Read this article if you’re interested in a job as a PCT in Maryland!
PCTs, or patient care technicians, are one of the many occupations in most medical settings.
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- Patient Care Technician Job Description and Duties in Maryland
- Patient Care Technician Job Requirements in Maryland
- Patient Care Technician Education in Maryland
- Patient Care Technician Certification in Maryland
- Patient Care Technician Employment and Salary in Maryland
- Additional Information for Patient Care Technician in Maryland
Patient Care Technician Job Description and Duties in Maryland
Like in most other states, PCTs in Maryland have similar job duties to nursing assistants.
The main difference between these professionals is that patient care techs can work without being supervised.
This list has some of the most important duties of a PCT:
- 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
This means that it’s quite normal to receive or to have to complete additional tasks throughout your shift.
Patient Care Technician Job Requirements in Maryland
It’s time you learned if you’re made for this occupation or not.
Patient care techs are expected to:
- 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
One should know that won’t get hired if they’re not found on the Maryland Nurse Aide Registry.
Patient Care Technician Education in Maryland
The Registry won’t accept individuals who didn’t graduate from a training course.
The programs accepted are usually designed for nursing assistants.
These can be found at the schools listed below.
Top 2 Schools in Maryland
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Anne Arundel Community College | 101 College Pkwy, Arnold, MD 21012 |
| Allegany College of Maryland | 12401 Willowbrook Rd, Cumberland, MD 21502 |
Since Maryland has just 2 such schools, you could search for a course in a different state.
There isn’t just one course you can attend, but more of them, and all have a different duration.
Opting for one that awards at least an Associates’ degree will only benefit your future career.
Additionally, make sure to attend all the clinical practice hours included in the program.
These are some of the requested papers when enrolling in these courses:
- 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
And now you can discover some of the classes you’ll be attending:
- 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 Maryland
We already mentioned you could benefit from being certified.
The certifying body for PCTs is the National Healthcare Association (NHA).
To become certified you’ll have to sign up for and pass the exam.
This is what you’ll need when signing up:
- 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
Not everyone can attend a training course, but they could accumulate at least 1 year of experience in the field instead.
The fee is sometimes incorporated into the tuition for the course you attend.
The team is organized at the Prometric testing centers and has a duration of almost 2 hours.
There are 100 questions on the test with an additional 20 questions before the exam.
Patient Care Technician Employment and Salary in Maryland
The healthcare industry has a shortage of personnel, including PCTs.
This occupation even has multiple career opportunities, thus it can be a good choice for someone just starting.
Here are the facilities hiring these professionals:
- Hospitals,
- Clinics,
- Rehabilitation centers,
- Long term care and assisted living facilities,
- Hospices
- Home care
The average salary for a patient care tech in Maryland is around $35,157 per year.
In certain cities salaries are higher by default, as the next table shows.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Patient Care Technicians in Maryland
| City Name | Salary |
|---|---|
| Baltimore | $35,053 |
| Columbia | $34,996 |
| Germantown | $36,842 |
| Silver Spring | $37,958 |
| Waldorf | $37,856 |
| Ellicott City | $35,030 |
| Frederick | $36,626 |
| Glen Burnie | $35,053 |
| Gaithersburg | $37,856 |
| Rockville | $37,912 |
Regional Salary in Maryland
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 12,720 | $40,560 | $19.5 | $50,470 | $31,510 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD | 220 | $40,820 | $19.62 | $48,190 | $32,280 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 470 | $36,670 | $17.63 | $44,490 | $31,200 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 1,000 | $40,030 | $19.25 | $48,570 | $31,580 |
| Salisbury, MD-DE | 2,110 | $38,910 | $18.71 | $46,130 | $31,750 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Additional Information for Patient Care Technician in Maryland
These resources might be of use after you obtain your certification:
- Maryland Nurse Aide Registry
- National Health Association
