Phlebotomy Courses: What Will You Study?

If you are thinking about enrolling in phlebotomy courses, you probably are wondering what exactly you’ll be studying, and for how long.

That depends. There will likely be some variation between phlebotomy courses depending on which school you choose and where it’s located. Prerequisites at some schools for taking phlebotomy courses may be as simple as requiring a high school diploma or GED; others may also require that the student be18 years old, carry liability insurance (often included in the course fee), undergo a criminal background check, drug testing and immunizations as required by state law. You may also be required to purchase scrubs for the lab work or clinicals.

Schools may also have pre-requisites, such as requiring students to have completed testing for rubeola, mumps and rubella, tuberculosis screening, hepatitis, varicella and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation before they can attend clinicals.

Generally speaking, however, most phlebotomy courses will cover pretty much the same ground through a combination of didactic, student laboratory and clinical experiences. While many schools may also offer a large portion of coursework through online studies, aspiring phlebotomists should also count on considerable time in the laboratory learning to prick fingers and draw blood from fellow students or practicing venipuncture on mannequins in the lab or real patients in a clinic. Videos, lectures, online research and demonstrations will also be a likely part of your learning experience.

One textbook common to many phlebotomy courses is Phlebotomy Handbook: Blood Specimen Collection from Basic to Advanced (Prentice Hall) by Diana Garza and Kathleen Becan-McBride. Since it’s a bit pricey (it lists for $66.15 but used copies can be found online), it may be advisable to wait until you know which textbook your school may use. Otherwise, it can offer prospective students insight into what they’re likely going to be doing.

Students who successfully complete phlebotomy courses should have an overview of the practice and regulatory issues affecting phlebotomists; a firm understanding of anatomy and physiology; be well versed in infection control, safety and first aid; a firm grasp of documentation, transporting and handling specimens and blood collection equipment; able to demonstrate ability and knowledge in venipuncture, skin puncture procedures and complications in blood collection; specialty collections; and body fluid collections.

In the overview of the practice and regulatory issues, students must define the practice and identify health professionals who perform phlebotomy procedures, identify the importance of those procedures to the patient’s overall care, list professional competencies for phlebotomists and key elements of an employer’s performance assessment. Students will also cover areas such as informed consent and key elements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The anatomy and physiology studies will cover, among other things, terminology, purpose, function and structural components of the body system, list common diagnostic tests associated with each organ system, trace the flow of blood through the cardiovascular system and locate and name the veins most commonly used for phlebotomy procedures.

In the area of infection control, safety and first aid, students should expect to learn such things as how to identify the basic programs for infection control, exhibit the proper techniques for hand washing, gowning, gloving, making, double bagging and entering various isolation areas, identify steps to avoid transmission of blood-borne pathogens and explain the safety policies and procedures that must be followed in all phases of specimen collection and transportation.

Identifying the types of equipment needed to collect blood by venipuncture, knowing the types of anticoagulants used in blood collection and the vacuum collection color codes are also areas aspiring students should expect to cover.

On top of that, expect to learn how to identify the most appropriate sites of venipuncture and describe situations when those sites may not be acceptable, describe the process and time limits for applying a tourniquet to a patient’s arm, and explain why controlling the depth of the puncture is necessary. Students will also learn to identify puncture sites for a heel stick on an infant and describe the procedures. In addition, students will also learn about point of care testing and collecting blood from the elderly.

Quite simply, there’s more to phlebotomy than just sticking a needle into a vein. That’s why prospective students should investigate carefully the phlebotomy courses being offered to ensure their education will fully prepare them for their phlebotomist career.