# PCT / PCA certification: cost, renewal & jobs

The patient care technician (PCT) credential, usually NHA's CPCT/A, is a $165 exam adding phlebotomy and EKG to bedside care, renewed every 2 years.

- **Author:** MedJobList Team
- **Published:** Jul 24, 2026

## What is a patient care technician certification?

A patient care technician (PCT) certification is a national credential showing you can do direct bedside care plus phlebotomy and EKG, most commonly the Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) from the National Healthcareer Association. It's voluntary. No state issues it or licenses the role the way states license nursing assistants, so its value comes from employers, mainly hospitals, that want one card covering bedside care and the two hands-on skills a nursing assistant credential leaves out. The National Center for Competency Testing offers the main alternative, the National Certified Patient Care Technician (NCPCT). Some hospitals call the same role a patient care assistant (PCA), which is why the credential carries both letters. That's a separate job from a personal care aide, also shortened to PCA, who does non-clinical help in the home.

## PCT vs CNA

A PCT certification and a CNA credential cover the same bedside work but are governed differently.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CNA | A state credential. Your state issues it and lists you on its nurse aide registry over a federal floor of 75 training hours. It's regulated, and nursing homes ask for it by name because the federal rules were written for them. Full detail is in our [CNA certification guide](/guides/cna-certification). |
| PCT / PCA | A voluntary national certification, usually NHA's CPCT/A. There's no state registry behind it. It adds phlebotomy and EKG to the same bedside skills a CNA already has, which is why hospitals favor it for floor, telemetry, and dialysis work. |

In practice the two go together. Many PCT training programs assume or require CNA-level skills first, and a lot of working PCTs are CNAs who added phlebotomy and EKG on top. NHA doesn't make you hold a CNA to sit for the CPCT/A, but plenty of hospital PCT postings ask for both: the state CNA credential to prove supervised bedside training, and the PCT certification to prove the clinical extras. If your goal is a nursing home, CNA is the credential the facility requires. If it's a hospital, the PCT title and certification are what you'll see in the posting.

## Who asks for a PCT certification

Hospitals ask for it most, on floor, step-down, telemetry, emergency, and dialysis units where one aide draws blood, runs an EKG tracing, and handles vital signs and daily care. Dialysis chains hire patient care technicians directly, often with their own facility training on top of the certification. The role goes by several names on postings: patient care technician, patient care assistant, PCT, and PCA. Employers that name a certifying body usually list NHA's CPCT/A, sometimes NCCT's NCPCT, and many accept either. Nursing homes tend to ask for a CNA instead, since that's the credential their federal rules require.

## Requirements and eligibility

NHA's CPCT/A sets a baseline plus a training-or-experience route. You need the baseline and one route.

- A high school diploma or GED, and you're generally expected to be 18 or older.
- Then one of two routes: complete a patient care technician training or education program within the last 5 years, or have at least 1 year of supervised patient care work experience within the last 3 years.
- No CNA credential is required by NHA to sit for the exam, though many programs teach to CNA-level skills first and many employers want the CNA too.

NCCT's NCPCT runs on similar routes: graduation from an NCCT-authorized program within the last 5 years, or 1 year of full-time verifiable patient care technician experience within the last 5 years, with a military path as well. Both bodies verify eligibility with a transcript, diploma, or an employer letter, so line up that paperwork before you register.

## What the CPCT/A exam covers

The CPCT/A exam weights general patient care as its largest area and then tests the clinical extras that separate a PCT from front-office roles. NHA's blueprint splits it into patient care at 45%, compliance and safety at 20%, phlebotomy at 14%, infection control at 11%, and EKG at 10%. The phlebotomy and EKG sections are the reason employers pay for the credential, so budget your study time toward them if your program leaned mostly on daily-care skills. NHA is refreshing the CPCT/A: updated study materials arrive in October 2026 and a new exam version launches in January 2027, with what NHA describes as minimal change to the topics. If you test in 2026, you're on the current test plan.

