Phlebotomists

WHAT IS PHLEBOTOMY?

Phlebotomy is the practice of drawing blood for laboratory testing or transfusion.  Phlebotomists may also be responsible for collecting urine samples in order to check for occult blood in the specimen.

Phlebotomy is one of a variety of allied health or lab technician fields vital to the work of a hospital or medical practice.  Doctors rely on blood samples to diagnose a wide variety of diseases and in order to assess the general health of their patients.  Phlebotomists are also essential to every blood bank in order to collect each community’s supply of plasma and whole blood for transfusions and other medical procedures and surgeries. (more)

PHLEBOTOMY: DECIPHERING THE JARGON

Like any technical field, phlebotomy is riddled with technical words and acronyms.  This article attempts to define some of the more prevalent of these terms and organizes it into a glossary

GLOSSARY OF PHLEBOTOMY TERMS

Blood— The adult body contains about 6 quarts of blood which includes plasma consisting of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.  Virtually every type of disease plays itself out in the blood in one way or another. (more)

WORKING CONDITIONS AND SALARY FOR PHLEBOTOMISTS

Modern day phlebotomists labor under a variety of work conditions.  There is also no standard salary that a phlebotomist can expect.  Salary will depend on the type of work institution and the location.

Salary.com lists the U.S. national average salary for a phlebotomist at the 10% percentile at $22,932 to $33,067 at the 90^th percentile.  Median salary by region: (more)

Agencies Who Certify
A Phlebotomist

1. American Society of Clinical Pathologists
2. American Association of Medical Personnel
3. National Phlebotomy Association
4. American Medical Technologists
5. National Credentialing Agency
6. National Healthcareer Association
7. Other local agencies may also be able to certify a phlebotomist

HOW DO I BECOME A PHLEBOTOMIST?

Phlebotomy, the medical technology practice of drawing blood and urine samples for occult blood testing is a fast growing career field in the U.S.  Phlebotomists enjoy a field where work is plentiful and salaries are attractive. This is also a technical career choice that does not take many years to master.

Most phlebotomists gain their skills through a two year technical, community college or hospital training program.  Start by searching one of the certification agency sites (more)