Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) vs Patient Care Technician (PCT): What You Need to Know

Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) vs Patient Care Technician (PCT): What You Need to Know

If you are considering a career working with patients in the healthcare field, you might have heard about or seen job postings for Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Patient Care Technician (PCT). But what is the difference between a CNA vs PCT?

The descriptions are sometimes written so that the titles seem interchangeable. And both jobs do involve direct patient care.

Yet there are differences in job duties, expected education and licensing, and certifications for CNA’s and PCT’s. To better understand the differences between the two positions, let’s start by taking a closer look at each one individually.

How CNA and PCT Differ

The biggest practical difference between CNA and PCT is the level of procedures they may be expected to perform. CNA’s perform basic patient care functions such as bathing, feeding, repositioning, and moving a patient.

Although specific duties might be defined by individual state regulations, in general, PCT’s perform most of the same tasks as CNA’s, but may also be trained to do medical procedures such as drawing blood, administering EKG’s or catheterization.

What is a CNA?

Certified Nurse Assistants are healthcare professionals who work under the supervision of doctors and registered nurses to support patient care. Their duties involve activities that facilitate the patient’s experience but generally do not directly involve medical procedures.As a CNA, you could expect to do the following:

• Checking patient vital signs;
• Bathing and feeding patients;
• Helping patients with grooming, dressing, eating, and exercising;
• Turning and repositioning bedridden patients;
• Reviewing patients’ dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences;
• Recording vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and respiration rate.

What are the CNA Education Requirements?

To become a CNA, you will need to complete CNA training and earn your certification. Although some states set individual requirements, in most cases you will need:

• High school diploma or GED
• CNA-specific training course or program
• CNA certification examination

CNA training courses usually center around the following topics:

• Basics of nursing
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Nutrition
• Infection control

What is a PCT?

Patient Care Technicians also work under the supervision of doctors and registered nurses and may perform the same tasks as the CNA. However, they are also trained to undertake medical procedures such as:

• Drawing blood
• Administering EKG’s
• Delivering medications
• Wound care
• Catheterization
• Operating dialysis equipment
• Collecting samples or specimens for testing

What are the PCT Education Requirements?

To become a PCT, you will need to complete PCT training and earn your certification. States may also set specific eligibility rules for PCT’s, but generally, the PCT educational path requires:

• High school diploma or GED
• PCT-specific training course or program
• PCT certification examination

PCT training programs tend to be more extensive than CNA programs and focus on medical procedures such as:

• Taking blood draws
• Operating EKG machines
• Monitoring and assessing the patient’s diet
• Assisting with motion exercises
• Administering IV’s
• Collecting specimens for diagnostic tests
• Performing basic laboratory work
• Legal issues in healthcare
• Standard medical precautions
• Infection control
• Medical terminology
• Physical examinations
• Patient positioning
• Bed mobility
• Range of motion
• Therapeutic exercises
• Patient gait
• Assistive devices
• Orthosis and prosthesis
• Transfer techniques
• Wound care and pressure sores
• Wheelchair management

Is CNA or PCT Better for You?

If you are compassionate, diligent, and motivated to help others, either CNA or PCT may offer great career options for you. According to PayScale.com, PCT’s earn slightly more money, at $14.16 per hour compared to $12.88 for CNA’s. And although both CNA and PCT careers rate high in job satisfaction, PCT’s were slightly more likely to be “highly satisfied” with their jobs.

In either case, a focused, practical training course is the right place to begin your journey toward a bright future in the healthcare field.