Patient Care Technician Job Description Template

A patient care technician assists a patient.

The patient care technician (PCT) is a vital member of the healthcare team, working alongside nurses, doctors, and therapists. While these individuals don’t hold a specialized license, they provide direct patient care by collecting vital signs and assisting with basic care needs. It can be challenging to recruit a skilled and qualified PCT; but, by developing a tailored patient care technician job description, you can get the edge you need to hire a top-tier employee.

We’ll introduce essential duties, skills, and qualifications of patient care technicians in this job description template. We’ll also demonstrate the formatting and language you should use in your job description to appeal to competitive candidates.

Creating a well-written job description requires background research. Browse local patient care technician jobs to get a better understanding of the salary, benefits, and scheduling options you should offer candidates. You’ll then need to create a set of PCT interview questions to ensure your candidate selection process is fair. Once you’ve completed these steps of the recruitment process, you can begin drafting your job description.

Patient Care Technician

Tips: When introducing your patient care technician job description, you’ll want to specify the patient population you serve and the type of facility you’re hiring for as patient care technicians can work in a variety of settings, including:

  • Acute care hospitals
  • Long-term care facilities
  • Outpatient clinics
  • Rehabilitation centers
  • Community health clinics.

As you dial candidates into your open role, use this part of your job description to also share your organization’s mission, vision, and values to excite prospective candidates and give them a sense of what it’s like to work on your team.

Template:

Looking to make a direct impact on the lives of patients? Here at [facility name], we’re looking to hire an experienced patient care technician (PCT) to join our orthopedic team in our downtown Cincinnati rehabilitation center. Our focus on compassion, dedication, and clinical excellence has helped us become one of the best places to work in Ohio.

We’re looking to recruit a PCT with at least two years of orthopedic experience at a similar facility. We value our employees like family and are proud to offer all employees a competitive salary and benefits package. If this sounds like a position you’d be interested in, continue reading as we highlight additional logistics of the position.

Benefits

Tips: The next section of your patient care technician job description should list key elements of your employee benefits package. Highlight a mix of professional, financial, and lifestyle incentives to appeal to candidates with varied interests and goals.

Template:

  • Competitive pay
  • Health, dental, and vision benefits
  • FSA/HSA options
  • 401(k) matching and access to our pension program
  • Paid vacation and holidays, family leave, sick time
  • $3,000 annual tuition reimbursement
  • $200 annual scrub and shoe stipend
  • Paid continuing education credits
  • Free employee parking

Duties and Responsibilities

Tips: Tasks of an outpatient clinic PCT might look completely different from those of an acute care hospital patient care technician. Job descriptions should specify the expectations of your unique position to give prospective candidates an idea of what a shift on your unit would look like.

Template:

Patient care technicians at our organization are expected to perform the following duties:

  • Collect vital signs and document findings in each patient’s electronic health record (EHR)
  • Assist patients with activities of daily living (bathing, skin care, eating, walking, toileting, etc.)
  • Transport patients to physical and occupational therapy appointments
  • Monitor patient safety and notify the chain-of-command of any problems or areas of concern
  • Collaborate with other members of the multidisciplinary team to establish goals of care

Compensation and Schedule

Tips: Here, you’ll want to list your organization’s patient care technician salary or hourly rate, along with any opportunities for shift differential, overtime pay, or bonuses. Pay transparency is key to attracting applicants whose salary expectations match what you’re able to offer.

You’ll also want to review your facility’s scheduling policies in this section of your PCT job description. In hospitals, patient care technicians may be expected to work 12-hour shifts, while those working in clinics and care homes may only have to work 8-hour shifts. Provide clear expectations, along with any overtime and on-call requirements, to prevent frustration or confusion down the line.

Template:

  • Starting salary of $49,000, with adjustments made for relevant education and experience
  • Full-time employment, working three scheduled 12-hour shifts per week (7a-7p or 7p-7a)
  • Overtime, holiday, and incentive pay available
  • Night and weekend shift differential
  • Bi-weekly pay periods

Patient Care Technician Qualifications and Skills

Tips: In this section of your PCT job description, you’ll want to specify the degree, certifications, and skills you’re looking for. Differentiate patient care technician job requirements that are required from those that are preferred to optimize your applicant pool.

Template:

Required Qualifications:

  • High school diploma or GED required
  • 2 years of previous PCT experience in an orthopedic setting
  • Basic Life Support certification (BLS)
  • Strong communication and time management skills

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Actively enrolled in an LPN or RN nursing program
  • Previous experience working with the Epic charting system
  • Bilingual in English and Spanish

Call to Action

Tips: At the end of your patient care technician job description, you’ll want to guide interested applicants straight to the online application. Include a call to action button labeled “Apply Now” or “Click Here to Begin” to help them get started. You can also share details on what to expect next and list human resources contact details for applicants with questions or concerns about the hiring process.

Template:

Think you have what it takes to become our team’s newest PCT? Apply today by clicking the link below. We’ve made it easy for you to upload your resume and cover letter straight to your application — the entire process takes less than 10 minutes. Feel free to reach out to our HR department at [phone number] with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

Connect With Qualified Clinicians Today

Once you’ve completed your patient care technician job description, you’ll be ready to begin recruiting candidates. Want to appeal to industry-leading professionals? Post your vacancies on the nation’s leading healthcare hiring board to match with over 1 million qualified and vetted professionals actively searching for a job.


Reach 1 million+ nursing professionals

with the IntelyCare Job Board