## Cost, format, and renewal

The figures below are current as of 2026, from NHA (National Healthcareer Association) for the CPCT/A and NCCT (National Center for Competency Testing) for the NCPCT.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Exam fee | $165 per attempt for NHA's CPCT/A, payable when you register (NHA, 2026) |
| Format | Computer-based, at an approved test center or online with live remote proctoring |
| Number of questions | 120 items: 100 scored, plus 20 unscored pretest items you can't tell apart |
| Exam length | 2 hours |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 390 on a 200 to 500 scale, so the raw count needed varies by form |
| Validity period | 2 years |
| Renewal requirement | 10 continuing education credits every 2 years. NHA counts 2 contact hours as 1 CE credit, so that's about 20 hours |
| Renewal fee | $192 to recertify every 2 years (NHA, 2026) |
| NCCT alternative | The NCPCT exam is $119 for 150 items (125 scored) in 3 hours, passing at a scaled 575 on a 200 to 720 scale. NCCT renews annually with 12 CE contact hours and an $89 fee (NCCT, 2026) |
| Issuing body | National Healthcareer Association (CPCT/A) or National Center for Competency Testing (NCPCT) |

Watch the renewal calendars, because the two bodies work differently. NHA renews on a 2-year cycle, while NCCT wants continuing education and a fee every single year, and it's easy to miss the annual one. Log CE as you earn it rather than in the last month before your date.

## How to get certified

1. Decide which certification your program or target employer recognizes. NHA's CPCT/A is the most widely requested; NCCT's NCPCT is the main alternative.
2. Confirm your eligibility route: a training program finished within 5 years, or the qualifying work experience each body allows.
3. Gather your proof, a transcript or diploma from your program or an employer verification letter, since both bodies check eligibility before they clear you to test.
4. Create a candidate account and apply through [NHA](https://www.nhanow.com/) for the CPCT/A ($165) or [NCCT](https://www.ncctinc.com/certifications/patient-care-technician) for the NCPCT ($119).
5. Schedule your exam at a test center or online with remote proctoring, and finish any background check the portal asks for.
6. Take the exam. For the CPCT/A that's 120 questions in 2 hours, passing at a scaled 390.
7. Once certified, start logging CE for renewal, on NHA's 2-year cycle or NCCT's annual one.

## On the job

Employers verify certification with the issuing body directly, so keep your status current and your CE logged ahead of the renewal date. Ask at onboarding who pays for continuing education and the recertification fee, since many hospitals cover CE and some reimburse the renewal, and it's worth raising before it comes out of your own pocket. Expect facility-specific training on top of the card, especially in dialysis, where the machine and safety checkoffs are their own onboarding.

## FAQ

### Is a patient care technician the same as a CNA?

No. A CNA is a state credential tied to your state's nurse aide registry and a federal 75-hour training floor, and it's what nursing homes require by name. A PCT certification is a voluntary national credential, usually NHA's CPCT/A, that adds phlebotomy and EKG to the same bedside skills. Many PCTs hold both, and hospital PCT postings often ask for both. See our [CNA certification guide](/guides/cna-certification) for the CNA side.

### How much does PCT certification cost?

NHA's CPCT/A exam is $165 per attempt as of 2026, with a $192 recertification fee every 2 years. The NCCT NCPCT alternative is $119 to test, then $89 a year to renew. Training program tuition is separate and set by the school.

### Do you need to be a CNA before becoming a PCT?

Not to sit for the exam. NHA doesn't require a CNA credential for the CPCT/A. In practice many PCT programs teach CNA-level skills first, and plenty of hospital PCT jobs ask for the CNA alongside the PCT certification, so it's common to earn both.

### How long is a CPCT/A certification good for?

2 years. To renew you complete 10 NHA continuing education credits, where 2 contact hours count as 1 credit, and pay the $192 recertification fee. NCCT's NCPCT works differently: it renews every year with 12 CE contact hours and an $89 fee.

### What's the difference between the NHA CPCT/A and the NCCT NCPCT?

Both certify patient care technicians. NHA's CPCT/A is the more widely requested, a $165 exam of 120 questions renewed on a 2-year cycle. NCCT's NCPCT is a $119 exam of 150 questions with annual renewal. Check which one your training program and target employers recognize before you register.

### Does a patient care technician do phlebotomy and EKG?

Yes, and those skills are the point of the credential. The CPCT/A exam devotes 14% to phlebotomy and 10% to EKG, on top of general patient care, which is what lets a PCT draw blood and run a tracing where a nursing assistant credential alone wouldn't.

Source: https://medjoblist.com/guides/patient-care-technician-certification