When you choose to enter a healthcare profession, there are two things you can be sure about. As a healthcare technician, you will be helping people live healthier, happier lives; and, no matter what happens in the economy, there will always be a job for you. Whether you want to work in low income community clinics, or hospitals or laboratories, the work of medical technicians is helping-work, worthy and essential. It is work that helps people lead better lives on a daily basis, and it aids in advancing the medical sciences so that new cures and techniques can be developed.

What you need prior to entering a technical training program is an open heart and the ability to keep track of detail. The smallest mistake in medicine can lead to catastrophic consequences for an individual patient. So healthcare technicians are trained to check and recheck their own work and the work of those around them. You learn to rely on a team of people who are your colleagues for both support and criticism.

Everyone is a player on the medical team – from the doctor who makes the diagnosis and orders the tests, to the phlebotomist who draws the blood and labels the collection tube, to the laboratory technician who performs the tests. Any breakdown in communication or trust can lead to delays and mistakes, which ultimately affect the patient who everyone is working to treat.

Phlebotomy can be an especially rewarding career. With only one year of study required to gain certification, jobs are on the rise and students have a choice of working environment once they graduate. If you want a fast-paced, busy work place then you might choose a hospital; if you prefer a part-time slower pace, you might seek employment in a private practice. There are pediatric clinics and many different kinds of pathology labs that all need to hire phlebotomists.

Phlebotomy training can also be seen as a stepping stone to other healthcare technician degrees. Because the training includes courses in anatomy and physiology, for example, these are the same requirements needed for other specialty areas as well. Gaining experience as a phlebotomist will give you clinical experience which is highly valued no matter what your end goal might be. And because phlebotomy offers so many options for a work-life balance, many people end up staying in their chosen career, because they like it so much.

The National Association for Phlebotomy (NPA) is a non-profit education organization founded in the 1970s to help establish a national standard of care and code of ethics. The NPA has now certified over 15,000 phlebotomists in 50 states. The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and the Association of Phlebotomy Technicians are the other two most respected certifying agencies. While each agency sets its own specific qualifications, generally a student will need to complete about 40 hours of classroom learning (many programs offer online courses), 120 hours of hands-on supervised training, and 100 successful blood collections before sitting for the certification exam.

Less than three months after being forced to resign as President of the United States, Richard Nixon was hospitalized in 1972 for complications from phlebitis. A painful swelling of the leg, phlebitis can lead to blood clots that can travel to the heart or brain causing cardiac arrest or stroke. A few years after the President brought the disease to fame, the National Phlebotomy Association was founded to help set standards as well as a uniform curriculum for professional phlebotomy technicians.

The proper function of blood and veins is central to life. Not just human life but animals and even plants have veins and a circulatory system that literally pumps life juices throughout the body. When a venipuncture is made by a phlebotomist, the flow is being interrupted and the greatest care has to be used not to interfere with the rest of the body’s functioning. This is why the National Phlebotomy Association set out to aid in standardizing procedures and an ethical code related to blood draws. They designed a national curriculum that includes the learning of anatomy, physiology, and algebra, as well as phlebotomy skills.

Healthcare technicians act as a check on doctors’ orders. Technicians are not expected to blindly follow a doctor’s orders but instead to understand the logic of the order so as to minimize human error at any stage along the chain of providing medical care. Before the phlebotomist even meets the patient, they will review the doctor’s order. Then they will prepare the test tubes used for collection and label each one using specialized equipment to ensure correct labeling.

For some tests, an anticoagulant is needed, for others additives are present in the tube. Once the proper tubes, color coded to indicate what kind of test will ultimately be performed, are laid out and labeled, the phlebotomist will be ready to assess the individual patient.

Safety precautions of wearing rubber gloves and using sterile equipment will be strictly adhered to and only then will the actual venipuncture be addressed. The technician will palpitate veins to ensure their accessibility and align the prepared needle at the right angle. There is a list of protocols to follow to ensure a hematoma does not form when the needle is withdrawn.

A good phlebotomist will know exactly how to follow protocol for standard, straight-forward venipuncture, and they will also know what to do if something goes wrong. With good education and lots of experience, phlebotomists become specialists within their field and are then in high demand as valuable employees.

Becoming a certified phlebotomist is important for the healthcare industry and it can be a highly rewarding experience for the phlebotomist as well. If you are considering a career in healthcare, check out phlebotomy programs in your area. Many programs allow at least some of the training to be completed online while hands-on supervised clinic hours will also have to be completed. Phlebotomy technicians have the benefit of flexible work shifts and a good benefit packages. Salaries are directly commensurate with experience.

