All medical patients require certain degree of patient care to help them recover fully from their conditions. Orthopedics patients are those patients who need treatment with medical problems in their musculoskeletal system such as nerve and muscle injuries, degenerative diseases, deformities, broken bones and fractures. Some of these patients have certain level of general care requirements depending on the type of medical problems and severity of such conditions. Some of them may require surgery while others only need to take a full rest or forced immobilization. Forced immobilization may include the application of casts or traction, or using medical equipment. Although there are some patients who require both surgical intervention as well as immobilization.

Generally speaking, the fundamental principles and ideas of care for patients under surgical operation, is also applicable to orthopedic patients. Orthopedic patients who have undergone major surgical operations shall be afforded with utmost care from a well-trained patient care technician or assistant. These patient care technicians generally work under the supervision of a doctor or work along side nurses and other health care providers.

Patient care technicians can be in any setting where the patients are recuperating following the surgical operation such as in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, primary care centers and other related facilities. Their responsibilities cover the whole gamut of patient care, either medical or non-medical, that patients can’t do on their own. These include among others: administering prescribed medicine dosages to the patients on a regular basis; helping them take daily regimen of food or exercise; assisting them perform their daily hygiene.

Aside from the most obvious tasks they should do for the patient’s fast recovery, they are required also, under the supervision of a nursing or medical staff, to monitor the progress of the patient’s recovery by taking down notes of vital signs, height, weight, input output, collect and test specimens periodically or as required. They should make a report to the head orthopedic specialist who performed the operations in a regular basis.