Blood is an essential aspect of modern health care. Every diagnostic test that depends on blood concentrations of some or other compound, depends on a phlebotomist. Knowledge about phlebotomy is more or less mandatory for anyone working in health and social care. Even if it’s not likely for you to take blood samples yourself, you may need to support colleagues or patients, or request blood tests. So, it's considered good practice for all staff to understand basic aspects of phlebotomy.
Phlebotomy is a routine task in hospitals. Simply put, phlebotomy is the process of drawing blood directly from veins of patients. Phlebotomy arrangements are included with GP surgeries, out-patient clinics and other healthcare settings as well. Phlebotomists draw blood, prepare it as samples, label the samples to the correct patient, and send them off to the labs.
A wide range of medical conditions and illnesses can be diagnosed using the chemical content of blood samples. It's also an accurate way of measuring and monitoring the progress of managing certain medical conditions such as diabetes, liver or kidney heart disease or. some health issues and
It’s a recent development that professionals other than doctors and senior nurses started performing phlebotomy. The past couple of decades brought significant changes to medical roles.
Health care institutes now encourage student nurses, medical students, associate nurses and trainee phlebotomists, to carry out phlebotomy. Paramedics might perform phlebotomy under special circumstances. However, there are specialists focused specifically on phlebotomy known as ‘phlebotomists’.
Phlebotomists draw blood for a variety of purposes, including taking paediatrics blood samples, Glucose Tolerance Tests, and administering intravenous treatment. A key aspect of the job is to find veins effectively even under pressure.
Phlebotomists are generally trained on the job. So, if you want to specialise in phlebotomy, you should apply for a trainee phlebotomist position at a hospital or GP surgery.
The minimum age to begin training is 17.
While there are usually no entry requirements, some employers may ask for at least two GCSEs (or equivalent) a highschool diploma. More demanding employers and trainers require a BTEC or equivalent vocational qualification in health and social care, or previous healthcare experience, i.e. as a healthcare assistant.
As a phlebotomist you’ll have to work closely with patients and relatives. So it’s important to have personal skills such as,
As part of your workplace training you will receive a specialist training course where you have the chance to learn about these skills for your role.
Even though phlebotomy is considered a routine procedure, you still need to be trained properly.
There are risks and complications if phlebotomy is not carried out carefully enough. However simple it’s still an invasive procedure and performed with utmost accuracy.
Important aspect of the job is knowing how to minimise discomfort, pain or distress for your patient as well as reducing the risk of infection. Not only for your patient but for you as well.
Training helps you draw blood smoothly, minimise the risks and manage the patient’s response efficiently.
If you are a registered nurse, paramedic, doctor etc you will have professional accountability when performing phlebotomy yourself. With these conditions you should have some qualification at hand.
If you haven’t performed a phlebotomy in a while and want to get back into the profession, you’ll need refresher training. Luckily for you the NHS holds annual refresher training for phlebotomists that are out of touch provides proper certification as well. All you’ll have to do is submit your previous experience and the time you took off.
This Phlebotomist training course is designed as a comprehensive review of the venipuncture procedure, instruments and supplies. General safety, infection control, and specimen handling are also part of the course.
Initial learning includes anatomy and physiology of the veins for safe and effective venipuncture. The course focuses on all the necessary skills to perform basic and advanced venipuncture safely. Completing this course helps minimise the risk of pre-analytical errors. Find the course here.
The Phlebotomy Training course covers key aspects of venipuncture such as sample collection, tracking, identifying, and labelling. You’ll learn the responsibilities of a phlebotomist, as well as basics of human anatomy and physiology of the veins.
The course briefly explains how to keep instruments sterilised in order to avoid complications or the spread of infections. Find the course here.
This course initially focuses on the entire phlebotomy procedure in-depth and covers fundamentals of anatomy and physiology. The training includes use of essential equipment, specimen handling, and collecting blood samples safely. Find the course here
This practical training course features in-depth information on composition and circulation of blood and the physiology of venepuncture. It also covers best practices, infection prevention measures and handling contagious samples. Find the course here.
Phlebotomy Technician Training is the highest rated Phlebotomy training program on UK’s largest job and recruitment market Reed.
NHS hospitals provide practical training for new employees on a regular basis. It is part of the phlebotomist recruitment program. The training covers all industry practices and guidelines. However separate certification is not provided for these trainings. You have to include this training as part of your job experience with the NHS.
Similar to the NHS private employer may provide training for phlebotomist recruits although the opportunities are limited. Promisingly though the training quality meets the national standard quite well and are easily transferable to other organisations.
Training provided by diagnostic laboratories is more streamlined than the previous procedures. It is because the conditions in diagnostics are quite controlled and require very little specialization. However, it’s still an excellent opportunity to set out on a career in phlebotomy.
The NHS annually holds limited period specialist training in phlebotomy. The training is results oriented and highlights the safety guidelines and special techniques. It’s a good opportunity to carry out these special techniques on volunteers for practice.
Working at a research laboratory allows you to work under specific restraints. This means you need to follow unorthodox guidelines to prepare research samples. You’ll be able to learn specific techniques and methods of storing blood that are usually unheard of in the healthcare sector. It’ll also expose you to cutting edge technology.
Blood banks frequently organise walk in events where phlebotomists can attend by showing their credentials. These events usually include talks from leading experts and personal accounts from current phlebotomists. Such events provide volunteering opportunities for practice as well as demonstrations from phlebotomists in leading positions.
After completing any one of these trainings you’ll have to work under the supervision of a skilled and qualified phlebotomist (e.g. senior nurse, phlebotomist supervisor). This is commonly known as a ‘workplace competency assessment’.
During this supervised period your performance is measured against standard competency frameworks.
The factors your mentor would be looking at,
While choosing programs for the training providers there are certain aspects you need to consider. If you’re considering using an external training provider, you should base your choice on things such as:
After completing phlebotomy training programs, you can become a member of the National Association of Phlebotomists (NAP) or become an associate member of the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS). These provide information on best practice and new developments in this field. The membership also provides networking opportunities with colleagues who routinely perform venepuncture to stay updated.
As with any clinical skill it is important that you keep up to date with industry reforms. You may want to consider subscribing to professional newsletters as well as networking with other colleagues who routinely perform venipuncture.
The phlebotomy profession is reliable and in-demand. The demand is expected to grow by 25% by the year 2026. Whether you’re a fresher or health care professional, phlebotomy is a must have skill set for a stable and secure career.
Wasif Hossain is a part-time blogger and loves to dig information.