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The Business of
Health Care Report
Patient care assistants, also referred to as patient care technicians, are vital members of the health care team. They perform a broad range of duties, typically under the supervision of registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses. They bathe, walk and feed patients; make beds; assist
patients in and out of bed; dress and shave patients; and take vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse
and temperature. Their efforts free up valuable time for difficult-to-recruit nurses and other caregivers,
allowing those with advanced skills to concentrate on needs that require their specific knowledge. Perhaps more importantly, though, patient care techs
serve not only as care extenders, but also as extensions of the patient's family and friends, providing
assistance loved ones would perform if the patient were at home. The difference is that patient care techs
are trained to handle circumstances faced in a hospital and work hand-in-hand with nurses, therapists and
physicians. Patient care technicians at Harris Methodist and Presbyterian
hospitals complete a rigorous training program supervised by registered nurses. The techs learn basic patient-care
skills and, upon completion of their training, must pass written and hands-on tests. Frequently, nursing students work as patient care techs. This
allows students to get real-world experience in addition to their academic training. Other patient care techs further
their education by becoming certified nurse assistants, with credentialing offered by the state of Texas. All in all, patient care technicians have an excellent entry
point into health care careers, allowing them to experience an environment of caring by supporting patient needs
and recovery. For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO Doug
Hawthorne with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio
1080 KRLD.
©
2002 Texas Health Resources |
I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 