What Does Being a Phlebotomist Mean?

A phlebotomist, for those are not in the know, is a medical term used for a person who is trained to draw blood from a patient for various medical tests or for donation of blood. What’s so special about that? You might ask. We see blood drawn from people all the time in hospitals, and clinics. However, there’s much more than simply drawing out blood. A phlebotomist is also trained to   give intramuscular injections, choosing the correct technique, depending on the location of the injection, sterilizing equipment,  storing the samples, sending them for testing and very importantly, making sure the labeling is done correctly since the wrong label on a blood sample could create unbelievable chaos both to the patient and the doctor. A skilled phlebotomist will also be able to carry out the procedure without hurting the patiently unduly and also be able to him at ease while doing the job.

How Does One Become a Phlebotomist?

There’s nothing you can do without the proper qualification and that goes for a phlebotomist as well. First and foremost, one who desires to follow this path has to enroll himself in an accredited college and follow a one year diploma course to become a certified phlebotomist. For this, you should have your high school diploma as the basis on which to take up the exam.  From there onwards he or she can go further to become a certified medical assistant or take a two year degree course and become a laboratory technician. The work of a laboratory technician goes beyond drawing out blood where his duties involve preparing the blood samples for shipment to another location for testing purposes.

What Other Qualifications do you Need to Become a Phlebotomist?

Although not essential, it is recommended that you do the certification exam which is offered by the American society of Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT), American society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), or the American Medical Technologists (AMT). This exam covers all areas of anatomy, physiology, the circulatory system and different techniques of phlebotomy. Hands on practical training can also be gained at a doctor’s office or through an internship.  Once you receive the Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT) certification, you have to keep on renewing it every year for re-certification.

What Kind of Salary can a Phlebotomist Expect?

Although salary wise, becoming a phlebotomist does not sound very attractive,  there are plenty of opportunities to enhance your career by qualifying to become a laboratory technician or  further by becoming a lab supervisor handling EKGs and rise up even to become an administrator with a much more lucrative salary.

Why Become a Phlebotomist?

Any job in the healthcare sector can be nothing but important. A phlebotomist is someone who is trained in the specific job of drawing out blood which has to be done in a certain way and different techniques have to be used for different tests. Being a respected member of a team of healthcare professionals, a phlebotomist has to work with doctors, nurses, laboratory staff and other medical workers and the patients some of whom have to be pacified and put at ease due to the fear of the needle that draws out blood. Apart from offering a career opportunity that can rise, as a phlebotomist, you will find much satisfaction in knowing  that you are in a career that is involved in helping sick people who are in desperate need of your services.