What is covered in Phlebotomy Training?
A phlebotomist or a phlebotomy technician is a clinical laboratory technician who specializes in drawing blood from the patient’s veins, and to properly execute this task, you will need proper phlebotomy training. Due to the quickly aging population, the requirement for professionals with such skills is rapidly increasing, and the demand will further increase in the coming decade. This implies that anyone who undergoes the phlebotomy training is sure to be employed, and this is an excellent career opportunity.
What does Phlebotomy Training cover?
Basically, you have to undergo a proper Phlebotomy Training Program and gain certification to work as a Phlebotomy Technician. During the Phlebotomy Training Program, you get to acquire many skills which are required to succeed in this field. Good communication and interaction with patients and the ability to work in hectic schedules are some abilities which you may be expected to possess. It can help you do well in the career of a phlebotomist.
Phlebotomy Training Program Contents
The Phlebotomy Training courses can range anywhere between as less as 4 months to as much as 24 months long. The short term phlebotomy courses are provided at vocational schools, whereas the long duration courses are provided at community colleges where you may have a degree on completion of the course. Though the various programs are going to be identical, phlebotomy course curriculum might differ slightly from school to school. All the training courses lay their focus on Lab Procedures, Blood Drawing Techniques, Human Anatomy and more. You can expect both Theoretical and practical training methods in whichever course you choose. You may even undergo online phlebotomy training programs where you may have to undergo some hands on practical sessions.
Phlebotomy Certification
Once you successfully complete any of these phlebotomy courses, the student can appear for the certification exam and be a certified phlebotomist. These certification exams are accredited by American Association of Medical Personnel (AAMP), American Society for Clinical Pathology(ASCP) and American Medical Technologists (AMT) which are all national certifying organizations.
Though it is legal to work as a phlebotomy technician without being certified in 50 out of the 52 states, getting a good job without having certification is becoming tougher each day. Actually, this is a result of the fact that recruiters expect qualified and well trained job applicants, and those who are not certified might have a tough time trying to prove that they possess the required job skills. Prior to attending a phlebotomy training program, try and find out the particular job related requirements as specified by the state by getting in touch with your local health department.
Phlebotomist Salary and Job Security
There are many reasons why phlebotomy is becoming a greatly popular career option. One of the major reasons is as the need for certified phlebotomy technicians has been witnessing an increase in the recent years, and the current trend may continue in the coming few years. The increasing demand implies that it is going to prove easy to find jobs in the healthcare field.
The pay for a phlebotomist is quite reasonable and may vary from $20,000 to $50,000 every year. The actual salary might depend on prior experience, and also the kind of training program you graduated from. Typically, the average salary is about $25,000 per year.
