Phlebotomist
Credentials earned:CRPhT
Phlebotomist
is an individual trained to draw blood.
Phlebotomy is the act of drawing blood either for testing or transfusion. It is
a skill employed by physicians and many professionals in allied health fields,
including nurses, medical assistants, paramedics, and clinical laboratory
scientists. Health care is a rapidly expanding industry, and a new professional,
the certified phlebotomist, helps to reduce the workload of doctors and nurses
by focusing exclusively on blood collection, particularly in hospitals and blood
drives.Depending on the regional characteristics of the organization they work
for, phlebotomists may have to travel to collect samples (this is referred to as
a domiciliary service). They may travel to nursing homes or outpatient clinics
to collect samples.
Phlebotomists collect blood primarily
by performing venipuncture and, for collection of minute quantities of blood,
fingersticks. Blood may
be collected from infants by means of a
heel stick. Specially
trained phlebotomists collect arterial blood samples from the radial or ulnarix-week
phlebotomy certification class.
Education
Phlebotomy used to be a skill picked up on the job, but
today, most phlebotomists in the United States train approximately two to four
months in a career center or trade