Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Those Who Wish To Become a Phlebotomist

Can you see yourself in the role of a phlebotomist providing services to people who are seeking answers regarding their health? Can you imagine yourself helping them by collecting their blood for analysis so that a diagnosis can be made and a treatment plan can be prescribed?

The Phlebotomist

The phlebotomist is a specialized member of the allied health and interdisciplinary medical services team, whose primary focus lies in the area of blood collection and preserving blood and blood related specimens for diagnostic purposes. In this role they are instrumental to letting people regain or improve their health.

Phlebotomists collect blood, urine, and certain other body fluid samples as requested by a physician so that blood tests can be run in a laboratory. One big employer, to name just one, for phlebotomists and phlebotomy technicians in many locations across the USA is Quest Diagnostics.

Phlebotomy Training

Formal phlebotomy training is readily available and affordable. It usually incorporates various blood collection simulations on a synthetic arm, followed by hands-on practice on real persons, typically a fellow student, and later on, on real patients at an externship site to solidify the techniques practied in class. Those interested in this career must keep in mind that it is definitely not for the  squeamish.


Upon Graduation...

Most phlebotomy training program graduates decide to become certified upon completion of their training. Certification is a document that affirms that a person's knowledge meets basic requirements of established industry standards and is proficient to do the job. Furthermore, industry recognized certifications provide credentials that create trust with employers and the public. One example of a trusted certification sponsor in the USA is the American Medical Technologists (AMT), a well recognized and respected allied health professional membership association that holds their Registered Phlebotomist Technician (RPT) examination via Prometric testing throught the year.

So, if this is for you, and you are at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma and are highly motivated then you should continue your research, learn all there is to know about the phlebotomy career and take the next step... enroll in a phlebotomy training program near you.

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