Patient care technician job description template: unit, PCT and BLS certification, phlebotomy, EKG and dialysis rules
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A patient care technician (PCT) job description should name the unit, the patient load, the technical tasks the PCT does there (vital signs, blood draws, 12-lead EKGs, glucose checks), the certifications you accept, the shifts and the hourly pay. As of October 2026 there is no single federal PCT license: the employer sets the requirement, for example the NHA Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant or a CNA plus current BLS, while state law governs specific tasks such as phlebotomy and federal rules require dialysis technicians to certify within 18 months of hire. PCTs are hourly, nonexempt workers.
Below are the PCT seats, a copy-ready template, the certification, task and overtime lines with sources, screening questions and scorecard rows, and common mistakes. For the call itself, use the patient care technician screening questions. For nursing facility aides on a state registry, start from the CNA job description template.
Not legal advice. The certification, dialysis, phlebotomy and overtime points below were checked against the National Healthcareer Association, 42 CFR 494.140 on Cornell's Legal Information Institute, the California Department of Public Health, the Department of Labor, the HHS Office of Inspector General, O*NET and BLS as of October 2026. Which tasks a PCT may perform depends on state rules and the facility's policy; confirm them before posting.
Name the seat: which unit and which tasks?
| Seat | What the shift looks like | Must-have that separates it |
|---|---|---|
| Medical-surgical or telemetry unit | Vital signs, glucose checks, blood draws, baths, mobility and intake and output for a patient group | Has carried a full hospital patient assignment; draws and EKGs if the unit uses them |
| Emergency department | Fast turnover: EKGs on arrival, draws, splints, transport, room turnover | 12-lead EKG and phlebotomy competence under time pressure |
| Dialysis clinic | Setting up and monitoring hemodialysis treatments under an RN's direction | CCHT or CHT certification, or a plan to certify within 18 months of hire |
| Critical care or step-down | Fewer patients with higher acuity, frequent vitals, turning and lifting with equipment | ICU or step-down experience and comfort with lift equipment |
| Float or resource pool | Different units shift by shift | Several unit types worked recently; skills checked off across them |
Then settle the numbers with the nurse manager: patients per PCT on days and nights, which tasks are on this unit's skills list, the orientation length, and how often PCTs float. A line such as "8 to 10 patients on days, draws and EKGs included" (an invented example) tells a candidate more than "fast-paced."
The patient care technician job description template
Patient Care Technician — [Unit / Dialysis Clinic], [Days / Nights
/ Rotating], [Full-Time / Part-Time / PRN]
[Hospital or clinic], [city, state]
Pay: $[min]–$[max] per hour, plus [night $N, weekend $N,
certification differential $N]. [Benefits summary, if required.]
Nonexempt (paid overtime [after 40 hours a week / under the 8 and
80 system, as agreed in advance]).
SUMMARY
You will care for about [N] patients a shift on a [N]-bed [unit]
with [N] RNs, under the direction of the patient's nurse. Shifts
are [12-hour days / nights], [every third weekend, holiday
rotation]. Orientation is [N] weeks with a preceptor.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Take and record vital signs, glucose checks, intake and output,
and report changes to the RN at once.
- [Draw blood and label specimens at the bedside.] [Perform 12-lead
EKGs and give tracings to the RN.]
- Help patients with bathing, toileting, feeding and mobility,
using [gait belts, mechanical lifts, slide sheets].
- Follow isolation precautions and fall prevention plans.
- [Dialysis: set up, monitor and document treatments under the RN's
direction.]
- Document in [EHR] during the shift.
YOU MUST HAVE
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- [NHA CPCT/A, state CNA certification, or completion of a PCT
program], [or certification within N months of hire].
- Current BLS from [the American Heart Association / an accepted
provider].
- [State phlebotomy certificate, where the state requires one for
blood draws.] [Dialysis: CCHT or CHT, or within 18 months of hire.]
- Ability to reposition and transfer patients with the equipment
provided and to stand and walk for most of a 12-hour shift, with
or without reasonable accommodation.
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience on a [unit type]; phlebotomy or EKG certification.
- [Language] for patients who speak it.
If you meet the must-haves and none of these, please apply.
FIXED CONDITIONS
- Offer subject to credential verification, an HHS-OIG exclusion
list check and [background check, health screening and
immunizations] as permitted by law.
[EEO STATEMENT]
To request an adjustment to apply or interview, contact [contact].Certifications, task rules and classification
What the work is. BLS does not publish a separate PCT occupation. Hospital PCT work overlaps nursing assistants: O*NET's sample titles for nursing assistants (31-1131.00) include patient care assistant, and its tasks include repositioning patients, measuring intake and output and reporting changes to nursing staff (O*NET). Add the technical tasks your unit actually assigns.
PCT certification. The National Healthcareer Association's CPCT/A asks for a high school diploma or equivalent plus a PCT training program within the last five years, or supervised PCT work experience (one year within the last three years, or two within five); it is renewed every two years with 10 continuing education credits, and the role it describes includes EKG readings, vital signs and phlebotomy (NHA CPCT/A). If you also accept a state CNA certification, say so. Name BLS from the American Heart Association or the other providers you accept, and say whether a course without an in-person skills check counts.
