Phlebotomists are medical professionals working within health care settings. They are responsible for collecting blood samples, for either testing or transfusions, via venipuncture, the technical term for the act of drawing blood.
As phlebotomy is a highly skilled science, individuals wishing to become certified phlebotomists must undergo a certain amount of rigorous training and also need to acquire a certain amount of practical experience.
Certification in the US can be obtained from three separate agencies: The National Phlbotomy Association, the American Society for Clinical Pathology or the Association of Phlebotomy Technicians. It can be achieved in one of three main ways:
1) Field training, unlicensed
In order to gain certification, a person must have been in employment as a phlebotomist under the supervision of a fully trained medical professional for at least six months if working full-time, or for 12 months if working part-time.
2) Accredited school/college phlebotomy programme course, licensed
Individuals who have acquired the certified phlebotomist license by completing a phlebotomy course, usually consisting of approximately four months' training, must have at least 200 hours of practical experience and 100 successful venipunctures.
3) Phlebotomy training is also available through vocational schools offering one year programmes awarded with diplomas. Another option is to complete a two year course awarded with an associate's degree.
Once all requirements for certification are met, an application to one of the above agencies is made. An exam testing basic phlebotomy knowledge must then be completed.
The time required to become a phlebotomist thus depends on which route is taken to achieve this goal and can vary between four months and two years.
Becoming a certified phlebotomist merely adds a matter of weeks to this time to allow for the application to be processed and the relevant exam to be taken and graded.
As phlebotomy is a highly skilled science, individuals wishing to become certified phlebotomists must undergo a certain amount of rigorous training and also need to acquire a certain amount of practical experience.
Certification in the US can be obtained from three separate agencies: The National Phlbotomy Association, the American Society for Clinical Pathology or the Association of Phlebotomy Technicians. It can be achieved in one of three main ways:
1) Field training, unlicensed
In order to gain certification, a person must have been in employment as a phlebotomist under the supervision of a fully trained medical professional for at least six months if working full-time, or for 12 months if working part-time.
2) Accredited school/college phlebotomy programme course, licensed
Individuals who have acquired the certified phlebotomist license by completing a phlebotomy course, usually consisting of approximately four months' training, must have at least 200 hours of practical experience and 100 successful venipunctures.
3) Phlebotomy training is also available through vocational schools offering one year programmes awarded with diplomas. Another option is to complete a two year course awarded with an associate's degree.
Once all requirements for certification are met, an application to one of the above agencies is made. An exam testing basic phlebotomy knowledge must then be completed.
The time required to become a phlebotomist thus depends on which route is taken to achieve this goal and can vary between four months and two years.
Becoming a certified phlebotomist merely adds a matter of weeks to this time to allow for the application to be processed and the relevant exam to be taken and graded.
