Phlebotomy Training in Vermont
If you are interested in a phlebotomy certification, you are in luck. There are numerous schools and resources that help provide the tools and the training that you need. While the economy fluctuates and the job market suffers, the health care industry continues to boom, making this one career choice that offers constancy and stability.
A phlebotomist is primarily responsible for drawing blood. This can be done as per a doctor’s request, or in a clinic or lab that specializes in employee drug testing. Some individuals also choose to work at blood donation sites where the work is pretty straightforward and not prone to an excessive amount of change.
Depending upon where you are hired there are numerous other facets to the position. Many phlebotomists work on other aspects of lab work including the transport of fecal and urine samples for testing. Where ever you go, it is likely that you will need a keen understanding of the proper handling for bio-hazardous materials, adequate and accurate record-keeping and charting skills, and a stellar bedside manner.
Getting blood drawn can be one of the most common and uncomfortable experiences of a standard doctor’s visit. It is the job of the phlebotomist to soothe patient through the procedure. This is done by explaining what is to be done, and by being fast, efficient and effective, through exquisite needle skills.
All of these aspects are covered during the traditional schooling of a phlebotomist. Most two year and four year colleges offer degrees that will help get an individual on the road to certification. Before becoming a bona fide professional however, most states require that you take a certification exam.
This exam is offered by the American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians, and is usually available to take once or twice per month at most accredited schools. The exam itself covers the gamut of responsibilities with a keen focus on anatomy, bedside manner, bio-hazardous waste and proper record keeping. While not all states require this specific form of certification, most employers do. Finding a good paying job requires that you pass the exam. It is also important that you have logged so much hands on experience with an accredited institution before entering the field. This means that you will have to practice your techniques numerous times before you are able to go out in the field.
Having a high school diploma or GED is the absolute starting point for getting on the road to this rewarding career. The next step is to find an accredited college or vocational technical school in Vermont that offers the training that you need to get certified. There are now numerous online schools that will let you get started without even having to leave the home. This means less worry about having to quit your current job in order to return to school, and not having to stress over having sufficient child care or transportation.
Phlebotomy Training in Vermont
Phlebotomy is more than just the technical know-how of collecting or drawing blood of a patient. In many ways, any person who collects biological samples has to walk a very fine and definite line between skill and art. It is as important to know how to handle and interact with patients as it is to master the art of drawing blood. As such, the best Phlebotomy training in Vermont will expose you to the different situations you have to encounter to be able to deal with all aspects that entail phlebotomy.
First and foremost, you must look for a course that is fully accredited and recognized by an independent body or agency. An example of such a body is the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Any phlebotomy training program in Vermont that meets the set standards of these independent bodies should give you a foundation of what you need. While the technical skills are quite uniform among training programs, there are some other important things that you can only master when in a clinical setting. It all boils down to the old medical notion of see one, then do one, and finally teach one. What this means is that you can master everything written on a textbook about how and where the human vein is located for instance. However, until the time you walk into the clinical setting and hold a patients arm, you will never know that the median cubital vein doesn’t read a text book.
Apart from the practical, it is in the clinical setting that you get to learn the importance of social skills required to interact tactfully and professionally with patients and colleagues. Say for example you are assigned to collect blood in the early morning; you will have to walk to a sleeping patient, wake them up and then run and prick a needle in them to draw the blood. It goes without saying that this can be very unsettling for both the patient and you. As such, you should go for a training course that takes the time to address such problems. As health care organizations seek to address staffing issues, medical professionals can be asked to help in different situations and undertake new assignments almost on a daily basis. What this means is that a phlebotomy could be working in the pediatric ward in the morning and then assigned to a different station in the afternoon, as situations demand.
A good phlebotomy training course in Vermont should prepare you for such. If you are contemplating joining a phlebotomy course, ensure you inquire about the duration of practical experience they offer, their professional standards or accreditation, and the skills you should expect to learn.