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The average adult body contains approximately 5 liters of blood or 8% of a person’s body weight. Within that fluid are red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Blood transports nutrients and oxygen to cells while also helping to eliminate metabolic waste. Blood specimen are obtained by phlebotomists upon a doctor’s orders to determine the existence of disease as well as determining the body’s overall health. Phlebotomists are therefore indispensible to medicine. Healthcare professionals on all levels employ phlebotomists to assist in patient care in clinics and laboratories alike.

Every medical practice needs blood draws at some point. Phlebotomists are in demand in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and different kinds of laboratories. Depending on whether you want to work shifts or set hours, phlebotomists can choose their setting. Most phlebotomists will have some patient contact but whether you want that to be the primary part of your job responsibilities is also something you can choose. By pursuing clinic work or lab work, you can be responsible for testing the blood and never dealing with patients directly. Blood banks are another option. Phlebotomists working with a blood bank will obviously have the most patient contact and they will also have to be versed in using portable equipment.

Histology labs slice human, animal, and plant tissue and preserve them for microscopic observation. Pathology labs handle tissue and cells to study and diagnose disease. Within pathology there is also hematopathology which studies diseases of blood cells, white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, as well as cells, tissues, and organs comprising the hematopoietic system. Hematopathologists review biopsies of lymph nodes, bone marrow, and other tissues. In addition, the hematopathologist may be in charge of flow cytometric and/or molecular hematopathology studies. All these labs employ phlebotomists to work as part of their research teams. Part of the phlebotomy course of study will be to understand the role that different branches of medicine play and how phlebotomy intersects with them.

Hospital work probably offers the greatest diversity of patients. There will be patients of all backgrounds and ages and most importantly, diverse states of health. Sometimes a phlebotomist will be needed to draw blood from an elderly cancer patient whose veins are delicate and hard to find. Hematoma formation is a common problem in older patients. Other times, a patient might have catheter lines or other IVs already in place. The phlebotomist will learn how to handle each of these unique situations.

Collection tubes for phlebotomy are color coded according to size and additive. For example, red tops have no additive and are used when collecting to test for blood clotting, chemistries, immunology, and serology and for cross matching in a blood bank. Dark blue tops contain the additive EDTA and are used for trace element testing and toxicology. Part of the phlebotomist’s year-long course of study will be to learn the differences in collection tubes.

After one year of study through an accredited phlebotomy program, technicians can gain certification and begin their phlebotomy career. Though starting salaries may pay only about $22,000 a year, phlebotomy technicians should expect raises and benefit packages to increase with every year of experience.

With jobs in phlebotomy on the rise, it is no wonder that a current Survivor contestant is one. Phlebotomy is a rewarding career with flexible work options and long term job security. With as little as three months of training (or as much as one year, depending on your background) you can sit for the national phlebotomy exam and gain certification to work in a clinic or laboratory anywhere in the world.

Blood analysis can produce information about a person that they did not even know about themselves. From DNA analysis to vitamin content and disease, blood specimens are an essential tool in all areas of modern medicine. Trained blood drawers, or phlebotomists, are equally important to world health.

Phlebotomists are responsible for blood draws through venipunctures, for the correct collection and storage of the specimen, for labeling and delivery to the pathology lab. Phlebotomists also are trained in a range of health safety practices including safe disposal of used needles. Without well trained phlebotomists, the whole line of medical care breaks down. Everyone needs blood analysis at some point in their life, and therefore every medical facility needs phlebotomists.

Drawing blood from a living person is something that will never be replaced by a robot. Human error must therefore be minimized. The act of puncturing someone’s skin and entering their vein is an intimate and invasive procedure. It takes technical skill and emotional support in equal amounts. While the Median cubital vein, found in the forearm is the most common vein used to draw blood, in some patients it may not be the best. The phlebotomist will learn how to draw blood from other main arteries like the Cephalic vein and lastly the Basilic vein.

In anatomy and physiology classes, phlebotomists learn how the body uses superficial veins for cooling off the body and how to tell the difference between a superficial vein and a deep vein. You will also learn what to do if a vein collapses during a blood draw and how to anticipate such reactions. Hazard prevention techniques are as important to learn as how to use up to date equipment supplies. A comprehensive educational training program will cover all of these areas of study.

Phlebotomy training can be obtained through an agency or a college or university. Technicians can get a four year BA in phlebotomy or they can become a Certified Phlebotomist by passing the national certification exam after a short term certificate program. The higher your education, the more money you will earn. Higher education may also prepare you for career advancement in healthcare management and also offer more flexibility in changing specialties at a later date.

