San Antonio is one of the better Texas cities for starting a career in direct patient care, with dedicated Patient Care Technician training as well as affordable CNA, phlebotomy, EKG, and medical assistant programs.
Students can choose anything from a 2-week phlebotomy course to a broader PCT program that combines several hospital-ready skills.
Patient Care Technicians annual average salary in Texas is $33,533 - ABOVE U.S. AVERAGE!
#1 Alamo Colleges District
Alamo Colleges District offers one of the most relevant programs for students specifically searching for Patient Care Technician training in San Antonio.
About the Program
The Patient Care Technician program focuses on the combination of skills commonly requested for hospital PCT positions.
Training includes:
- Basic patient care
- Vital signs
- Medical terminology
- CPR/BLS
- Phlebotomy
- EKG procedures
- Healthcare communication
- Patient Care Technician certification preparation
Recent cohorts have used a hybrid format, combining coursework with hands-on clinical skills training.
The program prepares students for the Certified Patient Care Technician credential.
Phlebotomy and EKG training are incorporated into the curriculum rather than requiring students to enroll in completely separate programs.
Recent evening cohorts have met Monday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., which makes the program practical for students who work during the day.
Tuition
The Patient Care Technician program costs approximately $3,735.
Financial assistance may be available to qualifying students through Alamo Colleges workforce programs.
Length
The curriculum includes approximately 255 contact hours.
Recent accelerated cohorts have been advertised as taking approximately 3 months to complete.
Address: 2222 N. Alamo St., San Antonio, Texas 78215
#2 San Antonio Medical Assistant School
San Antonio Medical Assistant School offers an accelerated alternative for students who want broad clinical skills and are open to becoming a Medical Assistant rather than earning a PCT-specific certificate.
About the Program
The program uses a hybrid model. Students complete online coursework during the week and attend hands-on training in an actual medical office.
Clinical training covers many of the skills that overlap with PCT work, including:
- Taking vital signs
- Phlebotomy
- EKG
- Injections
- Patient intake
- Infection control
- Medical terminology
- Clinical procedures
Students also complete an 80-hour externship.
They become eligible to begin the externship after reaching week 8 of the program.
Graduates are prepared for a national Certified Clinical Medical Assistant certification examination.
Tuition
Tuition is $4,490 when paid in full.
Students who use the school’s installment plan pay an additional $300 payment-plan fee, bringing the cost to approximately $4,790.
The school does not participate in traditional federal financial aid programs.
Length
The program takes 18 weeks to complete, including the required externship.
Address: 5929 Broadway, San Antonio,
#3 Concorde Career College
Concorde Career College has a San Antonio campus on NW Loop 410 and offers Medical Assistant and phlebotomy training.
About the Program
The Medical Assistant diploma is a much more extensive option than a short PCT course.
Students receive training in:
- Vital signs
- Venipuncture
- EKG
- Anatomy and physiology
- Medical terminology
- Laboratory procedures
- Specimen collection
- Patient preparation
- Medical records
The curriculum includes 240 hours of laboratory training followed by approximately 230 externship hours in a healthcare environment.
That amount of hands-on training can be valuable for students who have no previous healthcare experience and want substantial practice before looking for a job.
Tuition
Students should expect approximately $20,000 for the Medical Assistant diploma when tuition, educational materials, and program fees are combined.
For students who only want to add blood-draw skills, Concorde’s shorter Phlebotomy Technician diploma has a cost of approximately $1,378.
Length
The Medical Assistant diploma can be completed in approximately 9 months.
The phlebotomy option is considerably shorter and is better suited to students who already have CNA or other healthcare training.
Address: 4803 Northwest Loop 410 #200, San Antonio, TX 78229, United States
#4 Savant Achievement Center
Savant Achievement Center has been providing career training in San Antonio since 1989.
Its Nursing Assistant program provides a fast and inexpensive entry point into direct patient care.
About the Program
The CNA curriculum covers the foundational bedside skills that PCTs also use every day, including:
- Basic nursing care
- Personal care
- Infection control
- Patient communication
- Emergency procedures
- Mental health
- Patient safety
Graduates can pursue entry-level positions in nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies, adult day-care facilities, and other healthcare settings.
One useful feature is that the program is offered in both English and Spanish.
Classes are held Monday through Friday from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Tuition
The Nursing Assistant program costs approximately $1,351.95 based on registered program pricing.
Students should also budget for their Texas certification examination and any required medical screening or background-check expenses.
Length
The program includes approximately 115 hours and can be completed in 4 weeks.
Address: 5835 Callaghan Road, The Summit Tower, Suite 310, San Antonio, Texas 78228.
#5 Commencement Career Center
Commencement Career Center is located on New Laredo Highway in San Antonio and specializes in short-term Nursing Assistant training.
About the Program
The school offers both traditional classroom and hybrid CNA schedules.
Students learn the core skills needed to provide basic patient care and then complete supervised clinical training before becoming eligible for the Texas Nurse Aide certification examination.
The school provides several scheduling choices.
Recent options have included:
- 4-week morning in-person program
- 5-week morning hybrid program
- 5-week evening hybrid program
The evening option can be particularly useful for students who need to continue working while attending school.
