NHA CPCT/A study plan

Define the scope of practice and core duties of a patient care technician, listing five tasks that must be reported to a licensed nurse instead of performed independently

Demonstrate the sequence for donning and doffing personal protective equipment in the correct order, narrating each step aloud

Identify the six links in the chain of infection and match at least two interventions to each link

Practice two safe patient handling transfers (bed-to-chair and chair-to-bed) using proper body mechanics and gait belt placement

Distinguish standard, contact, droplet, and airborne precautions and select the correct precaution type for five written patient scenarios

Explain the indications, technique, and required documentation for hand hygiene before and after patient contact

Describe how to recognize and respond to a patient fall, including when to move the patient and when not to

Outline the steps for responding to a fire in a patient care area using the RACE sequence and locating the nearest extinguisher and exits

List the order of draw for the common evacuated tube colors and state the additive and purpose of each

Identify the appropriate vein sites for venipuncture and name three sites to avoid with the reason for each

Describe proper labeling of a specimen at the bedside, including required identifiers and timing

Explain the steps for a capillary puncture and the differences from venipuncture in site selection and order of collection

Sequence the steps of a routine venipuncture from patient identification through post-care and disposal

Identify the signs, prevention, and response for hematoma, hemolysis, and petechiae during or after collection

Describe how to handle a needlestick or blood exposure incident, including immediate actions and reporting

Explain the patient identification and verification process for specimen collection and why mislabeling is a critical error

Identify the standard limb lead placements and the color coding for a 12-lead EKG

Describe how to prepare a patient's skin and position the patient to reduce artifact on an EKG tracing

Recognize common artifacts (baseline wander, muscle tremor, 60-cycle interference) and state one corrective action for each

Explain the safety checks before and during an EKG, including electrode placement over bony prominences and skin integrity

Calculate heart rate from an EKG rhythm strip using both the 6-second and R-R interval methods

Identify normal sinus rhythm and describe the basic criteria for recognizing bradycardia, tachycardia, and an irregular rhythm

Describe the procedure and patient instructions for a Holter monitor or event monitor application

Explain the difference between a screening test and a diagnostic test and give one example of each in the PCT scope

Integrate patient care, safety, phlebotomy, and EKG skills into three full simulated patient scenarios from start to finish

Identify at least one cross-domain error in each simulation and state the correction

Review and correct any missed items from weeks 1 through 6 by re-quizzing

Practice timed decision-making under a 60-second response window for safety-critical events

Complete two full-length timed practice exams and record scores by domain

Target the two lowest-scoring domains with focused review and re-testing

Recite the key safety, order-of-draw, and EKG placement facts from memory without notes

Finalize a test-day plan covering arrival time, identification requirements, and permitted items