Patient Care Technician Salary

Patient care technician is the member of the medical team, that is supposed to take care of the patient, by being available for the patient, for 24 hours. Along with strong interpersonal communication skills, he/she needs to have an empathetic mind. The technician is expected to be extremely attentive and responsive to patient's needs. He/she should have a pedantic approach towards patient's needs and records. The general outlook of the society towards employment in the patient care industry is very good, as observed by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS).

Salary Range for Patient Care Technician

According to the information provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 647,000 new jobs as nursing aides, are expected to be available in the period between 2006-2016. Salary of a patient care technician may vary according to educational qualifications, experience, location and employing authority. Along with the education and experience, personality and soft skills also matter when it comes to getting a high-salary job. A patient care technician usually gets $10 to $15 per hour; but including overtime, bonus and other allowances, her/his total income may be between $26,000-$36,000 at the entry-level. A person with about five years of experience may get a salary of about $35,000 to $40,000; while a person with ten years of experience may get a salary of about $45,000. Since there exists a never-ending demand for patient care technicians, 'salary negotiation' plays an important role in this field. The average salary of a patient care technician, including patient representatives and admitting clerks, ranges from around $30,000 to $ 46,000. The following table will inform about the annual average patient care technician salary.

Type of Patient Care Technician	Approximate Average Salary
Medical Instrument Technician	$36,000
Pharmacy Technician	$28,000
Health Technician	$34,000
Medical Technician	$32,000
Medical Supply Technician	$32,000
Nursing Assistant	$27,000
Accounting Technician	$31,000
Physician's Assistant	$59,000
Cardio-diagnostic Technician	$36,000
Medical and Health Care	$74,000
Transfusion Support Technician	$48,000
Optometry Technician	$45,000
Government Medical and Health Care	$51,000
Ultrasound Technician	$59,000
Intensive Care Unit Technician	$60,000

Educational Qualification

A high school diploma or equivalent is essential to work as a patient care technician. Degrees in health services with vocational training can definitely help in pursuing a career as a patient care technician. If you are accustomed to use computers with good typing speed and if you have a good knowledge of medical insurance as well as medical terminology, with a prior hospital experience, then this will definitely add to your qualification and will be helpful in your ventures.

Job Description

Patient care technician's job is one of the top paying jobs and careers. Patient care technicians work in a variety of health care environment like clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers or at homes, as per the requirement. They take care of physically or mentally ill patients, or injured and disabled patients, under the supervision of medical professionals like nurses and doctors. Here is an overview of what does a patient care technician do.

• Assists Doctors: Assists doctors and nurses during medical examination and treatment of the patient. Sets up the necessary therapeutic equipment and assists in providing first aid.
• Keeps Records: Records and monitors blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, respiration rate of the patient and promptly updates the medical records.
• Reports to Doctor: Records, monitors and reports patient's mental, emotional and physical condition to the medical authorities.
• Round o'clock Availability: Promptly responds to patient's calls and requests.
• Helps Patients to Eat: Serves and feeds meals, when the patients cannot do it themselves.
• Maintains Cleanliness: Looks after the personal hygiene of the patient by assisting in bathing, dressing etc. Keeps the room clean, makes the bed for the patient etc.
• Helps Patients to Move/Walk: Moves or transfers the patient from bed to wheelchair or assists the patient in walking.

It can be safely concluded, that the job of a 'patient care technician' is a rewarding job among various medical jobs. Not only the salary of a patient care technician but also the highest level of job satisfaction that it provides is to be taken into consideration, while pursuing a career as patient care technician. Because in this job, along with a handsome paycheck, you will get loads of blessings.