Phlebotomist Training: A Look at the Training Requirements

What is a Phlebotomist

A phlebotomist sounds like an advanced position in the health care industry that might require extensive training; however, phlebotomist training is often acquired on the job. While a phlebotomist is only an entry-level position, phlebotomists are an essential part of any medical team and do perform an important function.

If you are looking for an entry-level medical profession in order to pursue a career in the health care industry, becoming a phlebotomist may be an excellent option. Simply stated, a phlebotomist is the medical professional responsible for drawing blood from patients for various lab tests and procedures.

Nurses are the personnel who normally perform a phlebotomy, which is the medical term for the puncturing of a vein in order to withdraw blood or to introduce a fluid. Phlebotomists often work in either a hospital or medical office setting where they have been hired on as additional staff precisely because they are trained in phlebotomy.

Training to Be a Phlebotomist

Although nurses generally undertake phlebotomy duties, a college student, or even a high school graduate, could take a course at a local vocational or technical school and learn phlebotomy. The downside is that if you are untrained in any other nursing skills, compensation may be limited (approximately $7.00 to $9.00 per hour in most locations throughout the United States).

The upside is that a phlebotomist position is a branch of health care and therefore also enjoys the prospects and benefits of the industry. For instance, employers usually offer paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation. Most also offer premium health insurance and a retirement plan.

However, if you enroll in a certified phlebotomist training program, you may become one of the highly skilled applicants that employers seek to attract by providing certified phlebotomists a plan to reimburse the cost of continuing education and re certification.

On the other hand, if your goal is to become a nurse or a doctor, it is not uncommon to start out by working in a hospital or medical office as a phlebotomist. Working as a phlebotomist is actually a great way to obtain hands-on experience in the medical field before making a serious commitment to pursuing a career in the health care industry.

The reason a phlebotomist is the ideal entry-level position is because phlebotomy duties require a relatively short training period. What’s more, phlebotomist jobs are not only easy to find but easy to secure.

Just because a phlebotomist is an entry-level position in the health care industry, you should not consider that it has little significance. Blood samples are vital, as they are used to diagnose certain types of illnesses and diseases, such as cancer and various blood diseases like sickle cell anemia.

As a matter of fact, a patient cannot receive any type of medical procedure or diagnosis without first undergoing a blood test. Trained phlebotomists are actually skilled technicians – whether taught on the job or in a school. They are meticulously taught to safely draw blood for testing in the lab. A phlebotomist therefore plays a significant role in medical teams in clinics, private practices, and hospitals.

As previously noted, a phlebotomist is responsible for drawing blood from patients, which is usually performed in a clinical environment under the supervision of a medical laboratory scientist. The phlebotomist learns to use sophisticated laboratory equipment to process and analyze the blood specimen. Because phlebotomists handle blood samples, they are at risk of being exposed to various diseases. Hence, they are trained in laboratory safety and strict policies and procedures.

Hands-on phlebotomy training, of course, includes learning how to draw and test blood, but other highly desirable skills valued throughout the health care industry are also learned. These skills include administrative duties such as billing and insurance coding and appointment making. Students also learn patient preparation and how to take vital signs, along with lifesaving procedures like CPR and first aid.

You can become a phlebotomist within four to six months, more or less depending on the level of certification, by enrolling in phlebotomy certification classes at an accredited phlebotomist training center. You can find an accredited center in your area by going to this website and entering your zip code: http://findphlebotomytraining.com/.

If you are not interested in certification, for $700 you can learn to draw blood online in three days. The only requirement is that you have either a high school diploma or GED. According to the website, they will teach you all you need to know in just three days. Amazing! For references they list twenty-plus clients in several states who use their phlebotomists. Needless to say, you would want to contact some of these references before forking over $700.

They are clear that they do not provide certification but only a certificate of completion and state that you can apply for certification with the proper agencies after you gain some experience in phlebotomist.

Regardless of how you become a phlebotomist, you must enjoy working with people. You must also work well under pressure, because locating veins that cannot be seen but must be found by touch while wearing gloves can be stressful. Therefore, being attentive to detail and having excellent manual dexterity are absolute necessities.

During your training to become a phlebotomist you will learn how to extract blood from a patient’s arm, which is normal. Occasionally, if medical conditions dictate otherwise, you may need to draw blood from an area of the patient’s body that is not the arm. Thus, while training to become a phlebotomist, you will also learn alternative methods of drawing blood.

A major consideration for deciding whether to become a phlebotomist is how uneasy or comfortable you are around needles and blood. A phlebotomist, of course, is often called on to calm patients, which requires that you be an effective communicator and a good listener, plus at ease yourself. If you are unable to remain calm while drawing blood, becoming a phlebotomist may not be the career for you.

