How to Enroll in the Right Phlebotomy Technician Training Course near Ulster Park New York
Enrolling in the right phlebotomist training near Ulster Park NY is an important first step toward a rewarding career as a phlebotomist. It might seem like a difficult undertaking to investigate and compare each of the school alternatives that are available to you. Nevertheless it’s important that you do your due diligence to make sure that you receive a quality education. In reality, most potential students start their search by considering two of the qualifiers that initially come to mind, which are cost and location. An additional option you may look into is whether to attend online classes or commute to an area campus. We’ll talk more about online schools later in this article. What you need to keep in mind is that there is much 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 should be part of your decision process also. Toward that end, we will furnish a list of questions that you should ask each of the phlebotomy schools you are reviewing to help you pick the best one for you. But before we do that, let’s cover what a phlebotomist is and does, and afterwards continue our conversation about online schools.
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Should You Train to Be a Phlebotomy Tech?
Right out of the gate, few people probably know what a phlebotomy tech or phlebotomist is. The basic answer is a medical professional who draws blood from patients. We will provide more details later. So naturally anyone who chooses this profession must be comfortable with needles and blood. And if you are not comfortable in hospitals or other Ulster Park NY medical facilities, well this job may not be the best choice for you. And now let’s talk about the patients. Phlebotomy Technicians routinely work with nervous people who hate needles or having their blood drawn. And because many medical facilities are open 24 hours, you may be required to work weekends, evenings and even on holidays. But if you don’t mind working with the needles and blood, and if you enjoy interacting with people and are patient and compassionate, this may be the right profession for you.
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Phlebotomist Work Description
A phlebotomist, or phlebotomy tech, draws blood from patients. Although that is their primary duty, there is actually so much more to their job description. Prior to collecting a blood sample, a phlebotomist needs to check that the tools being employed are single use only and sterile. After collection, the sample must be accurately labeled with the patient’s information. Next, paperwork needs to be accurately filled out in order to track the sample from the point of collection through the lab testing procedure. The phlebotomist then delivers the blood to either an an outside lab facility or an in-house lab where it can be screened for such things as pregnancy, infectious diseases or blood type. Many phlebotomists actually work in Ulster Park NY labs and are responsible for making sure that samples are analyzed correctly under the highest quality assurance procedures. And if those weren’t sufficient responsibilities, they might be required to train other phlebotomists in the drawing, delivery and follow-up process.
Where are Phlebotomists Employed?
The quickest answer is wherever there are patients. Their work environments are numerous and diverse, including Ulster Park NY hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes, or blood banks. They can be tasked to collect blood samples from patients of all ages, from babies or toddlers to senior citizens. A number of phlebotomy techs, depending on their training and their practice, specialize in drawing blood from a certain type of patient. For instance, those practicing in a nursing home or assisted living facility would only be collecting blood from elderly patients. If they are working in a maternity ward, they would be drawing blood from mothers and newborns solely. On the other hand, phlebotomists working in a general hospital environment would be drawing blood from a wide variety of patients and would collect samples from new patients every day.
Phlebotomy Training, Certification and Licensing
There are basically two kinds of programs that offer phlebotomist training, which are certificate and degree programs. The certificate program generally takes less than a year to finish and offers a basic education together with the training on how to draw blood. It offers the fastest route to becoming a phlebotomist. An Associate of Science Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, although not specifically a phlebotomy degree, will include training on becoming a phlebotomy tech. Offered at community and junior colleges, they typically require two years to complete. Bachelor’s Degrees are less available and as a four year program offer a more expansive background in lab sciences. After you have completed your training, you will no doubt want to get certified. While not required in most states, most Ulster Park NY employers look for certification prior to employing technicians. Some of the principal certifying agencies 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 require certification in order to practice as a phlebotomy tech, including California and Nevada. California and a few other states even require licensing. So it’s important that you choose a phlebotomist training program that not only offers a premium education, but also prepares you for any licensing or certification examinations that you are required or elect to take.
Phlebotomy Online Colleges
To start with, let’s resolve one likely misconception. You can’t obtain all of your phlebotomy training online. A good portion of the curriculum will be clinical training and it will be performed either in an on-campus lab or an approved healthcare facility. Many courses also require completion of an internship in order to graduate. However since the non-clinical part of the training can be attended online, it might be a more convenient option for many Ulster Park NY students. As an added benefit, some online colleges are less expensive than their traditional counterparts. And some expenses, including those for textbooks or commuting, may be lowered as well. Just make certain that the online phlebotomist program you enroll in is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency (more on accreditation later). With both the extensive clinical and online training, you can receive a superior education with this method of learning. If you are disciplined enough to study at home, then obtaining your certificate or degree online might be the right option for you.
Points to Ask Phlebotomy Colleges
Now that you have a general idea about what is involved in becoming a phlebotomist, it’s time to start your due diligence process. You may have already decided on the type of program you wish to enroll in, whether it be for a certificate or a degree. As we previously mentioned, the location of the campus is significant if you will be commuting from Ulster Park NY in addition to the tuition expense. Perhaps you have opted to enroll in an accredited online phlebotomy program. Each of these decisions are a critical component of the procedure for picking a phlebotomy school or program. But they are not the only considerations when making your decision. Following are several questions that you need to ask about all of the colleges you are reviewing before making your ultimate selection.
