The Best Phlebotomist Training Near You
Ever donated blood to the Red Cross? Then, you have already met a phlebotomist in your life! Phlebotomists are professionals in the medical field who will draw blood from patients or blood donors. Later on, these samples are taken to a medical lab for testing. As a phlebotomist, you should prepare yourself for people who don't like needles. You are the least favorite part of someone's trip to the doctor's office, so you should be a friendly, genuine person who empathizes with a patient.
What will a Phlebotomist's Career Be?
As a starting phlebotomist, your job will mostly consist of:
Explaining any procedure to patients
Organizing patient records
Maintaining and keeping equipment clean and sterile
Measuring a patient's pulse and respiratory rate
Any blood draw leaves behind an important history The blood draws and samples will be added to the patient's blood history, which follows them around for life. So it's imperative to pay exception attention to detail.
The Step-By-Step Guide to Become a Phlebotomist
If phlebotomy seems interesting to you, you should go ahead and take phlebotomy classes. You can get the best price for phlebotomy classes at a community college. Community college programs can span several months, and get you ready for an exam for certification. After taking classes and performing live blood draws, you have earned eligibility for certification. A phlebotomy certification is key to the job search. Phlebotomists must be trained well, so your certification will help to give you an edge over others job applicants.
Step 1: Research Career Information
As stated in research from the BLS or U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, lab technicians [were expected to see good job growth from 2008-2018.|have high expected growth in jobs from 2008-2012.|will see very high increases in job opportunities from 2008-2012.) Actually, the projected numbers showed a possible increase of around 25,000 new jobs, which is a 16% increase. Even though testing is becoming more automated, phlebotomists will still keep their jobs because people need to draw blood. Phlebotomy technicians can get an average salary of $38,190. Salary.com states that the median salary for phlebotomists was $29,286 in June 2010.
Step 2: Finish High School
A diploma or GED is required to enter a phlebotomy program. While in high school you may study biology, math, chemistry, health and computer science to prepare you for future training.
Step 3: Enroll in a Community College
Note that you have several options for phlebotomy training. Several community colleges have a curriculum with a phlebotomy certification program. These programs cover basics of working in labs, safety practices, and health learning. The programs will make sure to cover lab safety, work in the lab, and human health. Many offer Associate Degrees in Clinical Laboratory Technology. The programs have a curriculum including urinalysis, immunology, hematology, anatomy, and microbiology.
Step 4: Finish Clinicals
Some of your training will be during your education. Associate degree programs often have a required clinical in their program. Likely, you'll need to complete a specific number of venipunctures for graduation. The blood draws will be supervised and performed on real people.
Step 5: Receive your Phlebotomist Certification
While you should definitely get certified, you need to enroll in only reputable programs.