How to Pick the Right Phlebotomy School near New Windsor Maryland

Choosing the right phlebotomy technician training near New Windsor MD is an essential first step toward a rewarding career as a phlebotomist. It may seem like a difficult undertaking to assess and compare each of the school alternatives that are available to you. However it’s important that you do your due diligence to make sure that you receive a quality education. In fact, many potential students begin their search by considering two of the qualifiers that first come to mind, which are cost and location. Yet another factor you may consider is whether to attend classes online or commute to a nearby campus. We’ll discuss a bit more about online classes later in this article. What you need to keep in mind 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 important considerations and must be part of your decision process too. Toward that end, we will supply a list of questions that you need to ask each of the phlebotomy schools you are reviewing to help you select the best one for you. But before we do that, let’s address what a phlebotomist is and does, and afterwards continue our conversation about online schools.

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Should You Choose a Career as a Phlebotomy Tech?

First of all, not many people are likely to know what a phlebotomy tech or phlebotomist is. The basic definition is a medical professional whose job is to draw blood. We will provide more details later. So naturally anyone who selects this profession must be comfortable with blood and needles. And if you are nervous in hospitals or other New Windsor MD medical environments, well this job may not be right for you. And then there are the patients. Phlebotomy Technicians routinely work with anxious people who hate needles or having their blood taken. And because most health care facilities are open around the clock, you may be expected to work weekends, evenings and even on holidays. But if you don’t mind working with the needles and blood, and if you enjoy helping people and are patient and compassionate, this could be the perfect profession for you.

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Phlebotomy Technician Career Description

A phlebotomist, or phlebotomy technician, draws blood from patients. Although that is their principal responsibility, there is in fact so much more to their job description. Prior to drawing a blood sample, a phlebotomist has to confirm that the tools being utilized are sterile and single use only. Following the collection, the sample needs to be accurately labeled with the patient’s data. Next, paperwork needs to be correctly filled out to be able to track the sample from the time of collection through the lab screening process. 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 New Windsor MD laboratories and are in charge of making sure that samples are analyzed correctly utilizing the highest quality control procedures. And if those weren’t sufficient duties, they might be asked to instruct other phlebotomists in the drawing, transport and follow-up process.

Where do Phlebotomy Techs Practice?

The most basic response is wherever there are patients. Their workplaces are numerous and varied, such as New Windsor MD hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes, or blood banks. They can be tasked to collect blood samples from patients of all ages, from infants or young children to seniors. Some phlebotomists, depending on their practice and their training, specialize in drawing samples from a particular kind of patient. For example, those practicing in an assisted living facility or nursing home would only be collecting blood from senior patients. If they are working in a maternity ward, they would be drawing blood from newborns and mothers exclusively. On the other hand, phlebotomy technicians working in a general hospital environment would be drawing blood from a wide variety of patients and would collect samples from different patients each day.

Phlebotomist Training, Licensing and Certification

There are primarily two types of programs that provide phlebotomist training, which are degree and certificate programs. The certificate program usually takes under a year to finish and provides a basic education as well as the training on how to draw blood. It offers the fastest method to becoming a phlebotomy tech. An Associate of Science Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, although not specifically a phlebotomist degree, will provide training on becoming a phlebotomist. Offered at junior and community colleges, they normally take two years to finish. Bachelor’s Degrees are not as accessible and as a 4 year program furnish a more extensive foundation in lab sciences. After you have finished your training, you will no doubt want to become certified. While not required in most states, most New Windsor MD employers look for certification before hiring technicians. Some of the key certifying organizations include:

• National Phlebotomy Association
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
• American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
• American Medical Technologists (AMT)

There are a few states that do call for certification prior to practicing as a phlebotomy tech, like Nevada and California. California and a handful of other states even require licensing. So it’s important that you pick a phlebotomist training program that not only provides a superior education, but also readies you for any certification or licensing exams that you elect or are required to take.

Phlebotomist Online Training

To start with, let’s resolve one possible misconception. You can’t receive all of your phlebotomy training online. A good component of the course of study will be clinical training and it will be performed either in an on-campus lab or an approved healthcare facility. Many courses also require completing an internship prior to graduation. But since the non-clinical component of the training can be attended online, it could be a more convenient alternative for some New Windsor MD students. As an additional benefit, a number of online classes are more affordable than their traditional counterparts. And some costs, including those for commuting or textbooks, may be minimized as well. Just confirm that the online phlebotomist school you choose is accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization (more on accreditation later). With both the comprehensive clinical and online training, you can receive a quality education with this method of learning. If you are disciplined enough to learn at home, then attaining your degree or certificate online might be the best option for you.

