What is phlebotomy? This is an often asked question since the term is largely unknown to many people outside the health industry.
In ancient medicine, phlebotomy referred to the practice of drawing large amounts of blood in the attempt to cure disease and/or illness, called bloodletting.
In today’s, contemporary and constantly growing medical industry, this practice (of bloodletting) has been abandoned but the term phlebotomy has become conventional referring to the act of drawing blood from a patient for either laboratory tests or blood transfusions.
Most people are accustomed to having this function performed by nurses or even doctors but more and more people are being trained and specializing specifically in phlebotomy.
A phlebotomist is therefore a medical professional trained to draw blood from people.
What Is Phlebotomy and What Are The Requirements?
There are several paths you can take to become a phlebotomist.
On the job training has traditionally been how phlebotomists learned there craft but nowadays you can take a course at a vocational school, hospital training program, community college or at a university.
There are no specific requirements to train as a phlebotomist but a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent is generally required.
It is recommended that you train at an accredited institution.
After training, you may sit a certification exam although this is not mandatory as only two states require certification. However certification will improve your job prospects.
Phlebotomist’s Job Description
The phlebotomist job description is not restricted to drawing blood from patients but also encompasses many other duties.
After collection it is also the phlebotomist’s responsibility to correctly label blood storage containers and ensure that they are safely transported to the appropriate laboratories for testing.
In addition they may also be required to perform diagnostic tests as well as interpret the results.
Sometimes, they may even make recommendations based on their findings.
Phlebotomists are also required to maintain and update patient records and file them correctly.
Because many patient fear having blood drawn, the phlebotomist is expected to cultivate excellent bedside manners to help keep his patients calm and relaxed during the procedure.
Answering phone calls and directing then to the right medical personnel is also an important part of the phlebotomist job description as well as the proper disposal of contaminated needles.
Phlebotomists are also often called upon to train other medical professionals as well as phlebotomy students.
While carrying out phlebotomy duties it is important that the highest level of safety are maintained at all times as there is always a risk of disease transmission when handling blood samples.
