Can someone please explain diff. b/t PCT and CNA in MD?

U.S.A. Maryland

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I am beginnign to interview for support position for the summer, and I was hoping someone could clarify the differences in job duties and requirements for CNA and PCT around here. I currently hold my MD CNA license, but think I hear that I am not qualified for PCT positions. Also, then I hear that as a 3rd semester Nursing Student I should be eligible for PCT positions?

Is it simply a matter of each hospital being different? Or is there a set guideline for each position?

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Specializes in General adult inpatient psychiatry.

My hospital hires PCAs (patient care associates) for all floors and the sitters are CNAs. When I was at a different hospital while working in nursing school, I think CNAs mainly worked the floor and PCTs (who can draw blood, EKGs, etc.) worked in the ED. Technically, you've had the skills required of a PCT after your 3rd semester of nursing school but you can only apply to get a CNA license. I think there are classes you can take to be a certified PCT or PCA.

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Specializes in ED.

From what I understand, each hospitals just have different names for nursing assistants. My hospital calls them Nursing Technicians, but other hospitals I did clinicals in called them Patient Care Techs. When you apply online, most places give you a basic job description too, so that may help. Best of luck!

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First i wanna says thanks sooo much to this great website created to help us all advise each other. Well i reside in bronx ny so if anyone is from the area or any of the boroughs please give me some advise.....i just finished my cna course and im doing ekg & plebotomy aswell which i will finsih next month. Im in college at the same time majoring in nursing and im preety much done with my pre-requistes. I will b getting into the program in sept 2010 hopefully..but meanwhile i would like to get these classes finished as im doing it in a seperate school that offers them so that i can get the experience of working with patients in a hospital. What i feel stuck about is does it really make a difference money wise wether if i just do the ekg & plebotomy together? Or having the cna along with it really helps me honestly???

Thankss a ton!!! Cant thank all of you enough. Please anyone help me with my doubts.!!!

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I have a cna license but at the hospital I work for, my title is patient care technician. I guess all hospitals have different names for cna(s) but they all do the same thing.

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A PCT has more advanced skills than a CNA. They have training in EKG, Phlebotomy, Foley Catheters, and Hoyer Lifts. This training is available at community colleges in the area under the continuing education department and some hospitals offer the training as well.

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i just want to correct something in case anyone reads this. PCTs and CNAs are the same thing, it just depends on the facility to what they call them, usually hospitals use the term patient care associate or patient care tech. CNAs also have to use hoyer lifts and deal with foley catheters and if you want to draw blood you have to go to school to become a phlebotomist

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Specializes in Onc.

With my CNA license, I've been working as a CNA for one hospital and recently got a PRN job as PCT with another. It depends on the hospital how they title and assign tasks to the position. They said as a PCT, I'd be doing EKG which I don't do as CNA. But these 2 units are different types of nursing.

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I agree with the others, it just depends on the hospital. In some hospitals CNA and PCA/PCT job descriptions are equivalent.

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