How to Select the Right Phlebotomy Tech School near Greenville Kentucky
Choosing the right phlebotomy school near Greenville KY is an essential first step toward a gratifying profession as a phlebotomist. It might seem like a daunting undertaking to analyze and compare all of the school options that are available to you. Nevertheless it’s necessary that you complete your due diligence to make certain that you receive a superior education. In fact, most prospective students start their search by looking at 2 of the qualifiers that initially come to mind, which are cost and location. An additional factor you might consider is whether to attend online classes or commute to a local campus. We’ll discuss more about online classes later in this article. What’s important to remember is that there is a lot more to comparing phlebotomy training programs than finding the closest or the cheapest one. Other variables including accreditation and reputation are also significant considerations and should be part of your selection process as well. Toward that end, we will provide a list of questions that you should ask each of the phlebotomy schools you are assessing to help you choose the right one for you. But before we do that, let’s address what a phlebotomist is and does, and then resume our conversation about online classes.
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Should You Choose a Career as a Plebotomist?
Right out of the gate, few people probably know what a phlebotomist or phlebotomy technician is. The short answer is a health care professional who draws blood from patients. We will go into more depth later. So naturally anyone who selects this profession must be able to handle blood and needles. And if you are not comfortable in hospitals or other Greenville KY medical environments, well this profession probably is not the best choice for you. And now let’s talk about the patients. Phlebotomists tend to work with anxious people who hate needles or having a blood sample taken. And because most health care facilities are open 24 hours, you will probably be expected to work weekends, nights and, you guessed it even on holidays. But if you can handle the hours and the needles and blood, and if you enjoy interacting with people and are compassionate and very patient, this may be the perfect job for you.
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Phlebotomist Job Description
A phlebotomist, or phlebotomy tech, collects blood samples from patients. While that is their main responsibility, there is in fact much more to their job description. Before collecting a blood sample, a phlebotomist must check that the tools being used are single use only and sterile. After collection, the sample has to be correctly labeled with the patient’s data. Next, paperwork needs to be properly filled out to be able to track the sample from the point of collection through the lab screening procedure. The phlebotomist then delivers the blood to either an in-house lab or to an outside lab facility where it can be tested for such things as pregnancy, infectious diseases or blood type. Some phlebotomists in fact work in Greenville KY laboratories and are accountable for making sure that samples are tested correctly utilizing the strictest quality control procedures. And if those weren’t enough duties, they can be asked to instruct other phlebotomists in the collection, transport and follow-up process.
Where do Phlebotomy Techs Practice?
The most basic response is wherever patients are treated. Their work places are many and diverse, including Greenville KY hospitals, medical clinics, long-term care facilities, or blood banks. They can be tasked to draw blood samples from patients of all ages, from infants or young children to senior citizens. A number of phlebotomy techs, depending on their practice and their training, specialize in collecting blood from a certain kind of patient. For instance, those working in an assisted living facility or nursing home would exclusively be drawing blood from older patients. If they are practicing in a maternity ward, they would be drawing blood from mothers and newborns solely. On the other hand, phlebotomists practicing in a general hospital setting would be drawing blood from a wide range of patients and would collect samples from different patients on a daily basis.
Phlebotomy Technician Education, Certification and Licensing
There are essentially two types of programs that offer phlebotomist training, which are degree and certificate programs. The certificate program typically takes under a year to complete and offers a general education as well as the training on how to draw blood. It provides the fastest route to becoming a phlebotomist. An Associate of Science Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, although not specifically a phlebotomy degree, will provide training to become a phlebotomy tech. Offered at community and junior colleges, they typically require 2 years to finish. Bachelor’s Degrees are not as available and as a 4 year program offer a more comprehensive background in lab sciences. When you have finished your training, you will no doubt want to get certified. Although not required in most states, most Greenville KY employers require certification before employing technicians. Some of the primary certifying organizations include:
- National Phlebotomy Association
- National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
- American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
- American Medical Technologists (AMT)
There are some states that do call for certification in order to practice as a phlebotomist, including California and Nevada. California and a few other states even require licensing. So it’s imperative that you enroll in a phlebotomist training program that not only offers a premium education, but also prepares you for any certification or licensing exams that you are required or elect to take.
Online Phlebotomist Training
First, let’s dispel one potential misconception. You can’t get all of your phlebotomist training online. A substantial portion of the course of study will be clinical training and it will be carried out either in an on-campus lab or an approved healthcare facility. Numerous courses also require completion of an internship prior to graduation. However since the non-clinical part of the training may be accessed online, it may be a more convenient option for many Greenville KY students. As an additional benefit, some online classes are more affordable than their traditional competitors. And some costs, including those for textbooks or commuting, may be lessened as well. Just make sure that the online phlebotomist school you enroll in is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency (more on accreditation later). With both the comprehensive clinical and online training, you can receive a superior education with this approach to learning. If you are dedicated enough to learn at home, then earning your certificate or degree online might be the ideal option for you.
Points to Ask Phlebotomy Colleges
Now that you have a basic understanding about what it takes to become a phlebotomy tech, it’s time to initiate your due diligence process. You might have already decided on the kind of program you want to enroll in, whether it be for a degree or a certificate. As we mentioned earlier, the location of the school is significant if you will be commuting from Greenville KY in addition to the tuition expense. Maybe you have decided to enroll in an accredited online phlebotomist college. All of these decisions are a critical part of the procedure for picking a phlebotomy school or program. But they are not the only concerns when arriving at your decision. Below we have provided some questions that you should ask about each of the colleges you are looking at prior to making your final decision.
Is the Phlebotomist Program Specific to Your State? As previously mentioned, each state has its own requirements for practicing as a phlebotomy technician. Several states call for certification, while some others require licensing. Each has its own prerequisite regarding the minimum amount of practical training performed before practicing as a phlebotomist. As a result, you might have to pass a State Board, licensing or certification examination. Therefore it’s extremely important to enroll in a phlebotomy program that complies with the state specific requirements for Kentucky or the state where you will be working and preps you for any examinations you may be required to take.
Is the School Accredited? The phlebotomy program and school you select should be accredited by a highly regarded regional or national accrediting agency, such as the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). There are many benefits to graduating from an accredited program aside from an assurance of a quality education. First, if your program has not received accreditation, you will not qualify to take a certification examination administered by any of the previously listed certifying agencies. Next, accreditation will help in obtaining financial aid or loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Finally, graduating from an accredited college can make you more attractive to prospective employers in the Greenville KY job market.
What is the Program’s Ranking? In numerous states there is little or no regulation of phlebotomy schools, so there are some that are not of the highest quality. So along with accreditation, it’s important to check out the reputations of all schools you are looking at. You can start by requesting references from the schools from employers where they place their students as part of their job assistance program. You can research internet school reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. You can also check with a few Greenville KY clinics or hospitals that you might be interested in working for and see if they can provide any recommendations. As a final thought, you can contact the Kentucky school licensing authority and find out if any complaints have been submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.
Is Ample Training Provided? To begin with, check with the state regulator where you will be working to learn if there are any minimum requirements for the length of training, both clinical and classroom. As a minimum, any phlebotomist program that you are looking at should provide no less than 40 hours of classroom training (the majority require 120) and 120 hours of clinical training. Anything below these minimums might indicate that the program is not expansive enough to offer sufficient training.
Are Internships Sponsored? Find out from the schools you are looking at if they have an internship program in partnership with local healthcare facilities. They are the optimal means to get hands-on practical training frequently not obtainable on campus. As an added benefit, internships can help students develop contacts within the local Greenville KY healthcare community. And they look good on resumes as well.
Is Job Placement Support Provided? Landing your first phlebotomist job will be much easier with the support of a job placement program. Find out if the programs you are considering offer assistance and what their job placement percentage is. If a school has a high rate, signifying they place the majority of their students in jobs, it’s an indication that the program has both a good reputation along with a substantial network of professional contacts within the Greenville KY health care community.
Are Classes Available as Needed? Finally, it’s critical to confirm that the final program you select provides classes at times that are compatible with your active lifestyle. This is particularly true if you decide to continue working while going to college. If you need to attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Greenville KY, make sure they are available at those times. Additionally, if you can only attend part-time, verify it is an option as well. Even if you have decided to study online, with the practical training requirement, make certain those hours can also be fulfilled within your schedule. And ask what the make-up procedure is should you have to miss any classes due to illness or emergencies.
Medical Assistant Phlebotomist Greenville KY
Local Phlebotomy Tech Colleges Near Me Greenville Kentucky
Making sure that you select the right phlebotomist training is an important first step toward your success in this fulfilling medical care field. As we have discussed in this article, there are multiple factors that go into the selection of a quality college. Phlebotomy training programs can be available in a variety of academic institutes, such as community or junior colleges, vocational schools, and colleges and universities that offer an extensive array of programs in medical care and health sciences. Program offerings may vary somewhat from state to state as every state has its own mandates when it concerns phlebotomy training, licensing and certification. The most important point is that you need to diligently evaluate and compare each school prior to making your final choice. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Local Phlebotomy Tech Colleges Near Me and to get more information regarding Fast Track Phlebotomy Programs Near Me. However, by asking the questions that we have furnished, you will be able to fine tune your choices so that you can select the best phlebotomy college for you. And with the proper training, you can reach your goal of becoming a phlebotomy technician in Greenville KY.
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Greenville, Kentucky
The town was settled in 1799 on an estate donated by local landowner William Campbell in order to establish a seat of government for a new county. Greenville was not established by the state assembly until 1812, however.[3] It was incorporated as a city in 1848.[4]
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 4,398 people, 1,859 households, and 1,217 families residing in the city. The population density was 921.7 people per square mile (356.0/km²). There were 2,047 housing units at an average density of 429.0 per square mile (165.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.88% White, 8.75% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.30% of the population.
There were 1,859 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.75.
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