Month: July 2023

Although it may only be seen by many as segue to diagnosis, phlebotomy is an invasive medical procedure that can cause patients to feel a lot of anxiety and stress. As a phlebotomy technician, you are responsible for ensuring that their blood draws are as pleasant as possible, and this is only achievable by following best practices for blood collection.

 

From a safety perspective, proper handling is vital to minimize the risk of biohazard exposure. It is also vital from a diagnostic perspective, as mishandled and improperly stored samples can lead to inaccurate results.

 

Our six-week, self-paced online phlebotomy course can help you learn everything you need to pass the NAPTP exam. Before that, however, you can read this guide to learn more about how a phlebotomy technician should perform their job.

Best Practices for Phlebotomy Technicians

There are three key steps to performing a phlebotomy procedure properly:

 

1. Planning
2. Maintaining an appropriate environment
3. Practicing quality control at all times

 

Procedure planning involves identifying what you need to do, how you will do it, and what equipment you will need. What is the patient’s name, age, and reason for visiting? How much blood do you need to draw from them, and where is the best vein site to draw from?

 

When you are methodical in your approach to care, you can avoid causing the patient any undue harm or stress and ensure their doctor receives the lab results they need to make accurate diagnoses.

 

Phlebotomy technicians must always maintain a safe work environment, whether they are in a hospital, diagnostics lab, or other outpatient facility. The area you work in should always be sterile, well-lit, and clean.

 

Part of this process relates closely to blood handling; without properly managing your worksite, there is an increased risk of blood exposure, which can lead to bacteria and parasite exposure, as well as the risk of contracting a bloodborne disease like HIV/AIDS.

 

Finally, practicing quality control ensures that you always wear appropriate equipment (such as PPE and gloves), never use contaminated phlebotomy equipment, and always follow the appropriate lab sample collection and storage protocol.

 

Another best practice may not be medical in nature, but it is equally important to successfully perform your job as a phlebotomist—tending to patients. You should be warm and welcoming to each individual and also be patient and gentle with those who exhibit signs of anxiety, high stress, or even fear of having their blood drawn.

 

When patients are more relaxed, blood draws are much easier, less painful, and more effective.

You can improve outcomes by always walking patients through procedures, letting them know what you are going to do, and ensuring they are as relaxed as possible before drawing blood.

Become a Phlebotomist Online

Our six-week course is designed to be flexible and accessible for phlebotomy students. We offer study guides, PDFs, video instruction and an easy-to-follow module-based format to help you become a certified phlebotomy/cardio-phlebotomy technician.

 

Learn more.

Maintaining a safe work environment is part of a phlebotomy technician’s job. Self-education is one of your most valuable resources—it can help you prevent accidental exposure to bloodborne pathogens and avoid needlestick injuries that could lead to the contraction of illness or disease.

 

In our self-paced phlebotomy online course, we cover every step of proper workplace safety for phlebotomy technicians in extensive detail.

 

In this blog post, we will review some of the most vital safety precautions for phlebotomy technicians to avoid injury and infection.

Preventing Needlestick Injuries

Needlestick injuries occur when a phlebotomy technician’s skin is broken by a used needle.

 

Even a pinprick can put you at risk for severe illness or injury. In order to avoid this risk, phlebotomy technicians should always handle their equipment appropriately and wear protective equipment.

 

Never perform a phlebotomy procedure without wearing non-sterile disposable gloves. This is the first and most essential step toward protecting yourself against needlesticks.

 

Additional ways to prevent injury include:

 

• Follow the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standards
• Never remove, recap, or bend a used needle from a phlebotomy device
• Follow the proper handling and disposal procedures for blood tube holders
• Only dispose of needles and holders using appropriate sharp containers that have been FDA-approved
• Prior to a procedure, ensure that you are only using a device with a single-use blood tube holder that has sharps with injury control, known as sharps with engineered sharps injury protection (SESIP)
• Do not handle any phlebotomy devices without gloves

 

You should always follow your facility’s safety practices for handling and disposing of needles and blood tube holders.