Is the Phlebotomist Program Specific to New York? As mentioned previously, each state has its own requirements for practicing as a phlebotomist. Some states call for certification, while a few others mandate licensing. Every state has its own prerequisite regarding the minimum hours of clinical training completed before practicing as a phlebotomist. Consequently, you may have to pass a State Board, licensing or certification examination. Therefore it’s very important to select a phlebotomist program that complies with the state specific requirements for New York or the state where you will be working and prepares you for all examinations you may be required to take.
Is the College Accredited? The phlebotomist program and school you select should be accredited by a highly regarded regional or national accrediting agency, for example the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). There are many advantages to graduating from an accredited program aside from a guarantee of a superior education. First, if your program has not received accreditation, you will not qualify to sit for a certification examination offered by any of the previously listed certifying organizations. Next, accreditation will help in obtaining financial aid or loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Last, graduating from an accredited college can make you more desirable to prospective employers in the Ulster Park NY job market.
What is the Program’s Reputation? In numerous states there is little or no regulation of phlebotomy colleges, so there are some that are not of the highest quality. So along with accreditation, it’s imperative to check out the reputations of all colleges you are considering. You can start by requesting references from the schools from employers where they place their graduates as part of their job assistance program. You can screen internet school rating and review services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. You can even contact some Ulster Park NY clinics or hospitals that you may be interested in working for and see if they can offer any recommendations. As a final thought, you can contact the New York school licensing authority and find out if any grievances have been filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
Is Ample Training Included? To begin with, contact the state regulator where you will be working to find out if there are any minimum requirements for the amount of training, both classroom and practical. As a minimum, any phlebotomy program that you are looking at should provide no less than 40 hours of classroom training (the majority require 120) and 120 hours of practical training. Anything lower than these minimums might indicate that the program is not expansive enough to furnish adequate training.
Are Internship Programs Provided? Find out from the programs you are looking at if they have an internship program in partnership with local health care facilities. They are the optimal way to get hands-on practical training typically not obtainable on campus. As an added benefit, internships can assist students establish relationships within the local Ulster Park NY medical community. And they look good on resumes also.
Is Job Placement Assistance Available? Landing your first phlebotomy position will be much easier with the support of a job placement program. Inquire if the programs you are reviewing provide assistance and what their job placement percentage is. If a school has a higher rate, meaning they place most of their students in positions, it’s an indication that the college has both a good reputation along with an extensive network of professional contacts within the Ulster Park NY healthcare community.
Are Class Times Compatible With Your Schedule? And last, it’s important to make sure that the ultimate college you pick offers classes at times that are compatible with your hectic lifestyle. This is especially true if you opt to still work while attending college. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Ulster Park NY, check that they are offered at those times. Additionally, if you can only attend part-time, make sure it is an option as well. Even if you have decided to study online, with the clinical training requirement, make sure those hours can also be fulfilled within your schedule. And ask what the make-up procedure is in case you have to miss any classes because of emergencies or illness.
Colleges That Offer Phlebotomy Program Near Me Ulster Park NY
Weekend Phlebotomy Classes Ulster Park New York
Making certain that you enroll in the ideal phlebotomy training is a critical first step toward your success in this rewarding healthcare career position. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that contribute toward the selection of a premium program. Phlebotomy training programs are offered in a variety of educational institutions, including community or junior colleges, trade schools, and colleges and universities that provide a comprehensive range of programs in medical care and health sciences. Training program options may vary somewhat across the country as every state has its own criteria when it concerns phlebotomy training, certification and licensing. The most critical point is that you need to carefully research and compare each school before making your ultimate decision. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Weekend Phlebotomy Classes and to get more information regarding Phlebotomy Training Classes Near Me. However, by addressing the questions that we have furnished, you will be able to fine tune your choices so that you can pick the right phlebotomist program for you. And with the appropriate training, you can realize your goal of becoming a phlebotomy technician in Ulster Park NY.
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Ulster County, New York
Ulster County comprises the Kingston, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area. It is in the Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley.
When part of the New Netherland colony, the area of present-day Ulster County was called "Esopus" by Dutch settlers after the Esopus tribe of the Lenape indigenous people. In 1652, Thomas Chambers, a freeholder from the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, purchased land at Esopus and began trading there. In 1654, Johan de Hulter, owner of 20% of the Killian van Rensselaer Company, was granted a patent which, together with the patents of Christoffel Davids and Jacob Jansen Stoll, supplies evidence of the first permanent European settlement which grew into the village of Wiltwijck, which the English later named Kingston. In 1683, the Duke of York created twelve counties in his province, one of which was Ulster County. Its boundaries at that time included the present Sullivan County, and portions of the present Delaware, Orange, and Greene Counties.
Ulster County is in the southeast part of New York State, south of Albany, immediately west of the Hudson River. Much of the county is within the Catskill Mountains and the Shawangunk Ridge. Ulster County has Minnewaska State Park, Mohonk Preserve, Sundown State Park, VerNooykill State Forest, Witches Hole State Forest, and Shawangunk Ridge State Forest and Sam's Point Preserve, which includes rare dwarf pine trees and VerKeerderkill falls.
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