The rapid advancement in healthcare services in general and medical field in particular has made in mandatory to follow professional standards in the services rendered to the people, most importantly patients, in the hospitals. Such is the specialization and professionalism in the medical field that the process of drawing blood from a patient’s body for the purpose of analysis in the laboratory and diagnosis requires professional certification and training.
Phlebotomy, which refers to the process of drawing blood from a patient’s body as per the instruction of the doctor or a registered nurse for the purpose of analysis in the laboratory, is one of the normal services which are taught to a registered nurse or a certified nursing assistant. But, with the growing professionalism and adherence of strict safety standards in medical services, phlebotomy has been recognized as a specialized function and one has to acquaint himself or herself with the job in a professional manner.
Most of the hospitals have recognized the need for professionalism and adequate training to perform phlebotomy activities. Many states in the US and many other countries across the world have realized the importance of professional training and expertise on the part of a phlebotomist, whose primary job is to extract blood from a patient for further analysis.
A phlebotomist should have adequate training and expertise in drawing blood from a person’s body. Basically, there are three different ways in which blood can be extracted from a person’s body – through the veins called as venipuncture, through the arteries called as arterial puncturing and through the capillary bodies. Locating the veins in a patient’s hand, correctly identifying the point of puncture and drawing the blood sample without hurting or causing inconvenience to the patient requires expertise and training, as any minor flaw in the procedure might end up in poking the bones or muscles of the patient and thus, leading to unwanted consequences.
In order to obtain phlebotomy certification, one needs to enroll himself or herself in an accredited nursing school and attend a series of theoretical classes wherein the student will be taught about the importance of blood, the essential characteristics of blood and what blood samples reveal about the disease or ailment. Collection techniques as well as preservation methods will also be taught to the student. The precautionary methods that need to be followed as well as the importance of safety requirements will also be explained in detail to the students. Practical training is very important in phlebotomy training and certification. The student will be provided with professional training and compliance of strict measures while dealing with blood and such other fluids in the body.
On successful completion of the training process, phlebotomy certification will be awarded to the candidates, who can affix the same as a designation and go hunting for jobs as a phlebotomist technician not merely in hospitals, but also in blood banks, blood collection centers, mobile blood banks, laboratories and also diagnostic centers.