 

These measures are put in place to protect both you and the general public; failure to properly dispose of a needle could result in a needlestick injury to someone else.

Avoiding Blood Exposure

Phlebotomy technicians should plan ahead for each sampling procedure and select appropriate protective equipment. While a mask and non-sterile gloves are acceptable in most cases, you may need to wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE) in certain cases.

 

If there is ever a blood spill, make sure that you wear protective equipment and dispose of any affected material in a biohazard container. You should then clean the area with medical-grade disinfectant.

 

To help avoid spills in the first place, all lab specimens should be transported in sealed, properly labeled containers.

Preventing Injury Through Proper Patient Care

Increasing patients’ confidence before a procedure can reduce anxiety and improve compliance. Brochures and other hand-outs can help improve education prior to sampling in busy clinics; however, the phlebotomy technician should still greet each patient, establish a connection with them, and let them know what they are going to do prior to the procedure.

 

Encourage patients to breathe during the blood draw, and go at the right pace for each patient. It is vital to assess body language and ask a patient how they are feeling before performing any procedure.

 

Patients who are calm and relaxed during a procedure are less likely to jerk away, which decreases the phlebotomy technician’s potential exposure to blood or a needlestick injury.

Become a Phlebotomy Technician Online

Our online phlebotomy course is a self-paced, six-week program that covers all of the essential education aspiring technicians need to pass the NAPTP exam.

 

With study guides, videos, and PDFs, you receive all the materials and support you need to pass the NAPTP on your first try.

 

Learn more.

Becoming a phlebotomy technician is a great way to develop skills needed in a range of healthcare settings, from hospitals to laboratories. A phlebotomist is responsible for drawing blood, collecting samples, and processing these samples safely and properly.

 

As with other healthcare jobs, phlebotomy technicians can choose from different career paths. Once technicians are certified by the National Association of Phlebotomy Technician Professionals (NAPTP), the leading organization in the U.S. for certifying phlebotomists, one of many different career paths can be pursued.

 

Certification by the NAPTP

The first important step is to attain NAPTP certification. Being certified benefits you in a number of ways, including:

 

• Credibility: Having NAPTP certification gives you the credibility you need for a range of phlebotomy careers with different organizations.
• Advancement: With certification, your phlebotomy technician career advancement options increase.
• Trustworthiness: When you are a certified phlebotomy technician, organizations and job recruiters trust you to have the skills needed to perform your job well.
• Boosting Skills: When you take an NAPTP review course to prepare for certification, you access study guides and videos that refresh your knowledge and keep you up to date.

 

Once you’ve achieved NAPTP certification, you can pursue a variety of phlebotomy careers in different settings.

 

Phlebotomy Careers: Your Options

These are some of the major phlebotomy technician career advancement paths available to phlebotomists certified by the NAPTP.

 

Hospital Phlebotomist

 

Whether patients arrive through the ER, are scheduled for surgery, or are hospitalized for care and observation, many need to have blood drawn to provide medical teams with crucial information. A certified phlebotomist fulfills this important role.

 

Medical Laboratory Phlebotomy Technician

 

Many medical phlebotomists work in medical laboratories. Samples may come in already collected elsewhere, requiring processing by the onsite phlebotomy technician. Or individuals may walk in to the medical lab to have blood drawn.

 

Private Practice Phlebotomist

 

Larger private practice clinics often have their own onsite phlebotomy technicians, or they may work with associated medical labs that hire phlebotomists and serve many private clinics in the region.

 

Blood Donation Technician

 

Blood donors rely on skilled phlebotomists to put them at ease and draw blood skillfully at both mobile and permanent blood donation centers.

 

Research Lab Phlebotomist

 

A wide range of research labs, including on university campuses and at dedicated research centers, need skilled, certified phlebotomists to collect and process blood samples.

