Phlebotomy Certification Information

Many can recall going to an emergency room or taking someone there and having the doctor write an order to get blood samples drawn for a particular test, or the usual work up to find out what is wrong with you. Someone wearing a white coat with a tray of vials may have appeared at the bedside, informed you they needed to take blood samples and before you could say ouch, had collected several tubes of blood. That person performing the procedure was doing the duties of a phlebotomist.

Formerly blood samples were taken by nurses, doctors or laboratory technicians taught through on the job training. However as health care and the medical profession advanced and became more diverse, the need for allied health personnel increased. This included the need for trained persons to assume the responsibility for taking blood samples safely and efficiently. More recently phlebotomist training programs have become available at many technical colleges although some hospitals still offer on the job training to their employees.

Requirements To Enter Phlebotomist Program Usually a high school diploma or GED certification is satisfactory. Prospective students must demonstrate the ability and willingness to work with blood products and bodily fluids comfortably. Able to follow directions and having the desire to work with people are also necessary to become a phlebotomist.
Curriculum for Phlebotomist The phlebotomy program focuses on certain areas of study in which the student must be proficient upon graduation. These include:
1. Human anatomy showing the pathway of the various veins throughout he body and the need of the phlebotomist to identify the ones most viable for obtaining a specimen.
2. Needle techniques such as the application of gloves and the correct way to introduce the needle into a vein with ease and comfort to the patient. Also the different tools of the trade such as tourniquets, different size syringes and other articles used in the process of obtaining blood specimen.

3. Medical safety guidelines: Most institutions have certain guidelines concerning safety in the handling of fluids from the human body. This includes blood and blood products. The phlebotomist must be familiar with this and be able to practice it safely when performing a procedure.
4. Record keeping: Recording of services performed will be instructed although methods may vary with different institutions.

Qualification requirements vary according to state. The minimum required by phlebotomist however, is performing 25-100 successful vein punctures and five capillary samples. This means obtaining blood by the pricking of a finger, earlobe or other parts of the body for a small amount of specimen.

Duties Of The Phlebotomist The duties performed by a phlebotomist will center largely on puncturing the veins of patients to obtain blood samples for laboratory testing or for intravenous therapy. This is a very precise discipline as one slip of the hand can cause extensive damage to nearby nerves of the patients arm. It takes a lot of practice and precision on the part of the phlebotomist to pierce the vein at the right angle with ease to prevent excessive loss of blood and as much discomfort to the patient as possible.

Because of the hazardous nature of this profession, in the form of risks of infection to both patient and phlebotomist, training in the safe handling of infectious materials and disposing of used instruments such as needles and syringes are rigidly ingrained in the phlebotomist.

Types Of Programs available There are different programs available for phlebotomy training and this could be an entry level for upward mobility in a medical career for those so inclined. Among the programs available are the following; Eight weeks to six months training course 2 Years Associate degree program 4 Years Bachelors of Science in Phlebotomy Vocational programs are offered at many community colleges across the nation.

Many medical students completed training in phlebotomy and worked in that field while in training, as well as many phlebotomists went on to medical school to become medical doctors.
Whatever the program decided on certification on completion should be provided. This will give credibility and authenticity to the program and to your abilities as a phlebotomist.

Cost Of Phlebotomist Training program Cost of training varies according to program selected and school attended. An eight weeks course at a vocational school would be far less expensive than a 2 years associate program. Programs are available and convenient to match any budget. A basic program can be completed for as little as $500 and then upward for the more advanced programs.

The salary scale for Phlebotomists depends on the institution you choose to work for. However the average salary is approximately $25,000 to $27,000 annually. In any setting this will more than compensate for the cost of the program.

Phlebotomists can enjoy the benefits of stable income working in such places as hospitals, clinics, private doctor’s offices, research labs, blood banks and drug testing centers. The scope for employment is very wide and once qualified finding a job should not be difficult.

Defining the term phlebotomy is not as hard to understand as the visual complexity of the actual word makes it appear. If you’ve ever heard the expression “drawing blood” then you are very close to the layman’s terms definition of the word. Indeed, in today’s world phlebotomy is referred to as the process of withdrawing blood directly out of a vein, for testing purposes. A human beings blood holds the answer to many questions involving the current state of their health, thus drawing out the blood through phlebotomy is usually for health reasons. These days people place a decent measure of trust when it comes to physicians and their methods of testing for illness. This may not have been the best attitude for persons living in the nine-teenth century, as phlebotomy in this time period had an entirely different objection. During this particular time period, blood was often associated with the cause of sickness. A physician desiring to cure someone would often prescribe a procedure called blood-letting which actually involved the withdrawing of large amounts of blood in order to get the believed disease out of the body. So the phlebotomists (or blood drawers) of the past, would often employ different methods of withdrawing blood such as placing leeches on the patients body, which would suck the blood out of the body. As inhumane as this sounds, this is what was believed to cure the patient, although these methods often ended in death, unless the patient was suffering from high blood pressure.

