Post Job

Patient Care Technician Vs Patient Care Assistant

The differences between patient care technicians and patient care assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a patient care technician has an average salary of $32,806, which is higher than the $32,799 average annual salary of a patient care assistant.

The top three skills for a patient care technician include patients, vital signs and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a patient care assistant are patients, vital signs, and PCA.

Patient care technician vs patient care assistant overview

Patient Care TechnicianPatient Care Assistant
Yearly Salary$32,806$32,799
Hourly rate$15.77$15.77
Growth Rate9%9%
Number Of Jobs167,520261,345
Job Satisfaction55
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 27%High School Diploma, 26%
Average Age3442
Years Of Experience-3

What does a Patient Care Technician do?

Patient care technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.

What does a patient care assistant do?

A patient care assistant is responsible for attending patients' needs with the supervision of a health care professional. Duties of a patient care assistant also include performing basic medical tasks such as taking patients' temperature, monitoring food intake, preparing medicines, recording health conditions, assisting on lab tests and other medical procedures, and providing information and important updates to the patient's family. A patient care assistant must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform duties efficiently and accurately.

Patient care technician vs patient care assistant salary

Patient care technicians and patient care assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Patient Care TechnicianPatient Care Assistant
Average Salary$32,806$32,799
Salary RangeBetween $24,000 And $43,000Between $23,000 And $45,000
Highest Paying CityRochester, NHSan Diego, CA
Highest Paying StateVermontHawaii
Best Paying CompanyBeth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterMicrosoft
Best Paying IndustryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between patient care technician and patient care assistant education

There are a few differences between a patient care technician and a patient care assistant in terms of educational background:

Patient Care TechnicianPatient Care Assistant
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 27%High School Diploma, 26%
Most Common MajorNursingNursing
Most Common CollegeEmory University-

Patient care technician vs patient care assistant demographics

Here are the differences between patient care technicians' and patient care assistants' demographics:

Patient Care TechnicianPatient Care Assistant
Average Age3442
Gender RatioMale, 19.0% Female, 81.0%Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
Race RatioBlack or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.3% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage15%7%

Differences between patient care technician and patient care assistant duties and responsibilities

Patient Care Technician Example Responsibilities.

  • Manage care and prepare medical records, transcription and supply orders.
  • Manage daily care of high acuity patients with neurological trauma/disorders and post-surgery.
  • Qualify to perform patient care responsibilities on catheter patients.
  • Transport patients using wheelchairs and stretchers and assist patients to ambulate safely.
  • Assist with transferring patients in and out of wheelchairs, recliners, and stretchers.
  • Apply protective restraints safely and appropriately, assist in the admission, discharge and transfer of patients as needed.
  • Show More

Patient Care Assistant Example Responsibilities.

  • Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
  • Assist patients in achieving independence and increase functional ability.
  • Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
  • Answer call lights, vital signs, EKG'S, transporting patients to other areas, keep rooms clean and orderly.
  • Provide high quality patient care as an in-demand per-diem RCA within, home-healthcare, nursing home settings and memory support care.
  • Work extensively with Alzheimer and dementia patients.
  • Show More

Patient care technician vs patient care assistant skills

Common Patient Care Technician Skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • Vital Signs, 9%
  • Phlebotomy, 7%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Direct Patient Care, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
Common Patient Care Assistant Skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Vital Signs, 9%
  • PCA, 8%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Home Health, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs