Difference Between Er Tech, Pca, Pct, Hha, And Cna?
Hello, I’ve been an EMT for nearly 2 years and I’m seeking a job similar to it. Aside from applying to ambulance agencies where an EMT position is easy to describe, I have also been looking at hospitals and, to a lesser extent, nursing homes. When I search postings, the acronyms confuse me. I was wondering if someone could break down these different titles. I know what they all mean (ex. CNA = Cert. Nursing Assistant), but I’m unsure of the job descriptions between them.
My ideal position is doing mostly medicinal tasks (vitals, EKGs, possibly IVs, etc.) with as little patient care as possible. I don’t mind patient care here and there, but I’d prefer to keep it at a minimum.
Thanks for any help you guys can offer.
-Mike
The states may have slightly different variations but the CNA will be a fairly consistent title with a Federal minimum requirement of no less than 75 hours of training with an average in many states of 150. They are required to certify through the state (usually Board of Nursing BON) and many then become part of a national registry. That is not to be mistaken for the NREMT which is purely a testing agency. http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/hcpr/links.ht…
The home health certifying board may be under either the BON or the agency that oversees home health care which is large enough to have its own section. It may require an additional certification after CNA or be a separate cert that is similar to the CNA with a home care focus.
The PCA can be another name for the CNA or one with a broader training or it could be a Personal Care Assistant who does minimal patient medical care needs.
The PCT is usually a CNA with about 300 – 1000 more hours of training. They can also do EKGs, phlebotomy and a few other skills.
The ER Tech can be an EMT-B although a CNA cert might be required since almost nothing in the EMT relates to basic patient care needs and much of the first aid you learned for prehospital will have to be relearned to as it pertains to the hospital with many different bandages, surgical procedure caution, devices, moving patients and infection control. They may have you doing phlebotomy if you have a phlebotomy cert which takes about 150 hours and very few hospital train on the job any more since there are hundreds of people seeking these entry level jobs.
Each of these cert may also require more hours of training if they are hired to work in specific areas of the hospital. So start with getting your CNA. Look under your state’s Board of Nursing to determine certification requirements.
Examples of schools with descriptions:http://www.abcottinstitute.com/index.php…
PCA/CNA Floridahttp://flahec.org/hlthcareers/nursast.ht…http://www.careercollege.edu/florida-pat…
California certification of HHA and CNAhttp://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/LnC/Page…http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/occupatio…
North Carolina (Paramedics must also complete a CNA course and can not challenge it.)http://www.ncbon.com/content.aspx?id=994…
Florida PCAhttp://www.irsc.edu/uploadedFiles/Progra…
Patient Care Tech FLhttp://catalog.fccj.org/preview_program.…
Patient Care Tech Arizonahttp://www.healthcare.maricopa.edu/PCT.p…