What Is a Unit Tech? The Hospital's Hidden Gem

If you’re looking for a career in healthcare that allows you to work directly with patients and make a real difference in their lives, becoming a patient care technician (PCT), also known as a unit tech, may be a job you’ll love. PCTs play an essential role in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings, providing direct patient care and assisting nurses and physicians in a wide range of tasks. In this article, we’ll explore what a patient care technician is, what they do, and how you can become one.

What Is a Patient Care Technician?

A patient care technician (PCT) is a medical technician who works as part of a patient care team to provide direct care to patients. PCTs are responsible for a wide range of duties, including taking vital signs, obtaining specimens, assisting with procedures, and documenting patient information. They work directly with patients and their families, providing comfort and helping with activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing. They may also perform basic nursing tasks, such as stocking supplies and delegating tasks to nursing assistants.

Job Description and Qualifications

The job description for a patient care technician may vary depending on the healthcare setting in which they work. However, some duties are standard across the board, including:

Assisting nurses and physicians with patient care
Taking vital signs, such as blood pressure, temperature, and pulse
Obtaining specimens for laboratory testing
Documenting patient information and maintaining medical records
Providing direct care to patients, including assisting with activities of daily living
Performing basic nursing tasks, such as stocking supplies and delegating tasks to nursing assistants
Communicating with patients and their families about healthcare needs and concerns
Adhering to hospital policies and procedures
Coordinating care with other members of the healthcare team
Preventing infection and other healthcare-associated issues

To qualify for a PCT position, you typically need to have a high school diploma or GED and complete a training program. Some employers may also require certification, such as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Basic Life Support (BLS). Strong communication skills and the ability to work well in a team are also essential.

Employment and Salary

Patient care technicians work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for a patient care technician is $15.80 per hour, with the top 10% earning more than $21.90 per hour. The employment of patient care technicians is projected to grow 8% from 2020 to 2030, which is faster than the average for all occupations.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are equal opportunity employers. They provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected status. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination.

Why You May Like Being a Patient Care Technician

Becoming a patient care technician is an excellent career choice for those who enjoy working directly with patients and their families. PCTs provide essential support to the healthcare team and make a real difference in the lives of patients. The job also offers a wide range of duties and responsibilities, making it an exciting and challenging career. Additionally, patient care technicians can work in a variety of healthcare settings and have opportunities for advancement and further education.

Overview of the Role of a Unit Tech

Have you ever wondered who was that busy worker running around the hospital, helping nurses and doctors? They’re known as a unit tech, and they are the unsung heroes of healthcare.

Unit techs are multi-disciplinary team members who assist the nursing staff in providing the best possible care to patients. Their work is vital to keeping hospitals running, as they play an important role between the medical staff, patients, their family and visitors.

Unit techs are involved in a variety of tasks, including:

Taking vital signs such as blood pressure and temperature.
Delivering meals, water or other items to patients
Monitoring patient rooms for any abnormal behavior
Assisting with tests or treatments
Assisting with cleaning patient rooms and making beds
Answering call bells for visitors or patients
Providing information about hospital services to family members.

With a background in healthcare basics, unit techs can provide a great deal of aid to hospitals. They bridge the gap between medical professionals and patients—ensuring that everyone’s needs are taken care of.

Essential Qualities of the Unit Tech Position

So what qualities make a successful unit tech? By and large, the role demands someone who can juggle multiple tasks without missing a beat. Unit techs need to be organized and detail-oriented in order to stay on top of their daily duties—which range from stocking medical carts and stocking supplies to identifying and troubleshooting pneumatic tubes (a critical piece of technology in a hospital setting).

Organization isn’t the only essential quality for unit techs. Due to the highly sensitive nature of dealing with patient information and data, unit techs need excellent communication skills. This includes being able to communicate clearly with staff members, understanding and following protocol around important documentation, as well as having the ability to coordinate effectively with other team members.

Finally, unit techs need to be motivated self-starters who can work independently while still following directions. A successful unit tech is one that works well with minimal supervision, understands the importance of doing their job accurately and efficiently—and completes it all while maintaining a polite, helpful demeanor.

What Training Is Needed to Become a Unit Tech?

So, you might be wondering what kind of training is involved in becoming a unit tech? Well, for starters, most hospitals require you to have at least a high school diploma or GED. You’ll also need a basic level of medical knowledge to be able to comfortably deal with medical equipment.