These days, the practice of phlebotomy is administered differently and as previously mentioned, accomplishes a different task. Today, phlebotomy involves drawing blood directly from a vein, and serves the purpose of administering a future blood transfusion, or for giving a blood diagnosis. At times blood is drawn from arteries, or capillaries, but usually a vein. As blood is being drawn, the person drawing the blood, called a Phlebotomist, is usually upbeat, and happy. Similar to the personality of a child nurse. The purpose is to take the patients mind off of any bit of unpleasantness involved, as many people are afraid of seeing blood, and need to be pleasantly distracted.

Phleb tomy is also used in modern times to help cure some disease. As blood-letting was performed in the history of phlebotomy to retract disease from the body, so is true today. Modern phelbotomy is more structured and the amount of blood taken is done so in a measured way according to the disease the phlebotomist is attempting to heal. Examples of those diseases are hemochromatosis, porphyria cutanea tarda, and polycythemia vera. In the case of hemochromatosis, there is too much iron within an individuals blood stream. In this case phlebotomy is used to get a person’s iron levels normalized. Once normal, the blood is drawn less frequently, on as as needed basis to maintain the iron levels. Porphyria cutanea tarda is another condition involving an overload of iron in the bloodstream in which phlebotomy can address, and polycythemia vera is a disease that involves the thickening of the blood, in which phelbotomy can fix once again.

In the case of blood transfusions where blood is transferred between two persons, phlebotomy is used to initially draw the blood in the first place. Many doctors use blood transfusions, involving phlebotomy in an attempt to save lives, but this is an issue that is debated, as the Bible shows that blood transfusions are against God’s wishes, and actually do not work towards saving lives as much as doctors advertise. So this method is one in which some doctors use, and some don’t.

Phlebotomy undoubtedly involves expertise. So phlebotomy also involves the use of a well-trained, certified technician, called a phlebotomist. The phlebotomist is the most important person involved in phlebotomy as with them, the process couldn’t even begin. Many persons wonder why it is that a doctor, or a doctors nurse couldn’t perform the duties of the phelbotomist. Doctors have many duties, and employing a phlebotomist to draw blood is one huge task that can be taken off of their duties. As discussed, the phlebotomist must be light, airy, and have a demeanor that comforts the patient. Many people are horrified at the thought of a needle, yet they must still have their blood drawn. Others literally become nauseated at the sight of blood. The phelbotomist has the job of comforting that patient, as well as distracting them so that their fears are eased, and that the sample has been collected before they even realized what happened. The phlebotomists job is to make the patient wish he or she could stay longer because the visit was so enjoyable. This is much more different than the job a phlebotomist had in the past. All in all, phlebotomy is the art of drawing blood from the body, for a variety of reasons, by a certified individual who leaves the patient with a smile on their face.

Phlebotomy is the type of medical position where a technician will draw the blood for testing, and diagnosis. This is a very important aspect of the medical field. When one wants to learn of the skills, and training necessary to become a phlebotomist then one must go to the proper schooling. When one is searching for a school, or hospital to become trained as a phlebotomist then one must make sure that the program that is chosen is a program that is accredited, so when one takes a program that is accredited then one will ensures oneself that one will be receiving a job upon completion.

There are many things that a student will learn during training to become a phlebotomist. The skills of a phlebotomist are a great mixture of empathy, and skill. If a student cannot learn the proper way to express empathy while in training to become a phlebotomist then the student may not be able to become employed following training. Having empathy for the patients is important; because, the patients may be concerned about their health, and the phlebotomist is supposed to console the patient and let the patient know that everything will be okay.

The field of phlebotomy has become quite popular over the past 2 decades. Prior to the specialization of phlebotomy the samples of blood were drawn by a nurse. Today, that job has been given to the specialists of phlebotomy, so while in training to become a phlebotomist a student will learn the exact method of withdrawing blood from the vein. Students will learn many techniques to drawing blood from a patient. After all there are many veins, and areas that the blood can be withdrawn from. For instance, sometimes the phlebotomist will need to withdrawal the blood from the hand, or another area of the body. While going through the educational training a student will learn the proper techniques to withdrawing blood from areas other than the arm.

During specialized training to become a phlebotomist a student will have to do many hours of hands on training. Students will perform the task of withdrawing blood from patients while in school. Educators have found that if a student learns the proper techniques of withdrawing blood while in school, and students get hands on training then students are better prepared to perform the duties of a phlebotomist while on the job. Students will also be doing many hours of research in the library, and doing many assignments from the book. So while receiving an education to become a phlebotomist students learn both from a book, and hands on training.

