How to Become a PCT in Colorado

The medical field is seen as a noble one to work in.

Luckily, there are many positions and occupations within it, and one of them is that of a patient care technician.

If you want to learn more about becoming a PCT in Colorado, read this article!

Patient Care Technician Job Description and Duties in Colorado

In reality, there are a few positions that are very similar when it comes to job descriptions and responsibilities.

These are certified nurse assistants, home health nurses, and patient care techs.

All these professionals work under doctors and help patients and their families.

However, not all of them can perform the same duties, and out of all, only the PCTs can complete more tasks and work unsupervised.

The most common duties of a patient care tech, are:

• 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

It’s the PCT’s responsibility to make sure he or she is registered with the Colorado Nurse Aid Registry.

It’s also possible to receive other tasks to complete, depending on the employer.

Patient Care Technician Job Requirements in Colorado

Not everyone has the qualities needed by a future patient care technician.

The most important of them are:

• Having a high school diploma or GED
• Having good communication skills
• Being detail-oriented
• Being reliable
• Being compassionate
• Having a clean criminal background
• Being certified
• Having physical stamina
• Being listed in the Colorado Nurse Aide Registry

Additional attributes may be added, based on employer and actual job title.

Patient Care Technician Education in Colorado

In Colorado, like most other states, the state’s Nurse Aide Registry requires individuals to have received some training beforehand.

This is easy to achieve as many institutions across the state offer training for this position.

These schools can be seen below.

Not all these schools offer the same courses.

This can easily be seen when looking at the duration of the program.

Many classes last for up to a year and they issue just a certificate.

If you want an Associate’s degree or higher, you’ll have to study for at least two years.

All the courses, regardless of the credentials they award, also include a set number of practice hours in a clinical setting.

Students must attend all these clinical hours.

To accept students in these courses, schools usually seek individuals with:

• A clean criminal record
• A passed drug screening test
• A passed TB skin test
• The following health immunizations:
  • MMR
  • Varicella
  • Hepatitis B
  • Flu
  • Tetanus

Here are some of the subjects you’ll study:

• 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 Colorado

The state’s Nurse Aide Registry demands that those who want to work as PCTs must pass the exam offered by the NHA.

When signing up for the NHS exam you’ll be asked for:

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

If you have at least 1 year of experience in the field, you can use that instead of the training course.

You should know that many courses cover the exam fee through the charged tuition.

As far as the exam goes, it has a total of 120 questions, with 20 of them being pre-test.

The duration of the exam is 110 minutes.

Patient Care Technician Employment and Salary in Colorado

Once you passed your examination, you’re ready to get employed.

You can apply at these facilities:

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

Knowing how much can you earn as a patient care tech is oftentimes important when making a decision.

As you can see from this next table, the salaries are higher in Denver, Westminster, and Thornton.

Regional Salary in Colorado

Additional Information for Patient Care Technician in Colorado

Extra help is always welcomed, and for this, PCTs from Colorado can use these resources:

• Colorado Nurse Aide Registry
• National Health Association