Health Care Support Technician

A candidate for the UCBA Health Care Support Technician Program must have abilities and skills as follows:

• Observation: Candidates must have sufficient sensory capacity to observe in lecture and clinical settings.  Sensory and tactile skills must be adequate to observe a patient’s condition and to elicit information through procedures regularly required in comprehensive medical assisting patient evaluation.
• Communications: The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture; assess nonverbal communication; and be able to effectively and efficiently transmit information to patients, fellow students, faculty and staff. Candidates must demonstrate effective writing skills. Candidate must also have the ability to respond quickly and professionally to patients in emergency situations.
• Motor: The candidate must have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by appropriate diagnostic or therapeutic maneuvers; be able to perform basic tests; be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients.
• Visual Acuity: The candidate must be able to discriminate colors, identify the appropriate instruments and supplies at a 2 foot distance.
• Intellectual/Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: The candidate must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize. Problem solving, a critical skill demanded of allied health practitioners, requires all of these intellectual abilities. Candidates must be able to read and understand medical literature.
• Behavioral and Social Attributes: The candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to care of patients and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients. Candidates must also be able to tolerate taxing workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to a changing environment, display flexibility and learn to function in the face of the uncertainties inherent in clinical problems of many patients.

Health Care Support Technician is a profession with many rewards as practitioners can perform both administrative and clinical services, filling several roles in a variety of healthcare environments. 

Health Care Support Technicians work directly with providers and patients with the goal of providing healthcare and ensuring patient safety. It is a position with a great deal of responsibility.

As with any healthcare position, there are certain occupational risks that come into play, and these include the following:

• Exposure to infectious diseases
• Sharps injuries
• Bloodborne pathogens and biological hazards
• Chemical and drug exposure
• Ergonomic hazards from lifting, sitting, and repetitive tasks. 
• Latex allergies
• Stress