During training students learn the proper way to sterilize the needles and dispose of bio-hazard material. These are both very important techniques for students of phlebotomy to learn, and especially the proper way to dispose of the needles, and the proper way to dispose of the bio-hazard material. Also, students will learn how to protect themselves from coming into direct contact with a patient’s bodily fluids. Sometimes, it will be unavoidable to come in direct contact with a patients bodily fluids while working directly with blood; however, students of phlebotomy training will learn how the proper way of minimizing any blood born pathogens from exposing other staff, and patients.

Training to become a phlebotomist can be in as little as one year. There are some programs offering training to become a phlebotomist in just one year. The most recommended training to become a phlebotomist is to obtain at least an associate’s degree in phlebotomy. However, there are programs offering a bachelor’s degree in phlebotomy. Whatever program a student decides to go with a student needs to do homework before choosing a school. The most important part of researching schools is to make sure that whatever program a student chooses will be accredited. There are also many different types of accreditation that schools can have. This is going to be an important part of picking a school as well.

The salary a phlebotomist can expect to earn is going to be competitive, and salaries for a phlebotomist range anywhere from $20,000 to $45,000. The salary one can expect to earn right from college will depend on the type of training that the student received. If a student rushed through a training program in a mere one year course then the student can expect to earn $20,000 to start. However, if the student earned a bachelor’s degree at a regionally accredited college, or university then the student can expect to earn a higher starting salary. If a student earned an associate’s degree, then the student can expect to earn somewhere between the 2. When the phlebotomist begins to acquire some on the job training then the phlebotomist will begin to earn raises. During the lifetime career a phlebotomist can expect to earn up to $45,000 per year.

If you are considering working toward a certification in phlebotomy then you are looking at a profession which a national organization recognizes. Presently there are 10 separate organizations that are capable of issuing such a certification. Most programs gear their program around the guidelines offered by the Clinical & Laboratory Sciences Institute. There is no doubt that positions in the field of healthcare are becoming more competitive. This results in a certification becoming more valuable. Today there are few hospitals or blood laboratories that will hire a person who does not hold a certification in phlebotomy. Still, there are only two states that actually require the certification in order to be a phlebotomist.

If you have the desire to become a certificated phlebotomist you will have the responsibility of taking blood from patients. You will not be responsible for analyzing the blood but you will be responsible for making certain it reaches the laboratory safely and in a timely manner. Although this may sound very basic it is known that there are times when one patients withdrawn blood is mislabeled with another patients blood. Obviously, this can cause a number of problems. Can you imagine if one of these patients is having blood drawn to determine if his testosterone is at an appropriate level and this blood is confused with another patient who is being tested for diabetes?

In order to become a phlebotomist you will need to complete a course consisting of different classes. Some of these programs last for as few as four months. Others require 24 months of attendance before certification is offered. Usually the shorter term programs are offered by vocational schools. The longer courses are generally found at community colleges where you will not only receive certification but you will also receive a degree. Just like with any other educational program the curriculum will vary from one school to another. You will study human anatomy, the techniques for withdrawing blood, laboratory procedures, and other similar courses.

If you are considering phlebotomy as a profession, aside from certification, you will also need some person skills. The most important of these is your ability to interact with people and help them to relax and feel comfortable. A phlebotomist deals with all types of personalities which means that some patients can be very difficult. When you are ready to withdraw blood you will extract it through the veins, arterial puncturing and drawing blood through the capillary bodies. This is why it is very important for the student to thoroughly understand the vein location, puncture point, as well as comfortable punctures.

If you decide you seek a certificate in phlebotomy you first need to determine that you will not become panic stricken by blood. If the site of blood causes you to become uneasy then you should most likely re-think your career choice. If you decide to become certified you will find that there are a variety of job options available. These options and new jobs are expected to grow in the future. Future phlebotomists will quickly learn that many employers not only look at certification but they are also interested in some training courses and schools over others. If you are thinking about working at a specific location then you might want to discuss this with a future employer before choosing the school you plan to attend.

It is suggested that you take several factors into consideration when reviewing the different programs available to you. One of these considerations is that the school you choose should be accredited or approved by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. You will also want to make certain that your future school uses materials and examinations that reflect on the CLSI standards. Finally, your future school should also qualify graduates for an examination through an external certification agency.

There are a number of recognized certifying agencies in the United State. Each agency sets their minimum requirements for certification. Among some of the top agencies you will find includes the American Certification Agency, the American Medical Technologists, and the National Center for Competency Testing. One agency, the American Certification Agency for Healthcare Professionals has two different types of certification they offer for phlebotomists. The first is phlebotomy technician and the other is the phlebotomy instructor. For certification in the first a student must complete 100 clinical hours, 100 successful venipunctures, along with 10 successful dermal punctures. The latter requires that the person has been certified as a phlebotomist. A candidate can also be a certified or registered RN or LPN. A candidate to be an instructor must have documented proof that s/he has successfully worked for a minimum of three years as a phlebotomist and have one year of teaching experience.

Certificated phlebotomists have a bright future. They also have a varied group of employers offering different settings. This can prove to be a highly satisfying profession.