 

Phlebotomy Technician Career Advancement

Regardless of where you work, you can take steps to advance your career as a certified phlebotomist. These steps include:

 

• Specialize: When you specialize in a specific area, you can become more in-demand and earn a higher salary.
• Manage: Becoming a phlebotomist in a managerial position overseeing other technicians will advance your career and increase your pay.
• Evolve: Once you’ve gained experience as a practicing phlebotomist, you can take steps to evolve your career and transfer into other fields, becoming a medical laboratory technician, a physician assistant, or a registered nurse, for example.

 

The job outlook for phlebotomists is promising. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of phlebotomists is expected to grow at a faster than average pace from 2021 to 2031.

 

Learn More

Whether you’re exploring phlebotomy careers or you’re searching for phlebotomy technician career advancement opportunities, your first step is to get certified. Learn about our self-paced phlebotomy preparation course designed to help you achieve certification on your schedule, at your own speed.

A phlebotomy technician earns an average salary of $37,380 per year, and about 21,500 new phlebotomy jobs are expected to open each year through 2030.

 

If you are interested in becoming a phlebotomy technician, then you will have to complete an educational training program before passing the NAPTP exam.

Some states require technicians to earn licensure, so it is important to check the qualifications and standards where you live.

 

That being said, all phlebotomy technicians must complete appropriate training and earn certification to legally work with patients. In this guide, we will explore who can become a phlebotomy technician by exploring the requirements for the NAPTP.

What is the NAPTP?

The NAPTP stands for the National Association of Phlebotomy Technician Professionals. It is the most recognized and accepted certification credential for anyone that wants to become a phlebotomy technician.

 

The exam consists of 100 questions to evaluate a candidate’s clinical competency and phlebotomy knowledge. Topics include blood draw methods, sampling procedures, lab specimen handling, HIPPA/OSHA laws, lab test assessment, and anatomy.

 

This NAPTP study guide can help you get an overview of what to expect in our online phlebotomy technician course. Anyone who strives to become a phlebotomy technician.

 

What is the difference between a phlebotomy technician and phlebotomist?

Phlebotomy technicians and phlebotomists are the same professional; they perform lab work by drawing blood samples, collecting specimens, and working closely with patients to explain how procedures work and what to expect.

 

A cardio phlebotomist can assist doctors with EKGs, examine heart performance, interpret heart rhythms, and manage patient records.

Requirements to Become a Phlebotomist

In order to become a phlebotomist, you will need to complete an accredited training program. The NAPTP is the industry’s best phlebotomy certification, recognized by the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA), National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT), National Healthcareer Association (NHA, and the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE).

 

In order to take the exam, a student must:

 

• Complete 65 blood draws within the last 2 years OR
• Complete 30 blood draws and be a recent graduate of an accredited phlebotomy training program

 

In order to enroll in a phlebotomy training program, you will need to be at least 18-years-old and hold a high school diploma or GED.

 

After you complete an accredited phlebotomy program, you can pursue certification and look for jobs in your area.

 

Although national certification is not required in most U.S. states, it can be a wonderful way to advance your career and stand out as a job candidate.

Are there different types of phlebotomists?

There are three levels of phlebotomy technicians:

1. Limited Phlebotomy Technician (LPT) — These professionals are qualified to perform skin puncture blood collections.
2. Certified Phlebotomy Technician I (CPT I) — These professionals can perform skin puncture and venipuncture blood collections.
3. Certified Phlebotomy Technician II (CPT II) — These professionals are qualified to perform skin puncture, venipuncture, and arterial puncture blood collections.

How to Get Phlebotomy Experience

Your program will prepare you for certification by including on-the-job training and an externship. If you complete your phlebotomy training at a vocational school or community college, you will receive hands-on lab experience to develop your skills.

Earn National Certification as a Phlebotomy Technician Through the NAPTP

Our online phlebotomy certification program takes six weeks and is entirely self-paced. You can participate in modules, read study guides, watch videos, and learn everything you need to pass the NAPTP from your computer or mobile phone.

 

Learn more.