If you are starting your healthcare career, now is the time to be thinking about patient care experience (PCE). Patient care experience puts you in a clinical setting, working alongside a healthcare team. It supports the coursework you need to get a job in a healthcare setting or further your education.
Before you enter a program to become a nurse, physician’s assistant, or doctor, you need PCE. How can you get patient care experience, though? Read on to find out more, and how Advanced eClinical Training (ACT) can help you obtain direct patient care experience training in less time.
What is Direct Patient Care Experience?
Direct patient care experience means hands-on work with patients, rather than observing healthcare professionals in a clinical setting. It is not the same thing as being a caregiver, however. Patient care experience requires an element of healthcare similar to what you might experience as a certified medical assistant, patient care assistant, or nurse.
Some patient care experience examples might include:
- Basic care tasks like bathing or dressing patients
- Taking vital signs
- Drawing blood
- Administering therapies or treatments
- Patient counseling or education
PCE is necessary for anyone considering applying for a healthcare program, including:
- Certified medical assistant
- Respiratory Therapist
- Nurse
- Paramedic
- Physicians Assistant
These programs require extensive book learning, but you can only get so much from a classroom lecture. So PCE goes beyond the coursework.
How to Gain Patient Care Experience?
The obvious answer is to work with patients. But, unfortunately, it’s not that easy to get a job working with patients if you don’t have some kind of healthcare education. That’s where the medical programs and certifications at ACT can help.
In ACT’s online medical programs, we work with you to ensure you get the PCE you need as part of your certification training. We help you acquire the necessary clinical skills to get your foot in the door in as little as 8 to 12 weeks.
Become a CCMA
Our online medical assistant certification course combines patient care and clinical studies in an online format. It allows you to get your certification faster and start your job as a CCMA.
We offer an eight-week, self-paced program that gives you the necessary training. Once completed, you can sit for the National HealthCareer Association (NHA) certification exam and get accredited as a CCMA.
A certified medical assistant works directly with patients during an average workday. They contribute to the patient care experience by doing tasks such as medical histories, taking vital signs, and providing point-of-care medications and injections. In addition, they do scheduling and set up referrals.
These interactions can occur in several different healthcare environments, too. CCMAs work in hospitals, clinics, and private practices.
Become a CPCT
Certified patient care technicians perform similar tasks but with a stronger focus on patient care. They do not do the same administrative duties as a CCMA might, like appointment scheduling. Both of these career options require PCE as part of the formal training.
Our CPCT program is also entirely online. You spend eight weeks in a self-paced program. After completing your studies, you can sit for the National HealthCareer Association certification exam and begin working in healthcare settings.
After earning an online medical certification with Advanced eClinical Training, you have the initial training you need to get your first job in healthcare. That gives you direct patient care experience. Either of these courses also looks good on a school application if you plan to further your healthcare training to get to nursing school, for instance.
Jump Start Your Healthcare Career with ACT Today
If you’re ready to put your goal of learning how to gain direct patient care experience into action, we can help.
Our programs are designed with your future in mind, tailoring educational experiences to match your ambition. We firmly believe that gaining hands-on, direct patient care experience shouldn’t complicate or prolong your educational path. In fact, it should enhance it.
When you earn your CCMA, CPCT, or another online medical certification from ACT, you’ll enjoy accessible, comprehensive, and flexible certification courses, all online and all crafted for students like you. Not only will you gain the essential clinical skills required for direct patient care roles in just 8 to 12 weeks, but you’ll also grow in confidence and competence.
Enroll today, gain the patient care experience you need, and start making your dreams a reality.
