When a person visits a hospital or emergency room, chances are good that they will interact with a patient care technician (PCT). These essential caregivers work under the supervision of a nurse and larger care team to help patients in a variety of ways. PCTs support the patient emotionally and guide them through their experience. They also take vitals, obtain specimens, monitor patients’ conditions, and give updates to the broader care team.
After completing Oakton’s PCT certificate, you will be eligible for entry-level positions in a wide range of settings that require hands-on care such as:
Oakton’s patient care technician certificate program includes excellent clinical placement. The hands-on training you will receive in the field will expose you to a variety of experiences and prepare you for your certification exam. Oakton is well-known in the region and many alumni work in local hospitals and healthcare facilities.
You can start in the PCT program to explore your interests and see if the medical field is right for you. The PCT certificate can be the first step for medical professionals into other jobs such as phlebotomist, nurse, medical laboratory technician, medical assistant, or physician assistant.
Students who complete the PCT Certificate are eligible to take the National Healthcare Workers Association (NHCWA) Patient Care Technician Exam. Starting as a PCT provides a pathway to other health careers including phlebotomist, medical assistant, medical laboratory technician, and nursing. This certificate can be completed in one semester.
Enrolling at Oakton College can save you thousands of dollars and help you earn more over the course of your career. Our tuition is among the lowest in the region, and we offer many ways to bring your costs down even more.
99 percent of Oakton students graduate without debt.
To help you get there, you can apply for a scholarship, which you don’t have to pay back. We award $12 million in scholarships annually. Financial Aid includes grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance that can reduce your costs of attending college.
We offer payment options that give you control over how you pay. Pay all at once or spread your payments over the course of the semester.
Learn more about your options for paying for your education
Health Career curricula are governed by specific objectives, rules and regulations formulated by the College, accrediting bodies and participating clinical facilities. Students should familiarize themselves with these standards. Students should also be aware that failure to maintain satisfactory progress in the course may significantly delay completion of the curriculum or may result in the student being dropped from the curriculum. Each student’s right to participate in the clinical portion of the curriculum is also contingent upon compliance with the rules of the clinical facility. The clinical facility has sole discretion to determine when its rules have been violated.
Clinical placements require a health assessment, certain immunizations, yearly flu vaccine and health insurance. Students must successfully pass skills assessment prior to attending clinicals. The requirements represent an additional cost to the student.
This is a limited enrollment health care program. For additional information, contact a health career specialist at healthcareeradvising@oakton.edu.
Students can waive official high school transcripts. However, you should still submit official high school transcripts if you apply for financial aid.
Although the daily work is similar, the Patient Care Technician has several additional skills compared to the certified nursing assistant (CNA). The PCT has technical skills in phlebotomy (drawing blood) and electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG heart monitoring tests). The PCT program is 16 credits; the program for CNAs, our Basic Nurse Assistant Training certificate, is 8 credits.
EMSI labor market data includes PCTs in the CNA data. Some job postings interchange CNA and PCT but Patient Care Technicians are able to do more than a CNA because they also gain technical skills in phlebotomy and ECG. Many of the job postings in Chicagoland hospitals clearly distinguish PCTs from CNAs. The pay range for PCTs based on job postings is between $18.00-$22.00/hour. All of the major healthcare providers in Oakton’s district and in the Chicagoland area are hiring PCTs.
