Phlebotomy Certification – 3 Steps to Become a Certified Phlebotomist
Phlebotomy is one of the many branches of medicine in which people who will want to specialize in will learn everything about drawing blood samples from patients. Following this procedure, the samples will be analyzed in a laboratory and a diagnosis will be given to the patients of an ailment or a disease. Those who work in this branch and have extensive experience in this procedure are called phlebotomists, medical assistants or phlebotomy technicians.
Practically these are the professionals who will be the first to interact with people and in most cases the role they play is vital by acting as liaisons between laboratories, patients and doctors. In the last years it seems that the demand for such professionals has increased a lot and individuals now have greater chances of pursuing the career of a phlebotomist. To be more precise, the BLS reported a yearly growth of seventeen percent for the positions available in the healthcare industry. But before anyone could become a phlebotomist, they will have to consider the right school and then get a Phlebotomy Certification.
Becoming a Certified Phlebotomist
For those who are seriously thinking about having a career in phlebotomy, they will have to first of all get a Phlebotomy Certification. Getting it is currently mandatory only in 2 states numbering Louisiana and California. But even though people who want to get in this field don’t live in these states, it’s better that they’ll get the certification as soon as possible. It’s a universal rule that employees will always favor those who are properly trained, schooled and certified rather than those who are not. This is even truer in the medical industry where just a single mistake can mean a potentially very harmful lawsuit. When professionals hold a Phlebotomy Certification they are actually guaranteeing their employers that they are experts who have the right training and knowledge required for the job and that they’ve also passed the national phlebotomy certification examination.
Training
When people will want to start preparing for the certification exam they will first of all need to consider attending a phlebotomy training program. There are plenty of schools out there offering training programs that yield a certification and provide the individual with the practical know-how and theoretical knowledge to perform procedures specific to this branch. More to that, when these programs will be considered, they will also prepare the individual for the phlebotomy certifying exam.
In general if someone decides to follow one such course he or she will need to spend a maximum of eight months studying. Some of the things the curriculum includes numbers clinical internship, laboratory hours and classroom hours.
Patience
When looking for a phlebotomy training program people will have to be careful and not hurry with it. The program should be approved by the local Department of State or Department of Health. No one should waste their hard earned money and time by going with a program that will not prepare them properly and make them eligible for writing a certifying examination. On top of that, those who want can easily get the full list of approved phlebotomy training programs in their area by getting in touch with their local Department of Public Health.
After people will have completed their training program they will only have to go ahead and register themselves for a certifying examination. Everyone can choose to take the examination at any of the current list of ten accredited institutions in the USA. If people have an employer they are targeting, before taking the examination they should inquire the institution about the preferred accreditation. Even though in regards to the examination pattern of each such institution, it can be a little different, the individual is tested based on the same curriculum and on top of that he or she will also have to go through a practical session.
The reasons for pursuing a Career in Phlebotomy
It’s very well known that anyone who dreams of having a great career in the medical field will have to be prepared for many years of hard work and dedication. This is practically the case with all other medical practices in the medical industry, yet regarding phlebotomy, things are not that tough. It may come as a surprise, but those who are looking for becoming a certified phlebotomist will only need to have a high school diploma and then follow a training program that will yield a certification and finally, take the certification exam. It’s not as hard as people think it is.
Yet the easiness of becoming one such professional is not the only reason to why there are so many people who are considering this career path. For one, having a job in the medical industry is very rewarding. It’s quite amazing when thinking about the feeling one can get when thinking that he saved someone’s life today. There is no greater reward in the world than knowing people can save the life of other people every single day.
On another note, certified phlebotomists don’t really have to work in a hospital, because their choice of workplaces is really diverse. For instance they can work in physicians’ offices, plasma centers, independent laboratories, blood banks and so forth. The ability of these professionals to practically choose where they want to work is something that has made this branch very popular.
Last but not least, there is also the financial factor involved and everyone knows that the wages phlebotomists get are not to be ignored at all. The research conducted by the BLS informed the public that professionals working in this branch will earn around thirty eight thousand dollars per year on average.
As this article states, becoming a phlebotomist only involves a few simple steps and the best thing about it is that individuals don’t need to consider a lot of training nor have extreme knowledge. All it takes is some pure dedication and an innate will for helping individuals who need help that only phlebotomists can offer them.