Points to Ask Phlebotomy Programs

Since you now have a basic idea about what it takes to become a phlebotomy tech, it’s time to initiate your due diligence process. You might have already picked the type of program you intend to enroll in, whether it be for a degree or a certificate. As we previously mentioned, the location of the school is important if you will be commuting from New Windsor MD in addition to the cost of tuition. Possibly you have opted to enroll in an accredited online phlebotomy school. Each of these decisions are a critical component of the process for picking a phlebotomy school or program. But they are not the sole concerns when making your decision. Below we have provided several questions that you need to ask about each of the colleges you are considering before making your ultimate selection.

Is the Phlebotomy Program Specific to Maryland? As previously mentioned, each state has its own regulations for practicing as a phlebotomist. Some states require certification, while some others require licensing. Every state has its own requirement regarding the minimum hours of practical training completed before practicing as a phlebotomist. Consequently, you may have to pass a State Board, certification or licensing exam. Therefore it’s extremely important to choose a phlebotomist program that meets the state specific requirements for Maryland 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 pick 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 several advantages to graduating from an accredited program aside from a guarantee of a superior education. To begin with, if your program has not received accreditation, you will not qualify to sit for a certification exam administered by any of the earlier listed certifying agencies. Next, accreditation will help in obtaining loans or financial assistance, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools. Last, earning a certificate or a degree from an accredited college can make you more attractive to potential employers in the New Windsor MD job market.

What is the School’s Ranking? In a number of states there is little or no regulation of phlebotomist colleges, so there are some that are not of the highest caliber. So along with accreditation, it’s imperative to check the reputations of all schools you are reviewing. You can begin by requesting references from the schools from employers where they place their students as part of their job placement program. You can research online school reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. You can also check with several New Windsor MD hospitals or clinics that you may be interested in working for and find out if they can offer any recommendations. As a closing thought, you can check with the Maryland school licensing authority and ask if any grievances have been filed or if the colleges are in total compliance.

Is Sufficient Training Provided? First, contact the state regulator where you will be practicing to find out if there are any minimum requirements for the length of training, both classroom and practical. As a minimum, any phlebotomist program that you are reviewing should provide at least 40 hours of classroom training (most require 120) and 120 hours of clinical training. Anything less than these minimums might indicate that the program is not expansive enough to provide adequate training.

Are Internship Programs Provided? Ask the colleges you are reviewing if they have an internship program in collaboration with area healthcare facilities. They are the optimal way to obtain hands-on practical training typically not provided on campus. As an added benefit, internships can help students establish relationships within the local New Windsor MD healthcare community. And they are a plus on resumes as well.

Is Job Placement Assistance Provided? Getting your first phlebotomist job will be a lot easier with the assistance of a job placement program. Inquire if the colleges you are looking at provide assistance and what their job placement percentage is. If a school has a higher rate, signifying they place most of their students in positions, it’s an indication that the college has both an excellent reputation together with an extensive network of professional contacts within the New Windsor MD health care community.

Are Classes Conveniently Scheduled? And last, it’s crucial to confirm that the ultimate program you choose provides classes at times that will accommodate your busy schedule. This is particularly important if you choose to continue working while going to school. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near New Windsor MD, make sure they are available at those times. Also, if you can only attend part-time, make sure it is an option as well. Even if you have decided to attend online, with the practical training requirement, make certain those hours can also be fulfilled within your schedule. And ask what the make-up protocol is in case you need to miss any classes because of emergencies or illness.

Phlebotomy School New Windsor MD

Schools That Offer Phlebotomy New Windsor Maryland

Making sure that you choose the ideal phlebotomist training is an important first step toward your success in this rewarding health care career position. As we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that go into the selection of a superior program. Phlebotomy training programs are offered in a number of academic institutions, including community or junior colleges, trade schools, and colleges and universities that provide a comprehensive range of courses in healthcare and medical sciences. Training program offerings may vary somewhat across the country as every state has its own criteria when it concerns phlebotomist training, licensing and certification. The most critical point is that you must diligently evaluate and compare each college prior to making your final selection. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Schools That Offer Phlebotomy and to get more information regarding Certificate Phlebotomy.  However, by addressing the questions that we have provided, you will be able to fine tune your choices so that you can select the ideal phlebotomy college for you. And with the proper education, you can reach your goal of becoming a phlebotomist in New Windsor MD.

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