Because phlebotomists are in demand, educational agencies are popping up all around the country. In choosing the right program for you, of course consider cost. But also be sure that the program is accredited by one of the three main national certifying agencies: The National Phlebotomy Association, the National Healthcare Association, or the American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians.

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Whoever you are and wherever you live in the United States, at some point in your life you will have blood drawn. When you do, you will be much relieved if the phlebotomy technician who does the blood draw is courteous, professional, and skilled. You will want them to find the best vein and prepare it correctly, change test tubes effortlessly, and label everything with your correct name and identification number. When you take the little bandage off after you get home, there should be barely a mark and no bruising. That is how you will know that you had a good phlebotomist.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the field of phlebotomy are on the rise. Due to the increase in demand for medical care and the growing population, a career in phlebotomy is a good choice. The choice of environments for a beginning phlebotomist is also vast compared to other medical technician jobs. You can work in a hospital setting or a doctor’s office, a lab or a blood bank. Regardless of where you work, your time as a phlebotomist will be divided between working directly with patients and carrying out critical administrative tasks. For a person looking for balance in their career, phlebotomy can be optimal.

Training programs are available at colleges and universities throughout the country. Programs include both classroom and clinical training and many programs will allow you to take at least a portion of the classes online. This gives the working student the ability to schedule classes according to their own availability.

Many of the courses required to obtain phlebotomy certification are the same classes required for other medical technician certifications. Therefore, getting certified in phlebotomy could also be a first step toward furthering your education to other ends. Anatomy and physiology, for example, are courses that everyone working in the medical field will need. Once you have these credits, you can use them for multiple purposes.

Phlebotomy certification will mostly teach you the highly detailed ins and outs of how to best succeed in handling a venipuncture in both typical and atypical patients. You will learn what the different color-coded collection tubes represent and how they are to be used. Needle gauges, labeling, and patient identification are all essential parts of the practice that phlebotomists learn in detail.

You will learn all the rules and protocols and then, of course, you will learn the exceptions to the rules and how to handle emergencies. The training can typically be completed in two semesters, or one year. Then you will start racking up your experience. With experience will come confidence and competence. With experience and competence will come pay increases and more opportunities.

Phlebotomy training is a great place to start if you are considering training further as a healthcare professional or you already know that it is the right kind of job for you. Offering part time positions and flexible shifts, you will find phlebotomists happy with their jobs wherever you go.

Phlebotomy training is a popular and relatively easy certification to pursue for anyone new to the healthcare technology field, or for the experienced technician looking for cross training. Jobs are on the rise and certification will increase your salary from day one.

Have you ever donated blood? Blood banks are often traveling bands of phlebotomists who are trained and skilled at collecting vials of blood for storage in blood banks. Blood banks are needed for people in hospitals who lose blood during long surgeries, require organ transplants, or need blood transfusions. Blood has to be carefully labeled and stored since not all people have the same blood type. Blood in blood banks is also screened for HIV and any other communicable diseases.

Phlebotomists working with blood banks often enjoy their jobs because so many different kinds of people volunteer to donate blood. They are also trained to use the state of the art equipment that travels with them and they enjoy the change in settings where they are stationed. Whether it is a school cafeteria or a corporate board room, phlebotomists working with blood banks are drawing blood from healthy, willing patients. This is not the case for all phlebotomists.

The act of sticking a needle in to someone’s arm is not always a welcome interaction. Part of a phlebotomist’s job is to help the patient tolerate the experience with as little discomfort as possible. Phlebotomists are trained to watch for signs of fainting since any sudden movements by a patient while a needle is inserted can be dangerous.

After identifying a good vein for the venipuncture, the phlebotomist will apply a tourniquet to help fill the vein in order to get a healthy flow of blood into the collection tube. However, they will also know when to release the tourniquet so as not to force too strong a rush of blood through the vein.

While a standard venipuncture is a skill that can be taught and learned without too much fuss, the trained phlebotomist must also learn how to handle all the possible situations that could go wrong. Puncturing someone’s skin and entering their vein with a needle is an invasive procedure. Safety precautions must be adhered to for the sake of both the patient and the technician.

Ensuring equipment is sterile before and during the procedure is as important as safe disposal of used needles and contaminated bandages and tubes. While the training of phlebotomists is not necessarily complicated, it is extremely detail oriented. Strict adherence to professional protocols is the only way to be sure that the blood specimen remains fresh and uncontaminated for testing purposes. Without proper blood collection, there cannot be correct diagnosis or treatment for the patient.

