Patient Care Technician

Patient Care Technician: the first step in your healthcare career

Upon completion of the six month Patient Care Tech certificate program, students are eligible to take the Patient Care Technician, ECGs, and Phlebotomy certifications. A Patient Care Technician primarily works under the supervision of a nurse or a physician. Their daily responsibilities include providing basic patient care, providing patient care supplies, wound care, collecting laboratory specimens, safety checks, monitoring vital signs, performing ECG’s and phlebotomy procedures. The Patient Care Technician can work in a vast majority of facilities such as: hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, rehabilitation centers, and dialysis centers. The projected growth is 11% each year until 2026.

The objective of the patient care technician program is to prepare an individual to enter the medical field in the capacity of a patient care technician. A patient care technician provides basic medical and personal care to patients in a variety of healthcare settings. Patient care technicians may work in hospitals, nursing homes, and home health services. The patient care technician works under the guidance of a registered nurse.

Upon successful completion of the program, Eastwick College will award the student a Certificate in Patient Care Technician.

Facilities. Fully equipped medical laboratories include medical examination tables, equipment and supplies for blood chemistry determination, digital spirometry, digital electrocardiography, sterilization, and equipment and supplies for the practice of vital signs, phlebotomy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and first aid.

• Learn how to give basic and personal care to patients, check vital signs, and assist nurses

For admission to Eastwick College, applicants must interview with an admissions representative to obtain information about curriculum characteristics and professional profiles of our programs in each of their areas of interest. Applicants who determine that an Eastwick program is right for them must submit proof of high school completion or GED equivalency, complete an application for admission, and take an admission exam. The director of admissions oversees the admission process, and the campus director makes the final decision for acceptance.

Students in programs that include practicum, clinical, fieldwork, or externship experience must meet all health requirements to be eligible to start their rotations, and criminal background checks will be completed on all such students.

Program length (catalog): 6 Months, Full-Time (Day); 45 quarter credits.

Eastwick College’s classes meet Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Classes may also be offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to meet academic requirements or address special group needs. Clinical and laboratory experiences may have earlier starting times and later ending times and may also be offered on Saturdays and Sundays.

The school year is divided into four 12-week terms.

According to the 2026 academic calendar, the Fall Term starts October 19, 2026 and ends January 9, 2027.

Cost of Attendance. Tuition is $350 per quarter credit for 45 quarter credits, for total tuition of $15,750. The application fee is $25 and the registration fee is $100; books and supplies are $936, for a total cost of $16,811 (Schedule of Tuition and Fees effective July 1, 2026; subject to change). The cost of tuition does not include the cost of transportation to and from school.

Financing Your Education. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

• Eastwick College Payment Plan: Quarterly or monthly payments. Cash, checks, and money orders, as well as American Express, Discover, Visa and Master Card charges are accepted.
• Pell Grant: Based on need; grants for the 2025 - 2026 Aid Year range from $767 - $7,395 per academic year. To apply for Title IV aid, a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant (TAG): degree-seeking students who have lived in New Jersey at least twelve consecutive months may be considered; students must attend full-time.
• Federal Direct Subsidized Loan: If you qualify, you may borrow $3,500 for the first academic year.
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan: If qualified, an independent student may borrow up to $6,000 per academic year.
• FSEOG: awards range from $100 to $4,000 per year depending on the student’s financial aid need.
• Parental Loan (PLUS), College Ave, NJ Class and EdvestinU private loans for those who qualify.
• NJ-GIVS: A State of New Jersey scholarship that will pay up to $2,000 per year to eligible New Jersey residents for the cost of enrollment in an eligible certificate program.
• Scholarships awarded by the Eastwick Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
• Eastwick College Book Grant: a book and laptop grant applied as a tuition/book discount each term for students in good financial standing.
• Waiver of application and registration fees: prospective students may be eligible under the Policy on Application and Registration Fees.

Eastwick College Hackensack is approved to train eligible veterans under Title 38, US Code. Federal School Code (FAFSA) for Eastwick College Hackensack: 012462. Net Price Calculator.

Career paths named by the school.

• Patient care technician

Student/graduate eligibility for certification examinations (credentialing organizations may change their requirements without notice):

• Patient Care Technician Certification (PCTC) — American Medical Certification Association (successful program completion)
• EKG Technician Certification (ETC) — American Medical Certification Association (M103 & CVS105)
• Phlebotomy Technician Certification (PTC) — American Medical Certification Association (M102)

While we strive to provide students with the best tools to prepare for their careers, we cannot and do not guarantee employment.

New student orientation. Attendance at an orientation session for new students is required before starting a program and is held prior to the beginning of each term. College staff present institutional regulations and distribute schedules, and orientation gives new students the opportunity to become familiar with the campus and to meet informally with other new students. Programs with specialized accreditation may require additional orientation activities.

Class schedule. Eastwick College's classes meet Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Classes may also be offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to meet academic requirements or address special group needs. Clinical and laboratory experiences may have earlier starting times and later ending times and may also be offered on weekends. The school year is divided into four 12-week terms, except for the evening Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology program, which is offered in 8-week modules.

Class size. Lecture courses have a maximum of 90 students. The maximum number of students in a laboratory varies with the setting, with a maximum of 10 students for each laboratory instructor.

Dress code. No dress code is required for either the day or evening division, but students are asked to use good judgment and dress in accordance with the business setting. Medical and nursing students must dress in compliance with OSHA regulations to attend laboratory activities, and students at clinical sites must meet the dress code requirements of the affiliated institutions.

Attendance. Lateness and excessive absences are strongly discouraged; documented absences may be justified only for illness or other unavoidable reasons. Instructors explain the attendance policy for each course in the syllabus, and failing to meet attendance requirements in a course with a clinical or laboratory component may result in a failing grade. Students are withdrawn after an absence of 14 consecutive calendar days.

Graduation. To graduate, students must pass all subjects in the prescribed curriculum, earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 (2.5 in the Bilingual Licensed Practical Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing, AAS in Nursing [LPN-to-RN Bridge] and BS in Nursing [LPN-to-BSN] programs), and obtain authorization from the financial aid department.