Tuition
The Nursing Assistant program costs approximately $1,150 for 115 hours of training.
Students should ask whether the state testing fee, background check, uniforms, and medical requirements are included or charged separately.
Length
The standard classroom program takes approximately 4 weeks.
Hybrid schedules generally take approximately 5 weeks.
Address: 368 New Laredo Hwy, Ste 1103, San Antonio, TX 78211
#6 Choezen Careers and Healthcare Training
Choezen Careers and Healthcare Training is a San Antonio career school offering several useful entry-level healthcare programs, including Nurse Aide and phlebotomy.
About the Program
The Nurse Aide program provides 104 hours of training and can be completed using a hybrid schedule.
Students learn how to provide safe basic nursing care, communicate with patients, protect patient rights, assist with daily activities, encourage independence, and respond appropriately to patient needs.
Choezen also offers phlebotomy training, allowing a student to start with CNA preparation and later add blood-draw skills.
That combination can make a candidate more competitive for PCT-style hospital positions than CNA training alone.
Tuition
The Nurse Aide program costs approximately $1,115.
Students should budget additional money for the state certification examination and any required background checks, uniforms, or health documentation.
Length
Depending on the schedule selected, CNA training can generally be completed in approximately 4 to 8 weeks.
Address: 1802 NE Interstate 410 Loop Ste 315, San Antonio, TX 78217, United States
#7 Phlebotomy Training Specialists
Phlebotomy Training Specialists has 2 San Antonio training locations and provides one of the fastest ways to add phlebotomy skills to an existing CNA or healthcare background.
About the Program
This is not a complete Patient Care Technician program.
Instead, it focuses specifically on blood collection.
Students receive practical instruction in:
- Venipuncture
- Capillary collection
- Patient identification
- Specimen handling
- Blood-draw equipment
- Safety procedures
- Infection prevention
Students practice blood draws during class under instructor supervision.
The course contains 40 clock hours divided into 10 modules.
Students must complete the practical requirements before receiving their training certificate.
A national certification examination is available at the end of the course.
For someone who already has CNA training, adding phlebotomy can be a relatively inexpensive way to build a stronger PCT skill set.
Tuition
The cost breakdown is approximately:
- Tuition: $595
- Registration fee: $100
- Books, supplies, and equipment: $185
- Training total: $880
- Optional national certification exam: $115
- Total with national exam: $995
Financing is available for part of the balance, although students using financing should account for interest charges.
Length
The program contains 40 clock hours.
Depending on the schedule selected, it can be completed in approximately 2 to 5 weeks.
Address: 6100 Bandera Rd, Suite 406, San Antonio, TX 78238
Schools Summary Table
Texas 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene, TX | 800 | $36,310 | $17.46 | $43,050 | $28,870 |
| Amarillo, TX | 1,000 | $38,210 | $18.37 | $48,360 | $31,050 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 5,600 | $41,300 | $19.86 | $48,100 | $35,740 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 1,200 | $35,570 | $17.10 | $42,920 | $30,320 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 1,070 | $33,330 | $16.03 | $40,850 | $28,240 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 940 | $35,960 | $17.29 | $43,300 | $30,940 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 1,550 | $35,590 | $17.11 | $42,520 | $30,670 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 23,420 | $40,700 | $19.57 | $49,090 | $35,850 |
| El Paso, TX | 2,310 | $35,490 | $17.06 | $42,970 | $29,070 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 19,230 | $40,430 | $19.44 | $47,350 | $32,610 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 1,480 | $39,070 | $18.78 | $46,450 | $30,900 |
| Laredo, TX | 510 | $33,610 | $16.16 | $42,470 | $27,760 |
| Longview, TX | 1,050 | $34,490 | $16.58 | $39,930 | $29,780 |
| Lubbock, TX | 1,490 | $34,170 | $16.43 | $41,900 | $28,500 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 2,140 | $34,390 | $16.54 | $42,380 | $28,250 |
| Midland, TX | 580 | $38,520 | $18.52 | $46,080 | $35,970 |
| Odessa, TX | 410 | $37,610 | $18.08 | $46,080 | $31,160 |
| San Angelo, TX | 610 | $35,950 | $17.28 | $44,490 | $30,160 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 7,080 | $38,460 | $18.49 | $46,110 | $30,800 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 610 | $36,230 | $17.42 | $43,000 | $30,720 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 820 | $32,650 | $15.70 | $40,970 | $24,620 |
| Tyler, TX | 1,610 | $35,560 | $17.10 | $43,070 | $29,990 |
| Victoria, TX | 470 | $33,560 | $16.14 | $38,870 | $28,840 |
| Waco, TX | 1,480 | $38,790 | $18.65 | $46,540 | $30,310 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | 950 | $39,540 | $19.01 | $47,760 | $30,310 |
* Employment conditions may vary by location.
Schools by City in Texas
- Austin, TX7 Schools
- Brownsville, TX8 Schools
- Dallas, TX9 Schools
- El Paso, TX7 Schools
- Fort Worth, TX8 Schools
- Houston, TX6 Schools
- McAllen, TX7 Schools
- San Antonio, TX7 Schools