Some phlebotomists prefer to work in science labs rather than in clinical settings. This diversity in the trade is part of what makes the field of phlebotomy so attractive to so many. Part time work and good benefit packages are other highlights of the profession.

Blood and veins are at the center of most medical procedures. They carry information about health and disease; they are the body’s most trusted barometer for data analysis.

In 2006, Showtime began the highly acclaimed cable series, Dexter. Dexter features a blood splatter expert who investigates suspicious deaths as for with the police department. Between shows like Dexter and the recent upsurge in vampire movies, blood has never experienced such a heyday. Phlebotomy, too, is experiencing a surge. The need for professional, certified phlebotomists is in high demand and with it so are training programs.

Whether you picture yourself working in crime investigation or a pediatric clinic, phlebotomy could be the ticket to your dream job. Even animal clinics and laboratories hire phlebotomy experts to assist in extracting blood from veins. A comprehensive phlebotomy training program will prepare you for all areas of work so that once you pass that certification exam, you are good to go.

All you need to enter a program is a high school diploma or its equivalent. On the other hand, if you already have some healthcare training, cross training is easily integrated into many programs. Ultimately, all you really need is to pass the certification exam and even that is not a legal requirement in most states. However, because there are more and more certified phlebotomists applying for jobs, you need the certificate just to be competitive.

The healthcare market is growing. The population is both increasing and individuals are living longer. This cycle clearly leads to healthcare professionals as being a secure entity within the field of medicine. Phlebotomy technicians draw blood, collect it in special, color-coded tubes and label the specimen according to standardized protocol. Teaching programs ensure that students learn what the tube colors represent and how they are used.

Phlebotomists work as part of the medical team that is charged with double-checking each others’ orders so as to minimize human error. Rather than blindly following a doctor’s orders, phlebotomists should understand and be able to confirm that the analysis being requested matches the order made.

Patients consult doctors for all different reasons. Genetic testing is necessary before organ transplants; diabetics have to check their glucose levels; newborn babies may have special needs; oncology patients are poked with more needles than even HIV patients. Every time a patient is presented for a blood draw, the certified phlebotomist has to assess their individual needs and make educated decisions about which vein to venipuncture to successfully collect the specimen. Often, there are different blood tests ordered at one time and that too will be the phlebotomist’s responsibility. They will have to know which tubes to use in which order; what the right sized needle to use is, and how to change the tubes without having to re-puncture.

The value that comes with job satisfaction begins and ends with quality patient care. A well trained, certified phlebotomist can feel confident that they have the training and skill to obtain that value every day.

Healthcare technicians are needed at all levels and in all fields of medicine. Training as a specialist in one field will often give you a foot up for cross training in another. For example, you will need anatomy and physiology classes regardless of your specialty. If the sight of blood makes you faint, a career in phlebotomy is probably not for you. If it does not, then training as a phlebotomy technician can bring you job security and a rewarding profession in relatively little time.

Though every job offers its own employment package, and, as in all jobs, geographical area influences pay scale, phlebotomy technicians can expect to earn beginning salaries of $25,000, with increases based on experience. This amount can double as they gain experience.

To qualify for a phlebotomy certification program you need only a GED or high school diploma. The program will teach you all the rest of what you need to know including medical terminology, computer technology, anatomy, physiology, and phlebotomy skills and procedures. Training can be done online or in the classroom with additional supervised clinical practice hours. Depending on your background, most programs can be completed in two semesters, or one year. If you already have prior training as a nurse or other healthcare provider, phlebotomy certification can be much faster.

Performing a venipuncture and collecting blood samples are the phlebotomist’s primary responsibilities. Along with that are they need to follow strict adherence to protocol and ensure correct labeling and patient care. Sometimes a patient will present with special needs and it is up to the phlebotomist to determine the best veins to use for the puncture.

You will know how to feel the difference between an artery and a thrombosed vein and how to force blood into a vein by massaging the arm. Finding the right vein at the right site for the puncture while keeping the individual patient calm and comfortable are skills that take time and practice. Often, phlebotomists begin their careers on a part-time basis just so they can rack up the experience before jumping in with both feet.

Collecting blood specimens from babies is usually done through the heel. Checking a diabetic’s glucose levels can often be done with a finger prick. Learning how to collect from different patients is one part of a phlebotomist’s training. Learning the meaning of the different tubes and their color coding is another part. Needle size and type will be determined by the amount of blood to be collected. There are many details to learn which are necessary to build your confidence so that you can professionally handle any patient that walks through your door.

