If you are thinking of pursuing a career in the medical
field, there has been no better time to reach those goals right now. With our
current rapidly aging population, field medical personnel can enjoy many growth
opportunities in a variety of healthcare opportunities.
Phlebotomy, also known as venipuncture, is the science of
drawing blood for medical purposes and offers an excellent opportunity to enter
the health field. Phlebotomists or phlebotomy technicians are specially trained
to work in clinical laboratories, blood collection from a multitude of
purposes, including transfusions, and medical tests. A career in phlebotomy
includes a variety of possible settings and functions, some of which may
include:
- Work in blood collection stations to collect blood from blood banks to transfusions.
- Working in blood banking facilities.
- Work in hospitals, to collect blood samples from patients.
- Work in clinics or doctors' offices, to collect and test samples of blood from patients.
- Blood tests in a variety of laboratory settings public and private.
- Work with babies and children use specialized tools and strategies, such as butterfly needles or heel sticks.
- The performance of a variety of blood collection strategies, such as venipuncture to collect large amounts of blood and finger pricks when only small amounts are needed.
- Specialized techniques such as drawing blood from the capillaries and arteries near the wrist.
Phlebotomy is clearly an exciting and growing field that
offers a variety of career opportunities for entering the health field. If you
feel the phlebotomy may be the right career for you, take some time to consider
all options training to ensure you are fully prepared to enter this exciting
career.
While certification is not specifically required in all
states, certified applicants surely have an advantage over those who have not
followed an education that qualifies for professional certification. There are
many options for phlebotomy training, so researching the topic and
understanding your options is essential. Phlebotomy training is typically
offered in trade schools, community colleges and career centers, and usually
requires students to meet a required prerequisite to obtaining a high school
diploma or GED.
Phlebotomy training can last from four months to just over a
year, depending on the program chosen. More phlebotomy training programs offer
a wide range of courses which refers to the practice of drawing blood from a
variety of types of patients, such as working class and broad to include
appropriate laboratory procedures. Students can expect to take courses that
prepare them for the legality of the blood collection practices, safety blood
drawing, communication (with patients, families and other health workers), and
the physiology, anatomy, blood composition, and the laboratory methods, with
the blood collection techniques and requirements of practical experience.
Take a little extra time to make sure that the program you
are interested in is recognized by at least one of these agencies to ensure
that it meets the standards and requirements that potential employers are
looking for. A relatively small amount of research will certainly increase
their employment opportunities on completion of their training phlebotomy. We
also recommend that you check the program you are interested in is recognized
by the state in which they are hoping to work. It is equally important to note
that many of these accrediting agencies require members to reach a certain
number of hours of continuing education on an annual basis for the re-training
and to keep pace with new technologies, strategies and practices.
Phlebotomy Certification - http://www.phlebotomycertificationx.com/
