,100 | $20.72 | $48,970 | $36,420 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 12,390 | $40,820 | $19.62 | $45,940 | $36,650 |
| Reading, PA | 1,870 | $43,170 | $20.75 | $50,150 | $37,420 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 2,900 | $40,620 | $19.53 | $46,590 | $36,720 |
| State College, PA | 550 | $39,280 | $18.88 | $44,000 | $36,090 |
| Williamsport, PA | 670 | $39,860 | $19.16 | $44,590 | $35,750 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 1,530 | $41,170 | $19.79 | $46,230 | $37,470 |
* Employment conditions may vary by location.
Schools by City in Pennsylvania
