What's the difference!?!

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Ok, I am just not understanding all of this. I had a phone appointment with a school because it was a hour drive for me to meet in person and all I wanted was some information on there school. So, they actually scheduled a appointment for them to call me and go over everything about there school. This is for patient care tech. The guy told me it is a 5 month course going 5 days a week at night it is 4 hours at night. It is alot more money than it would for me to go to a week long class or 2 weekend classes for a prep course. What is the difference??? I told him about the prep course and he basically had nothing good to say about it but of course he is trying to get me down to there school and sign up. He told me they do job placement and the hospitals hire alot of there students. He told me that the prep course is only going to get me ready for the test and not actually have alot of hands on experience and not as much as I would if I take a Patient Care Tech Class. He said they do alot more. I am just so dang confused. I want to hurry up and sign up for a class and there is 2 prep courses I could go take soon and then this school which is called Americare. But, of course alot more money and 5 months long. Why? I just want to be able to get a good job afterwards and get into a good course or school to get all the education I need to. WWYD?

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well from what I have read a prep course is just what you said a very short,not as detailed course,then you have the na course that is usually 5-8 weeks long depending on the school,then you have pct that is usually 5-6 mths long. the 5-8 week na course will get you certified as a nursing assistant when you take the course pass it and take the state exam to be certified.

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well from what I have read a prep course is just what you said a very short,not as detailed course,then you have the na course that is usually 5-8 weeks long depending on the school,then you have pct that is usually 5-6 mths long. the 5-8 week na course will get you certified as a nursing assistant when you take the course pass it and take the state exam to be certified.

But isn't a CNA and a Patient Care Tech the same exact thing? I just wonder why is the Patient Care Tech course so long like 5 months long and alot more money when at the end it is to pass the exam to become certified and doing the same exact thing right?

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I'm a cna student but its my understanding from all the great guys and gals on this board :yeah::up: that patient care tech is cna plus things like ekg phlebotomy ect. Sounds like a great job to me, :)

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pct is like an "advanced" cna.....you are taught a lot more stuff,i'm not gonna go the pct route because it is longer,cost more,etc...and at the hospitals and clinics in my area ,they will train you on the job after you get cna to do the pct stuff.hope this was helpful.

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Specializes in Hospice- 3.5 yrs, Transplant- 1 yr.

Hey guys,

I just signed up on this site. I live in Charleston,SC & am a CNA since 2002 and start my clinicals Oct 21 as a student nurse as well. I went through the American Red Cross in Greenville,SC to get my CNA and it only took me one month exactly. I have also been employed as a PCT (pt care tech) at MUSC (medical university of sc). I don't want to say a CNA and PCT are the same thing, but technically when it comes down to your duties, they are. I would recommend getting your CNA as i feel it will take you further because a CNA is open to all types of medical jobs -- home health, nursing facility, and hospital. PCTs are just usually in a hospital like setting. But then again, go with what is available for you because it could be different in FL or wherever you live. Good luck and if you have any questions about any CNA stuff, e-mail me! :) Felicia

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Thank you to all you that responded. That is what the guy that called me from Americare told me he said basically your going to be learning more at the school as a Patient Care Tech than you would be just taking a week prep course to become a CNA. Now he said they do job placement and most hire from the hospital and you do your clinicals there. I guess that would be a plus. My thing is at the end were still taking the same exam to become certified right? I mean your not taking a different exam for PCT are you? I guess it sounds like you going to learn more and then you have a chance to get hired into a hospital afterwards which would be nice but I am sure it is not guarenteed he just said they do job placement and most of the time it is at the hospitals.

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Maybe you can ask at local health facilities if they have any observations about the different programs or preferences for new hires? Also, do you know the job descriptions of the CNAs/PCTs at the local facilities? Do the local facilities offer additional skills training to their assistive personnel? Can you volunteer or observe at a local facility and ask their CNAs/PCTs what kind of training they had and if they have any advice?

Can any of the programs refer you to previous students of their programs? Can you stop by before or after class and ask the current students about their experience? Can you find out what kind of clinical experience the programs offer, what facilities they work with? Can you ask those facilities about their experience with the different programs?

How do YOU feel about the kind and amount the training you'd like to have? A short course might be the minimum requirement for taking the certification test but would YOU feel comfortable seeking employment and starting a job with such little exposure? And would YOU like to learn the additional skills of the longer course, even if you might not use them in the job you hope to get as a CNA/PCT?

Finally, I do have to say that a 5 month, 20hr/wk class to be a PCT sounds much longer than usual and if it's rather expensive, I'd be suspect that it's just a money maker. I would advise further research that the program actually uses that time well, offering good experiences (such as exposure to various facilities and opportunity to practice skills) and not just milking students for money and wasting their time.

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Specializes in CNA.

You're getting too many incorrect answers here....:banghead:

Employers of CNA's rarely call their CNA employees CNA's --- they make up a title. Similar to businesses --- you may be a secretary or as is more often done, an administrative assistant. Some AA's really have 'advanced' duties and do all sorts of tasks. Some simply answer the switchboard, but are still referred to as administrative assistants.

Patient Care Tech is one of dozens of titles that are used by employers. It requires a CNA to be one. In SOME cases, as one poster mentioned, you might have to be a CNA with some experience, or it may mean you have training as a phlebotomist. I was a PCT at our local hospital --- I was a 'basic' CNA without experience --- that was simply every CNA's title that did the basic patient care. But at another hospital, they may have a title for a beginner CNA, then once you get some level of experience, or other training, become a PTC.

It varies from employer to employer. You have to ask their personnel person what the title means --- job duties, training, and certification.

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sometimes one of those week lonf sessions, that is probably held at a nursing home, requires you to sing a contract and work for that nursing home and you are only certified at the nursing home and cannot work in the hospitals if you so choose. also the prep course will not give you all the experience you need to be proficient, just get you through the test, which does not make a good CNA

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

The PCT is often trained to perform additional duties such as phlebotomy (venipuncture), insertion of indwelling urinary catheters, and simple dressing changes.

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Hello,

I actually looked at this americare course also ( and a few others). Really if you call florida hospital they could care less if you took a PCT course or CNA prep test but they still want 6months to a year experience either way. The PCT isn't a BAD route BUT if you want to take the course there are other places that have it in Orlando that are cheaper and a bit shorter. Americare WAY overcharges for everything. I am going with the CNA prep course personally to save time and money, but if you want to go the pct route make sure to look around at some other places.

Have you checked this list?

http://doh.state.fl.us/Mqa/cna/lst_training.pdf

it doesn't show the prep courses but it shows some longer length CNA courses and PCT courses.

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