Dialysis. Medicare-certified dialysis facilities must have patient care dialysis technicians who meet state requirements, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, complete a training program approved by the medical director and governing body under an RN's direction, and are certified under a state or national program within 18 months of being hired (42 CFR 494.140(e)). National programs include NNCC's CCHT and BONENT's CHT.
Phlebotomy: a state example. California's Department of Public Health certifies phlebotomists at three levels: Limited Phlebotomy Technician (skin puncture only), Certified Phlebotomy Technician I (adds venipuncture) and Certified Phlebotomy Technician II (adds arterial puncture) (CDPH Laboratory Field Services). If a California PCT will draw blood, name the certificate level the facility requires. Check your own state's rules for each technical task you list.
Exclusion list. OIG says health care entities should routinely check its List of Excluded Individuals/Entities, because excluded people cannot be paid by federal health care programs for the services they furnish (HHS-OIG).
Nonexempt, with the 8 and 80 option. The Department of Labor says LPNs and similar health care workers generally do not qualify as exempt learned professionals (DOL Fact Sheet 17N), and PCTs are paid hourly, so treat the role as nonexempt. Hospitals and residential care establishments may use a fixed 14-day work period instead of the 40-hour week and pay overtime after 8 hours in a workday and 80 hours in the period, but only with a prior agreement or understanding with the employees (DOL Fact Sheet 54). Say which system applies.
Physical requirements. BLS says nursing assistants and orderlies have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations, may need to help lift or move patients and spend much of their time on their feet. Describe the transfers, the lift equipment and the shift length, add an accommodation line, and keep health screening until after an offer (pre-employment medical exams under the ADA).
Pay. With no PCT occupation, BLS has no PCT median. For a national reference point only, nursing assistants had a national median annual wage of $42,260 in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified August 27, 2026). Post your hourly range and each differential separately, and check pay transparency laws by state.
From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows
| Must-have | Screening question | Scorecard competency | Evidence of a strong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certifications | "Which certifications do you hold, who issued them, and when do they expire?" | Not scored: verified with the issuer | Issuers and dates that match the verification |
| Unit experience | "What unit were you on, how many patients did you have, and what did a normal shift include?" | Workload fit | A unit, a patient number and a task list close to yours |
| Escalation | "A blood pressure is 82/50 on a patient who was 130/80 this morning. What do you do?" | Recognizing change | Rechecks, looks at the patient, tells the RN at once, documents |
| Technical skill | "Walk me through a 12-lead EKG" or "How do you identify the patient and label the tubes?" | Procedure accuracy | Two identifiers, labels at the bedside, correct lead placement |
| Schedule and physical tasks | "The unit works [12-hour nights, every third weekend] and you will transfer patients with lifts. Can you do that?" | Not scored | Knockout confirmed |
The full screen, with dialysis and phlebotomy knockouts, is in the PCT screening questions. If the seat is mainly blood draws, use the phlebotomist job description template; the later rounds for clinical roles are in the interview guide for healthcare roles.
Common mistakes in patient care technician job descriptions
A task list the unit does not use
Copying a PCT duty list from another hospital can promise draws or EKGs your unit gives to someone else. Use the unit's skills list.
"Certified PCT required" with no issuer
Name the certifications you accept, including a state CNA if it counts, and any grace period after hire.
Ignoring state task rules
If a state certificate is needed for blood draws, put it in the must-haves or say you will sponsor it.
No patient load or shift pattern
Patients per shift, 12-hour nights and weekend rotation are what PCTs compare. Write them down.
Overtime system left unstated
If the hospital uses the 8 and 80 system, say so; candidates used to a 40-hour week will ask.
Before you publish
- Unit, patient load, shift pattern and orientation are in the summary.
- Technical tasks match the unit's skills list and your state's rules.
- Accepted certifications, BLS and any dialysis or phlebotomy certificate are named, with grace periods.
- Physical tasks name the lift equipment, with an accommodation line.
- The hourly range, differentials, overtime system, EEO statement and accommodation contact close the posting.
Questions people ask
What should a patient care technician job description include?
Name the unit or setting, the patient load per shift, the tasks the PCT does on that unit (vital signs, blood draws, 12-lead EKGs, glucose checks, mobility and personal care), the certifications you require or accept with any grace period, the shift pattern, the physical tasks with the lift equipment provided, and the hourly pay range with differentials.
Does a patient care technician need to be certified?
There is no single federal PCT license, so the employer sets the requirement, and state law steps in for tasks such as phlebotomy. A posting can name the NHA Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant or a state CNA certification, plus current BLS, as the accepted credentials. Dialysis is the exception: Medicare-certified dialysis facilities must have patient care dialysis technicians certified under a state or national program within 18 months of hire.
Are patient care technicians paid overtime?
Yes. PCTs are hourly, nonexempt workers; the Department of Labor says LPNs and similar health care workers generally do not qualify for the learned professional exemption. Hospitals may use the 8 and 80 system, paying overtime after 8 hours in a day and 80 hours in a fixed 14-day period, if employees agree to it in advance; otherwise overtime is due after 40 hours in a workweek.
What is the difference between a PCT and a CNA job description?
A CNA posting centers on the state nurse aide registry and nursing facility rules. A PCT posting is usually for a hospital or dialysis unit and adds technical tasks such as blood draws and 12-lead EKGs, so it should list those tasks, the training or certification behind them, and any state certificate a task requires.