subject: Getting Your Phlebotomy Training And Certification [print this page] Getting Your Phlebotomy Training And Certification
Phlebotomy is one of the most rewarding careers in the health care field, and involves the extraction of blood from patients for diagnostic and pathological use. A phlebotomist is a qualified health care practitioner who is trained to extract blood from patients using a needle, which is then examined by a doctor to help establish the health status of a patient. Blood extracted through this procedure is also used for blood transfusion purposes, among other things.
Indeed phlebotomy isn't a household name that you hear every other day. You might be wondering, aren't the nurses who draw blood in hospitals and other clinical settings. Well, yes, nurses too can perform the work of a phlebotomist, but note that not all qualified phlebotomists are nurses and vice versa. A phlebotomist needs to be trained and to receive certification in order to practice.
Phlebotomy sounds like a very easy procedure that any person with some background knowledge in the health care field can do, but rest assured it needs some skill that can only be acquired through formal training. Formal phlebotomy training can be obtained from several training institutions. Even though you can still train on the job, it is advisable that the training program you select is recognized and accredited by a renowned agency.
You can train to become a phlebotomist at a community college, a technical training school, or a hospital. The minimum requirement to get admitted to a phlebotomy training institution is a high school diploma or GED. Even though each State and certification body could have different requirements, basically, you will need to complete around 120 hours of classroom, and around 120 hours of practical experience in a busy working environment.
In the course of training, you are expected to complete at least 25 successful capillary punctures and 50 venipunctures which should also be successful. This is a basic requirement for obtaining licensure or certification; hence it is important to select a school that will offer you the opportunity to realize this requirement. Basic courses in a typical phlebotomy training program are physiology, anatomy, first aid procedures, quality assurance, patient care, patient safety procedures, blood collection procedures, patient privacy, handling blood specimen, and legal issues.
The medical health care field is one that is constantly in need of qualified professionals to fill various positions. If you want to kick-start a career in this exciting and challenging field, you might want to consider a career as a phlebotomist, if not for anything else, because the salary outlook is promising and the job is recession proof.