From there, the next step is typically on-the-job training directly from the hospital or facility. You’ll learn how to enter and retrieve patient information from various information systems such as EMRs (electronic medical records). On top of that, you’ll get familiarized with other technology such as ICD-10 coding systems and IV pumps.

But beyond just the technical know-how and data entry aspects, one of the most important things that you’ll learn is how to handle emergency situations with professionalism and care. This could include anything from patient relations and communication, handling confidential records properly, or even providing first aid if needed.

The good thing is that, with all these important skills under your belt as a unit tech, you’ll be able to quickly adapt no matter what situation arises—making it an incredibly valuable job for any hospital setting!

The Day-to-Day Responsibilities of a Unit Tech

Even with a day in the life of a unit tech at a hospital, you might be wondering what this person does exactly. What are some of their day-to-day responsibilities?

Keeping Patients Safe and Comfortable

Unit techs are responsible for keeping patients safe in many ways, from transporting them back and forth from procedures to checking vital signs. They ensure that the hospital floor is clean and tidy and that the beds and other furniture are in good condition. Unit techs also help keep bedridden patients comfortable by changing soiled linens, sheets, and blankets, as well as providing support to family members of hospitalized patients.

Working Closely With Nurses

This job also entails working closely with nurses and doctors, helping to perform vital tests or taking samples for lab work. Additionally, they can help provide emotional support by helping patients dress or bathe. They might monitor the results of medical tests to aid the nurses on duty. They can also record vital signs (such as oxygen levels) or administer medications if properly trained to do so.

Primary Caregivers

Unit techs are usually primary caregivers while patients are hospitalized, providing basic services such as bathing, feeding and monitoring vital signs like blood pressure or pulse rate. In addition to basic care tasks such as measuring temperatures or administering medications, unit techs will often take part in more advanced clinical assessments such as wound care or intravenous catheter placements when needed.

The Benefits of Being a Unit Tech

You may not have heard of a unit tech before, but they are an important part of the hospital system. As a unit tech, you get to take on a variety of tasks and roles, and it can be very rewarding.

Variety

The most obvious benefit of being a unit tech is the variety. Every day can be different, with lots of different job tasks to complete—from cleaning the wards and preparing meals to working with medical professionals and helping patients in the ward. It’s a great way to stay engaged, interested, and motivated throughout the day.

Flexibility

Another great perk of being a unit tech is that you can work in many different settings—from medical centers to private practices. This allows for flexible scheduling and hours, which is perfect for those who need to balance careers with family life. You can choose when you want to work and switch between positions easily if needed.

Skills Development

Being a unit tech gives you the opportunity to develop crucial skills like communication, problem-solving, organization and patient care. Plus, if you decide to pursue other healthcare roles in the future, such as nursing or paramedicine, your experiences as a unit tech will give you valuable experience that employers look for.

What Technology Do Unit Techs Use on the Job?

So what technology do unit techs use on the job? They might be the hidden gems of the hospital, but they rely on a stack of cutting-edge technology tools to get their work done. Here are just a few:

Digital Records Systems

Unit techs use digital records systems like Epic, Cerner and AthenaHealth. These are special software programs that allow staff to track and update medical information like insurance information, patient demographics, clinical data, treatment plans and more.

Medical Devices

Unit techs operate medical equipment such as monitors and pumps. They also set up and prepare for tests that require special equipment, like imaging machines (CT scans, X-rays, MRIs) and ultrasound devices.

E-Prescribing Technology

Unit techs also rely on e-prescribing technology. This is a tool that lets health care providers quickly issue digital prescriptions for patients to pick up at a pharmacy with minimal paperwork and fewer delays.

Unit techs may not be the most visible staff in the hospital setting, but they are critical for providing quality care for patients—and all of this is made possible with the right combination of technology.

Conclusion

In the end, unit techs are the unsung heroes of the hospital world. They may not get the glory that many of the other professions have, but their work is often the difference between success and failure. Without them, many hospital rooms would be disorganized, and patients would have a worse recovery experience.

Unit techs are essential to a hospital’s success, and they should be prized even more. If you’re looking to work in a hospital but don’t want to specialize in a particular field, a unit tech could be the perfect job. Not only will it keep you busy, but it will give you the chance to make a difference in the lives of many patients.

What Is a Unit Tech? The Hospital’s Hidden Gem