The art of phlebotomy is the process of taking and drawing blood for sampling and collection from a patient. The skill of phlebotomy is quite a difficult skill to learn, however once mastered this special training you will be able to get a job a a hospital, research institute or laboratory.
The specialized procedures that are used for collecting blood from veins is quite new and the demand for people with these qualifications have grown over the last twenty years. Over those years procedures have become safer and the advance in technology and sterilization has allowed a more open market approach to the industry.
The study of phlebotomy prepares you to draw blood from a patient causing the least amount of pain possible. Thus to achieve that there is a lot of skill and practice that needs to be done before you are competent. You are also taught on how to contain and manage bio-hazardous materials like blood samples and sterile and used needles. Another skill that you learn is correct bedside manner with patients as this is critical in any type of healthcare role. A phlebomist must combine great skill with great compassion.
What You Will Learn
In your training you will learn a great deal about the human anatomy, needle techniques, developing patient rapport as well as safety and record keeping. You will have a theory part and a practical test handling medical equipment including spill kits, puncture devices, syringes of many different sizes, blood cultures, bandages and general medical equipment.
Like most technical teaching methods, phlebotomy training can be obtained as a 4 years bachelor’s degree or a 2 year associates degree in phlebotomy. There are also some community colleges that offer private training. These normally take about a year.
It is thus important to do your research on where you want to go to school and study about phlebotomy training. It is important that you maintain a good level of effort in your studies because there are a lot of people that fail the course and waste their money on something that they didn’t finish. When looking for a program, there are a few factors that you need to consider including reputation, time in business, how many students are enrolling, past students and where they have got jobs, what the student to teacher ratio is like, if it has any placement and hands on training, what options to they give you after to get a job. Those are just some of the things that you need to ask yourself before you get going on your phlebotomy training.
