Are you familiar with the patient care technician role in a healthcare setting?
These healthcare professionals are a crucial part of the medical team, providing essential support to patients in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities.
Patient care technicians help with a wide range of tasks, from measuring vital signs to assisting with daily living activities.
Despite their critical role, according to BLS, the demand for PCTs will grow 5% from 2021 to 2031.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the reasons behind this increased demand and discuss some potential solutions to address it.
Patient care technician role in the healthcare setting
Due to the aging population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the demand for patient care technicians is expected to grow in the coming years.
As the baby boomer generation continues to age, more patients will require long-term care services, leading to an increase in patient care technician roles and responsibilities.
Additionally, with advances in medical technology, patients are living longer with chronic conditions…which require ongoing care and management.
Overall, patient care technicians’ role in the healthcare industry is undeniable…and their importance is only expected to grow in the years to come.
This begs the question: How can healthcare facilities deal with the shortage (that’s about to come if it’s not here yet?)
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Addressing a talent shortage
How to make patient care technician career lucrative? How to attract new talent and retain “the old” one?
There are some strategies:
- Offering a tuition assistance
- Using data and analytics to build support for a training program
- Creating an internal talent pipeline
- Supporting internal mobility
- Weighing high school recruitment
Offering tuition assistance
One way to show potential and current PCTs that you’re serious about their success is by offering tuition assistance.
Listen… we get it – formal education can be expensive.
Many people interested in a PCT career may feel like pursuing the necessary certifications or degrees is out of reach.
That’s why offering tuition assistance or reimbursement can help ease the financial burden.
Not only does this show that you’re invested in your employees’ success, but it also means you’ll have a team of highly skilled and knowledgeable PCTs.
Think of it like an investment in the future of your organization.
Your employees will appreciate the support, AND you’ll benefit from having a more educated and capable workforce.
It’s a win-win!
Using data and analytics to build support for a training program
When it comes to building support for a PCT training program, you need to prove that it’s worth the investment.
That’s where data and analytics come in.
By tracking metrics (like patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, and turnover rates), you can show the bigwigs upstairs that investing in a training program for your patient care technicians is the right move.
Plus, you’ll have actual numbers to back up your claims – which is way more convincing than just saying, “Trust me, it’ll be good.”
When it comes down to it, patient care technician roles and responsibilities are all about providing top-notch care to patients.
By investing in a training program, you’re giving your PCTs the tools and knowledge they need to do their jobs even better.
Creating an internal talent pipeline
When it comes to attracting and retaining top talent in patient care technician roles, it’s all about providing opportunities for growth and development.
Creating an internal talent pipeline means identifying those PCTs who have the potential to take on more responsibility and leadership roles in the future.
Plus, think about it – who knows the patient care technician role better than someone who’s already working in it?
By developing your current employees, you’re not only investing in their future, but you’re also creating a workforce that’s highly skilled and knowledgeable about your organization’s unique needs.
In addition to creating an internal talent pipeline, it’s essential to support internal mobility.
This means encouraging employees to pursue new roles within the organization and providing the necessary training and resources to do so.
By promoting from within, you demonstrate your commitment to employees’ career development, which can increase job satisfaction and retention rates.
Weighing high school recruitment
Recruiting at high schools is a strategy that has proven successful for many industries. There’s no reason why it can’t work for patient care technician roles as well.
By targeting recent high school graduates and offering them the opportunity to become PCTs, you’re tapping into a pool of young…
…A pool of eager talent that’s already interested in the healthcare field.
Plus, by offering scholarships to earn associate’s or bachelor’s degrees, you’re providing a pathway for career growth and development….
…Something that’s highly attractive to young people just starting out in their careers.
Final remarks
Addressing the talent shortage for patient care technicians requires a multifaceted approach…
We’re talking about more than just seeing what sticks.
We’ve talked about everything from offering tuition assistance to exploring high school recruitment strategies.
And why is all of this important?
Because investing in employee development and attracting new talent is critical for ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality patient care.
