Patient Care Technician Essentials
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Patient Care Technician Essentials
This course is part of Patient Care Technician Fundamentals Specialization
Instructor: Jennifer Zabel
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Recommended experience
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Appreciate the role of patient care in the healthcare setting
Recognize the importance of safety and compliance
Gain an understanding of assistance with activities of daily living
Skills you'll gain
- Direct Patient Care
- Caregiving
- Sterilization
- Healthcare Ethics
- Patient Observation
- Patient Transport
- Nursing and Patient Care
- Dignity in Care
- Nursing Basics
- Patient Assistance
- Safety Standards
- Medical Privacy
- Basic Nursing Skills
- Lifting Ability
- Clinical Monitoring
- Safety Training
- Blood Pressure
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Health Care
- Toileting
Details to know
February 2026
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There are 5 modules in this course
MedCertsβ Patient Care Technician Essentials introduces students to the essential responsibilities of a Patient Care Technician and builds confidence through practical, patient-centered instruction.
The course includes five lessons starting with The Patient, where learners explore the healthcare environment, professional behavior, ethical responsibilities, and effective communication that fosters trust and respect with patients and care teams. Workplace Safety emphasizes infection control and personal safety practices to protect patients and healthcare workers. In Patient Positioning and Moving, students learn proper body mechanics and safe transfer techniques to prevent injury and promote patient comfort and mobility. Vital Signs for Caregivers provides hands-on training in measuring temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure while recognizing normal and abnormal findings. Finally, Patient Hygiene and Grooming focuses on maintaining patient dignity, comfort, and well-being through daily care practices. Together, these lessons equip learners with essential clinical skills, professionalism and confidence to succeed as valued members of the healthcare team.
In this lesson, learners explore the healthcare environment, professional behavior, ethical responsibilities, and effective communication that fosters trust and respect with patients and care teams.
What's included
6 videos1 reading1 assignment4 plugins
6 videosβ’Total 24 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Introduction and Objectivesβ’2 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Culture, Race and Ethnicityβ’5 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Assisting with the Physical Examinationβ’4 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Patient's Rights, Laws and Ethicsβ’6 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Pain Management and Comfortβ’5 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Reviewβ’2 minutes
1 readingβ’Total 15 minutes
- Course Introductionβ’15 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 30 minutes
- Lesson 1 - The Patientβ’30 minutes
4 pluginsβ’Total 60 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needsβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Communicationβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Therapeutic Communicationβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 1 - Five Rights of Delegationβ’15 minutes
This lesson emphasizes infection control and personal safety practices to protect patients and healthcare workers.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment8 plugins
5 videosβ’Total 17 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Introduction and Objectivesβ’2 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Infection Controlβ’6 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Surgical Asepsisβ’3 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Safety in the Workplaceβ’5 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Reviewβ’1 minute
1 assignmentβ’Total 30 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Workplace Safetyβ’30 minutes
8 pluginsβ’Total 120 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Perform Hand Hygieneβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Isolation Precautions and Gowningβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Don and Doff PPEβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Prepare a Sterile Fieldβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Perform Cough Etiquetteβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 2 - NIOSHβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 2 - Waste Managementβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 2 - RACE and PASSβ’15 minutes
In this lesson, students learn proper body mechanics and safe transfer techniques to prevent injury and promote patients comfort and mobility.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment12 plugins
5 videosβ’Total 16 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Introduction and Objectivesβ’1 minute
- Lesson 3 - Falls and Positioningβ’4 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Moving Patientsβ’3 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Mobilityβ’6 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Reviewβ’2 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 30 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Patient Positioning and Movingβ’30 minutes
12 pluginsβ’Total 180 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Patient Positioningβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Position on Sideβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Positioning a Patientβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Assist with Wheelchair and Transfer Beltβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Assist Long-Term Care Resident with Transferβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Perform Range of Motion Exercisesβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Perform Range of Motion - Shoulderβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Perform Range of Motion - Knee and Ankleβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Use of a Safety Reminder Deviceβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Assist with Ambulation and Fallsβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Assist to Ambulateβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 3 - Walking Aidsβ’15 minutes
This lesson provides hands-on training in measuring temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure while recognizing normal and abnormal findings.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment8 plugins
5 videosβ’Total 35 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Introduction and Objectivesβ’4 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Temperatureβ’5 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Pulse and Respirationsβ’9 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Blood Pressureβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Reviewβ’2 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 30 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Vital Signs for Caregiversβ’30 minutes
8 pluginsβ’Total 120 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Overview of Vital Signsβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Obtaining Vital Signsβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Obtain Vital Signsβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Measurement Conversionsβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Normal Blood Pressure and Hypertensionβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Measure a Manual Blood Pressureβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Measure an Electronic Blood Pressureβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 4 - Measuring a Manual Blood Pressureβ’15 minutes
This lesson focuses on maintaining patient dignity, comfort, and well-being through daily care practices.
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments8 plugins
5 videosβ’Total 22 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Introduction and Objectivesβ’2 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Bathingβ’4 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Personal Hygieneβ’6 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Personal Groomingβ’8 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Reviewβ’2 minutes
1 readingβ’Total 10 minutes
- Project Instructionsβ’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 90 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Patient Hygiene and Groomingβ’30 minutes
- Documenting Patient Communication and Patient Care Tasksβ’60 minutes
8 pluginsβ’Total 120 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Perform a Modified Bed Bathβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Perform a Complete Bed Bathβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Eye, Ear and Nose Careβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Provide Perineal Careβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Provide Oral Careβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Perform Denture Careβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Performing Denture Careβ’15 minutes
- Lesson 5 - Assist with Dressingβ’15 minutes
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Frequently asked questions
No. This course is considered an introduction to MedCerts career and certification training. It does not fully prepare students to test for national certification. To prepare for a national certification, students have the option to enroll in a more comprehensive program at MedCerts, where certification and job-readiness is the intent.
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
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