In addition to becoming skilled at various medical procedures associated with phlebotomy, recent technological advances require a phlebotomist to use a computer in addition to other high-tech devices. For this reason, computer experience is highly beneficial in acquiring a phlebotomist job. This is the reason medical assistants and certified nurses assistants are often chosen to receive on-the-job training to become a phlebotomist.

While the job duties of a phlebotomist may sound very straight forward, there are actually many intricacies involved. Indeed, a phlebotomist will need to be able to accurately assess veins of the body for ease of blood withdrawal, and then choose a properly sized needle for the task, along with other appropriate tools and equipment.  Occasionally, it can be very difficult to nearly impossible to complete this task: veins can be difficult to spot due to their small size, damage, or skin color.

What many people don’t think about is the infinite variety of patients that phlebotomists come into contact with, and the simple fact that many of them will be under varying amounts of stress, or even altered states of consciousness. A phlebotomist must have the skills necessary to successfully deal with patient apprehension while simultaneously accurately and safely completing the task at hand.

This type of medical professional must pay close attention to detail in order to avoid contaminating blood samples, themselves, or other patients due to the repeated exposure to bodily fluids and tainted needles. Once blood has been drawn, procedures for storage and transport will need to be followed in order to maintain specimen integrity. In a laboratory setting, a phlebotomist may also be responsible for blood testing and other related job tasks.

The training and educational requirements for a career in phlebotomy are relatively accessible, making it an attractive professional opportunity. In the U.S., a high school diploma or GED are prerequisite in order to pursue specialized phlebotomist training. Programs abound at community colleges, vocational schools, online and traditional universities, hospitals and medical labs.

Depending on the program and class meeting frequency, training can last for as little as two weeks and up to four months. Training will focus on venepuncture, which is the most common procedure used in extracting blood from veins. Students can expect classes to cover anatomy and patient interactions, standard procedures and precautions, and applicable legalities in addition to aseptic and collection methods.

Once formal training in phlebotomy has been completed, candidates will be required to pass an exam in order to attain certification. Agencies that grant phlebotomy certification by exam include: ASCP-BOC (American Society for Clinical Pathology’s Board of Certification), AMT (American Medical Technologists), ACA (American Credentialing Agency), NCCT (National Center for Competency Testing), and NHA (National Healthcareer Association). Credentialing may also be obtained by AAMA (American Association of Medical Assistants) and CMA (Certified Medical Assistants).

In general, you will be given three chances to successfully pass the exam. After three failures, it may be necessary to repeat the training course. For example, in the state of California, all candidates must complete a training program approved by the state, and pass an examination issued by one of the approved agencies mentioned previously. In addition, the state will license all phlebotomists after training and exam completion before they can legally begin their practice.

In some localities, certain agencies may certify a phlebotomist without a formal examination. This is common when a person can show a year or more of phlebotomy experience. Others may allow employers to give an examination. Candidates should note that employers may appraise the varying avenues of certification differently. Therefore, research is crucial in order to ensure the type and place of employment that is desired.

Phlebotomy Careers

As the health care industry continues to grow and increase in complexity, so do careers in phlebotomy. Diagnostic testing is on the rise, which means more opportunities for those who have successfully completed phlebotomist training. However, it is important to consider that as technological capability increases, this could mean a decrease in the need for those with specialized skills in the long term.

For this reason, it is wise to think about pursuing supplementary areas of training and education within the medical field. Those seeking employment within the next ten years can take confidence in their decision, as the number of phlebotomy employment opportunities is expected to continually outpace the number of individuals who are certified.

Employment opportunities are available in private practices, medical laboratories, hospitals, and with government agencies. Depending on the institution, phlebotomists may choose to work forty hours per week (full-time) or twenty to thirty hours per week (part-time). The number and types of patients seen in one day will also vary by employer.

Phlebotomist Salary

As with most professions, phlebotomists can expect to be paid according to their education and experience. A newly certified phlebotomist with no professional experience can expect a starting wage of $9.80 to $12.80 per hour. This wage will increase in accordance with professional experience. Those with five years of experience can expect wages of $11.50 to $14.80 per hour, and those with ten or more years of experience will likely earn around $16.00 per hour.

Salaries will also range with geographic location and institution of employment. Currently, Boston phlebotomists are reporting the highest earning levels, followed closely by Chicago and Phoenix, respectively. State or government agency employees are also among the highest earners, while private practice employees may see lower wages comparatively.

In addition to compensation, phlebotomists typically have access to premium grade health insurance policies as medical professionals. In addition to paid vacation and sick time, they may also receive retirement plans, paid re certification and other training opportunities as part of an attractive benefits package. The opportunity for growth within the field is high, further adding to the benefits.

When considering a medical field career choice, phlebotomist training is cited as an excellent opportunity in terms of accessibility and employment opportunity. Training and certification programs are in great supply and can be completed in a relatively short amount of time. There is no question that these professionals will be in healthy demand as the aging sector of the population continues to increase over the next ten years.

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