There are many responsibilities that come with a phlebotomy certificate. The phlebotomist, often referred to as phlebotomy technician, is trained to collect blood and other laboratory samples from pediatric and adult patients for laboratory testing. The phlebotomy training is quite extensive, which involves drawing blood, doing bedside work, as well as learning how to do lab work on the blood samples. Phlebotomy training is important because it requires some skill to draw blood from a vein, artery, or the capillary bed into blood specimen collection tube for laboratory analysis or blood transfusion. Blood collection and at times urine is performed by the phlebotomist.
Phlebotomists usually work under a physician, a medical laboratory scientist, or a lead phlebotomy technician in a medical office, blood donation center, or clinical laboratory. The phlebotomy training involves many skill requirements that a person will learn in a detailed fashion. Many phlebotomy courses offer different training for different skills. Depending on the particular type of training program, a person will have several options.
After the blood specimen has been collected it is the phlebotomist's responsibility to label the various collection tubes and transport them to the location where they are to be analyzed. In most cases the samples are forwarded to an independent reference laboratory where laboratory technicians perform the analysis. They then report their findings back to the physician who ordered the tests. |
