Hiring guideRead at source, 29 September 2026
How to Hire Patient Care Technicians: Recruit the Skills, Train the Rest
To hire patient care technicians, decide which clinical skills the unit really needs (phlebotomy, EKG, point-of-care testing) and require only those, usually on top of a state CNA certification. Then advertise the unit, shift and pay rate in the first lines, recruit CNAs, phlebotomists, EMTs and nursing students who want hospital experience, keep the mobile application to four questions, and offer to pay for certification instead of requiring it at the application.
Who you are actually hiring
A patient care technician does the direct care a CNA does (vitals, bathing, feeding, repositioning, transfers) and adds clinical tasks, most often blood draws and EKGs. The title is common in hospitals and dialysis centers, and what it covers changes from one employer to the next. That is why PCT postings attract the wrong applicants: candidates cannot tell from the title which skills you need.
BLS does not publish patient care technicians as a separate occupation. The closest one is nursing assistants: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 count 1,505,900 nursing assistants in 2025, projected to reach 1,544,900 by 2035 (growth of 2.6%), with about 196,200 openings a year. The BLS, May 2025 median annual wage for nursing assistants was $42,260. O*NET's sample job titles for that occupation include Patient Care Assistant but not Patient Care Technician, so treat that wage as the floor for a role that asks for more skills, not as the market rate for PCTs.
Credentials: require the minimum, pay for the rest
Most PCT postings are built on an active state CNA certification plus BLS/CPR. Before a hire starts, check the state nurse aide registry; our CNA verification guide explains how. On top of that, the common national credential is the NHA Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A). NHA lists three routes to the exam, each with a high school diploma or equivalent: completion of a PCT training or education program within the last five years, one year of supervised PCT work experience within the last three years, or two years within the last five.
Requiring CPCT/A at the application removes everyone who could earn it with your help. For most units, the better line is "CNA required; we pay for your PCT certification."
Where to find patient care technicians
Most of the PCTs you want are not searching for "patient care technician." They hold another title today. These are the pools that convert, and each needs a slightly different ad:
- CNAs in long-term care who want hospital experience, a skills step up or a different schedule. They already hold the base credential. Our CNA recruitment guide covers how they respond to ads.
- Phlebotomists and EKG technicians who already have one of the clinical skills and want more patient contact.
- EMTs who want off the truck. Some emergency departments hire them as ER techs; say whether your PCT role accepts EMT certification in place of a CNA.
- Nursing students who want paid hospital experience while in school. Offer schedules that fit clinical rotations.
- Medical assistants who want to move from clinic to bedside. Be honest about nights and weekends.
- Graduates of local PCT programs, including hospital-run and community college programs.
Job boards will bring you people already searching for the PCT title, which is the smallest of these groups. Facebook and Instagram reach the rest: the CNA scrolling after a double at a nursing home, the phlebotomist on a break. Employment ads on Meta run in the Employment special ad category, with no targeting by age, gender or ZIP code and at least a 15-mile radius, so the headline has to name who the ad is for.
How to recruit patient care technicians: what the ad must say
A PCT candidate checks four things first: the pay rate and differentials, the unit and shift, which clinical tasks are involved, and whether you pay for training. Put the unit in the title (med-surg, emergency, telemetry, dialysis) because it tells the candidate what the shift feels like.
Sample ad: "Patient Care Technicians, [Unit], [Hospital]. $[rate]/hr plus night differential. 3x12s with every third weekend. Blood draws and EKGs; we train and pay for your PCT certification. CNA required. Apply in two minutes, no resume."
Headlines to test:
- CNAs: move to the hospital and learn phlebotomy and EKG on us
- Phlebotomist? Add patient care, get paid more
- Nursing student? Paid PCT shifts that fit your clinicals
Only claim what is true for your unit and fill in real numbers before the ad runs. Our healthcare job ad templates show more examples.
Screening questions for a PCT application
Keep it to four questions on the mobile form. Only the first is a knockout, and only if the credential is genuinely required:
- Do you hold an active CNA certification in this state? (Or EMT, if you accept it.)
- Which of these do you already do: phlebotomy, EKG, point-of-care testing, none yet?
- Which shifts could you work?
- When could you start?
