Phlebotomist Career
Post Health Care Jobs.
What Phlebotomists do:
Phlebotomists, also known as Phlebotomy Technicians, are clinical laboratory technicians, who are trained to collect blood for testing or for transfusions.
The skill of Phlebotomy is used by Physicians, Nurses, Medical Assistants and other allied healthcare workers.
As the workload of healthcare professionals is ever increasing, a Certified Phlebotomist can help reduce the work load of doctors and nurses by carrying out blood collection tasks.
The main duties of a Phlebotomist include:
- Collecting blood in hospitals
- Traveling on blood drives in order to collect blood
- Performing venipuncture
- Using fingersticks to collect small quantities of blood
- Testing blood for iron levels
- Using a heel stick or butterfly needle to collect blood from infants
- Collecting blood from arteries near the wrist (specialized phlebotomists)
Education & Qualifications:
Phlebotomy Training programs are available in trade schools and career centers. Courses last from 4 months to one year. Subjects covered include how communications, legal aspects of blood collection, Standard Precautions, and Blood Collection Techniques. A high school diploma is the minimum requirement for one of these programs.
Programs are accredited by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP), the American Medical Technologists (AMT), the American Association of Medical Personnel (AAMP), and the National Credentialing Agency (NCA).
Even though certification is not required by law in some states, employers still look to hire certified Phlebotomists.
Salary & Job Prospects:
Salaries for Phlebotomists can range from $15,000 to $50,000 depending on qualifications, experience, work situation, position held and location. The job prospects are excellent as Certified Phlebotomists free up doctors and nurses to perform more critical tasks.
Below is a list of some of the various types of allied health careers / professions: