A phlebotomist is trained in the art of drawing blood more specifically known as venipuncture. This involves the removal of blood from the body by a human to diagnose a disease, experimentation or for a blood transfusion. If is one of many jobs in the healthcare filed and usually requires a college certification to practice.
Sometimes a phlebotomist might get on the job training, e.g. if they work in a doctors office where they may take blood in the day to day seeing of patients where they use the blood for simple diagnostic tests.
Phlebotomy Technician Program
If you want to become certified as a phlebotomist then you need to get yourself to a phlebotomy technician college which can normally take between four and eighteen months. These programs are run throughout the US and can be taken online but there is obviously the practical section of the training that needs to be done face to face.
When looking for a technician college looks for a place where you will get lots of hands on training so that you can get good at taking blood. Looking for an accreditation with the ASCP as well as some type of internship or job placement so that you will have the best chance of getting a job once you have completed your degree. No-one can guarantee you a job after leaving college, but if you work hard and get good grades then it should not be too hard to get a job.
Continuing Education
Once you have passed your exam and have been fully certified you will need to participate in continuous education to keep you skill level and knowledge base in tact. This is also going to help you become more valuable to your employer as well as being good with patients and working with them to stay calm in the sight of a needle. Understand that in the patients eyes getting a needle are the most stressful part of visiting and it is your job to make their stay as pleasant as possible.