Registry verification, references and immunization records come after the conversation. Our guide to pre-screening questions explains why the form should stay short, and our PCT interview questions cover the interview itself.
Speed and follow-up
A CNA who applies to a hospital PCT role is often applying to two or three hospitals that week. Text within minutes, offer interview times in the same message, and follow up if there is no reply by the next day. Boostpoint Connect, an add-on to Boostpoint Attract, sends an instant text when someone applies, runs automated text sequences set up for each job and gives your team a shared two-way inbox. Your recruiters book the interview in the thread.
Health systems with many PCT openings across units can use Boostpoint Programmatic 2.0: your XML job feed becomes one Meta ad per job, applicants answer screening questions in a quick-apply form on Facebook or Instagram, and their contact details, answers and a resume-formatted candidate summary go to the individual job in your ATS.
What it costs to recruit PCTs on social
Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark does not report PCTs as their own family. The closest is the CNA / nursing assistant family, which had a median of $7.72 per applicant, middle half $6.18 to $12.06, blended $8.17 and an 18% apply rate. Those are costs advertisers paid, for advertising only, and cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
The apply experience explains 70% of cost variation between campaigns. Across the benchmark, campaigns converting 10-20% of clickers paid $11.11 per applicant and campaigns converting 20-35% paid $4.41. Requiring CPCT/A or a resume at the application pushes a PCT campaign toward the lower apply-rate bands, where each applicant costs more. See our benchmarks page for the full table.
Keeping PCTs past 90 days
New PCTs leave when the job turns out to be mostly CNA work with the occasional blood draw, or when the certification they were promised never gets scheduled. Put the training dates in the offer letter, give each new hire a preceptor on the unit, and say where the role leads: some PCTs are on their way to nursing, and tuition support keeps them on your units while they study.
Frequently asked questions
How do you hire patient care technicians?
Define which clinical skills the unit needs, require only the credentials that are genuinely necessary (usually a state CNA certification and BLS/CPR), advertise the unit, shift and pay rate up front, recruit from CNAs, phlebotomists, EMTs and nursing students, and text applicants within minutes.
Where can I find patient care technicians?
Most are working under another title: CNAs in long-term care, phlebotomists, EKG technicians, EMTs, medical assistants and nursing students. Local PCT training programs are another source. Facebook and Instagram ads reach these groups better than job boards, which mostly reach people already searching for the PCT title.
What certification does a patient care technician need?
Most employers require an active state CNA certification plus BLS/CPR. The common national credential is the NHA Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A), which requires a high school diploma or equivalent plus a recent training program or supervised work experience. Employers can list it as preferred and pay for it rather than requiring it.
Should we require CPCT/A certification in the job posting?
Only if you cannot train. Requiring it at application limits your pool to people already doing the job elsewhere. Listing it as preferred and offering to pay for it opens the posting to CNAs and other candidates who can earn it after hire.
What is the difference between a PCT and a CNA?
A PCT does the direct care a CNA does and adds clinical tasks such as blood draws and EKGs. See our patient care technician job description for the full comparison and pay by setting.
How much do patient care technicians earn?
BLS does not publish PCTs as a separate occupation. The closest occupation, nursing assistants, had a median annual wage of $42,260 in May 2025. Because PCTs perform additional clinical tasks, treat that figure as a floor rather than the going rate.
What screening questions should a PCT application ask?
Whether the applicant holds an active CNA certification (or EMT, if you accept it), which clinical skills they already have, which shifts they can work, and when they can start. Registry checks, references and immunization records can come after the first conversation.
How much does it cost to recruit patient care technicians on Facebook?
Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark does not report PCTs separately. The closest family, CNA / nursing assistant, had a median of $7.72 per applicant with the middle half of campaigns between $6.18 and $12.06. These are advertising costs only and are not cost per hire.
Reach the CNAs and techs who want to be your next PCTs
Boostpoint Attract runs your PCT ads on Facebook and Instagram with the creative made for you, Boostpoint Connect texts every applicant the moment they apply, and Boostpoint Programmatic 2.0 turns a hospital job feed into one ad per opening.
Book a DemoSources: National Healthcareer Association, Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) eligibility; O*NET OnLine, Nursing Assistants 31-1131.00; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 and BLS, May 2025 median annual wage (Nursing assistants, 31-1131); Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. Read at source 29 September 2026.