Certification: Patient Care Technician Certification (PCTC)

194 US Highway 46 East Fairfield, NJ 07004

Patient Care Assistant or Patient Care Technician can give basic nursing care under the supervision of a licensed nurse. Some other titles could be: certified nursing assistant, health care technician, licensed nursing assistant, or nurse's aide. All of these fall under the supervision of the nursing team. The nursing team involves RNs, LPNs/LVNS, and assisting personnel.

Assistive personnel give basic nursing care while being supervised by an RN. The tasks performed by assistive personnel can vary from state to state. They also can vary depending on the type of agency you work for - for example assistive staff in an emergency room unit will have different responsibilities than those who are working with a surgical nursing unit.
More information about this certification

More than two years of education or training after high school required?
Yes
More than two years of work experience required?
No
Oral or Written Exam Required?
Yes

Online Exam; Third Party Exam Center

The test is comprised of 144 questions:The breakdown is as follows: Phlebotomy, EKG, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, patient/wound care, safety/infection control, medical law and ethics and pharmacology. Allotted time for examinees is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Core

  1. The certification does not have a minimum education level or has an education level below a two-year Associates of Arts or Associates of Sciences degree and the certification does not have a minimum requirement for work experience or requires two or less years of work experience.
  2. The certification has an education level of an Associates of Arts or Associates of Sciences degree or higher, but has a work experience requirement of less than 2 years of work experience.
  3. The certification has a work experience requirement of more than 2 years but does not require a two-year Associates of Arts or Associates of Sciences degree.

  • This certification is related to military occupational specialties.