Whether you already know that becoming a phlebotomy technician is right for you, or you want to begin your healthcare technician career somewhere, phlebotomy is a well rounded, well grounded education to obtain. Modern medicine cannot be practiced without knowledge of blood and blood sampling. Phlebotomists are critical to our everyday healthcare maintenance.

The practice of phlebotomy is one of the most diverse and rewarding professions in the healthcare field. With as little as one year of certification training, you can build a lifetime of job security with increasing responsibility and achievement. Though one of the oldest practices, phlebotomy has been a certified specialty only since the 1970s. Clinics and hospitals are looking for professional phlebotomists and more and more students are interested in certification courses.

A typical training program requires 45 hours of classroom work and an additional 100 hours of supervised clinical experience. Classes will cover medical terminology, algebra, English, computer technology, anatomy and physiology, and phlebotomy skills and procedures. The practice of drawing blood is much more than learning how to make a venipuncture. You need to know how to interpret a doctor’s lab request, how to differentiate among tubes and needle types, and how to handle patients.

Learning what to do if something goes wrong is as important as knowing how to ensure that everything goes right. Not every blood draw goes smoothly and easily. Phlebotomy is a great career for detail orientated, rule-abiding individuals who like to work at the top of their game every day.

Phlebotomy does not require a technician to analyze lab results. Phlebotomists are responsible for ensuring that the blood sample is drawn correctly, stored, labeled, and delivered according to protocol. These steps are key to producing an accurate analysis once it gets to the lab. The technician is responsible for following routine procedures using specialized equipment. Handling evacuated collection tubes, keeping all materials sterile, and disposing of used needles are critical parts of the job responsibilities.

It is important to have a good command of English because the phlebotomy technician must be able to read and understand the doctor’s instructions for the blood draw and they also have to fill out a requisition form with every blood sample submitted to the lab. A requisition form contains all the vital information necessary such as the patient’s name and identification number, the physician’s complete name, the date and time of the collection, and the tests to be run.

Following precise procedural steps ensures that no mistakes are made in labeling samples and correctly identifying patients. A good phlebotomy training program will drill these best practices in to the students’ minds so that they become second nature. Phlebotomists should have a certain amount of people-skills before entering the program since this is one skill that is hard to teach.

Once certified, a phlebotomist has a choice of what kind of environment to work in. Technicians are needed in clinics, where blood draws are part of doctors’ orders for purposes of diagnosis. There are blood banks – many of which take their equipment on the road to different locations to make blood donations easier for volunteers. Some phlebotomists choose to work in laboratories researching disease and pathologies. It is this choice within the profession of phlebotomy that makes it such an attractive career choice for so many.

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A career in phlebotomy offers opportunities to work in clinical labs or chemistry labs, blood banks or pathology. Understanding the needs of these different aspects of medical practice will help the phlebotomist make educated decisions about what atmosphere is right for them.

No matter what the job market looks like and how fast technology grows, human beings continue to require quality healthcare. Blood and bones are not getting any more high tech than they are right now. Seeking a career in the healthcare field gives you a broad spectrum to choose from. Phlebotomy technicians are among the happiest medical technicians you can find.

Phlebotomy degrees can be obtained through online course study or classroom learning. Phlebotomists learn to collect blood samples safely for both technician and patient. While some collection techniques will be straight forward, others will necessitate special considerations. Collecting blood from infants, for example, can be challenging. Also, oncology patients and others with chronic illness may have special needs associated with their blood draw. Phlebotomy training and certification will prepare you for all of these needs. Most training programs can be completed in one year, or 26 hours of credited course work.

Phlebotomy training will include everything from correct patient identification to venipuncture procedures and specimen labeling. Any one mistake in this link could lead to a patient’s severe adverse reaction or even death. The practice of phlebotomy, while routine, is also highly dependent on accurate, precise details.

While every phlebotomist will acquire their own routine, some tasks are dependent on a specific order. For example, a successful blood draw must be collected according to tube type (size and color coded) so as to avoid cross contamination of additives between tubes. It will be part of the job of the phlebotomist to memorize the different tube categories and what their additives are; erroneous test results may occur if the blood is not thoroughly mixed with the additive.

A phlebotomist has to assess the accuracy of the blood sampling and they also are charged with counseling the patient through the procedure. Making casual conversation while checking the identification of the patient, filling in the correct forms, labeling the tubes and double checking the accuracy of all the data is not easy. There is a psychological imperative to professional conduct which, at the same time, cannot compromise the technical aspect of the job.

Phlebotomy is a career that demands flexibility and rigidity; professionalism and people-skills. There is an array of settings to work in, great benefit packages to choose from, and satisfaction and reward to be gained.

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