How to Become a PCT in Texas

There are many benefits to becoming a PCT, or patient care technician, in Texas as this state offers many job opportunities.

If you want to learn more about it, all you have to do is read the following article.

Patient Care Technician Job Description and Duties in Texas

If you plan on becoming a patient care tech in Texas, you will have some main job tasks each day.

Generally, your main duty will be aiding patients, clinic personnel, and the family of the patients you are assigned.

However, you should also be ready to perform a variety of other job tasks.

Typically, your daily duties will be:

• 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

PCTs work unsupervised, so you will have to get some skills in order to complete your daily tasks.

Patient Care Technician Job Requirements in Texas

To get hired for your first job, you need to prove the following:

• 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

You will also need to be listed on the Texas Nurse Aide Registry.

Sometimes, having some experience from working in the field can be demanded or a plus in the hiring process.

Patient Care Technician Education in Texas

The easiest way to develop the needed skills is to join a training program.

These training programs for patient care techs are generally offered by many schools in Texas.

So, you should search for a school that is closer to your location.

Some of the facilities offering programs in Texas are listed here.

The program you enroll in will last for several months.

Some programs also last for an entire year or more, even 2 to 3 years.

This is mostly the case for Associate’s degree programs that also provide better credentials.

To join a program, you have 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

The courses you will join include theory hours, but also lab practice.

Usually, you will take the following classes:

• 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 Texas

Passing an NHA exam is essential if you want to get a certification.

To join the exam, you need to:

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

If you join a program, you don’t need any extra experience.

However, those who did not complete a program need to have a year of experience in the field.

The certification exam features 100 questions and lasts for around 2 hours.

First, candidates need to answer 20 pre-test questions.

Patient Care Technician Employment and Salary in Texas

Getting certified will allow you to be hired in a facility of your choice.

Some of the facilities that hire PCTs include:

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

In Texas, the median salary for a patient care tech is about $33,533 yearly.

You will be able to get a higher salary if you live in a bigger city compared to a rural area, such as Houston for instance.

Regional Salary in Texas

Additional Information for Patient Care Technician in Texas

Maybe you need more career resources, and for that, you can check out the following:

• Texas Nurse Aide Registry
• National Health Association