Professionalism and Boundaries

Is the care you give as a Patient Care Technician (PCT) as vital to your patients as the care provided by the other professionals in your clinic? Do you need to learn more about patient care by reading journals and going to meetings? Do you need to show up each day with a good attitude, a focus on helping your patients, and a desire to give the best care you can?

Your response to each of these questions should be an overwhelming yes! You are a healthcare professional and your patients rely on you to act like one. As a PCT, you are a key team member. You greet patients, take a health history, and set up the machine. You assess fistulas and grafts and look at catheters for infection. You start the treatment, monitor the patient, take the patient off the machine, and set up for the next one. These tasks elevate you to the level of a healthcare professional. The question is, do you want to be a good one?