How to Enroll in the Best Phlebotomy Training Course near Schwenksville Pennsylvania

Selecting the right phlebotomy technician school near Schwenksville PA is an essential first step toward a fulfilling career as a phlebotomist. It might seem like a challenging task to investigate and compare each of the school options that are available to you. Nevertheless it’s vital that you do your due diligence to make sure that you receive a quality education. In reality, many prospective students start the process by looking at two of the qualifiers that initially come to mind, which are cost and location. An additional option you may consider is whether to attend online classes or commute to an area campus. We’ll talk 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 reputation and accreditation are also important considerations and must be part of your selection process too. Toward that end, we will furnish a list of questions that you should ask each of the phlebotomy schools you are evaluating to help you pick the right one for you. But before we do that, let’s address what a phlebotomist is and does, and afterwards resume our discussion about online classes.

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Should You Choose a Career as a Phlebotomy Tech?

First of all, few people probably know what a phlebotomy tech or phlebotomist is. The basic definition is a medical professional whose job is to draw blood. We will go into more depth later. So of course anyone who chooses this profession must be comfortable with needles and blood. And if you are nervous in hospitals or other Schwenksville PA medical environments, well this job may not be the best choice for you. And now let’s talk about the patients. Phlebotomists often work around nervous people who hate needles or having a blood sample drawn. And because many medical facilities are open around the clock, you will probably be required to work weekends, evenings and, you guessed it even on holidays. But if you don’t mind working with the blood and needles, and if you enjoy interacting with people and are compassionate and very patient, this may be the perfect profession for you.

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Phlebotomist Career Description

A phlebotomist, or phlebotomy technician, collects blood samples from patients. Although that is their principal task, there is actually much more to their job description. Prior to drawing a blood sample, a phlebotomist must verify that the tools being employed are sterile and single use only. Following the collection, the sample must be properly labeled with the patient’s information. Next, paperwork has to be properly filled out in order to track the sample from the point of collection through the laboratory screening procedure. The phlebotomist then transports the blood to either an in-house lab or to an outside lab facility where it can be screened for such things as pregnancy, infectious diseases or blood type. Many phlebotomists in fact work in Schwenksville PA labs and are responsible for making sure that samples are analyzed properly utilizing the highest quality assurance procedures. And if those weren’t sufficient duties, they may be called upon to train other phlebotomists in the drawing, delivery and follow-up process.

Where do Phlebotomy Techs Practice?

The quickest answer is wherever they treat patients. Their work places are numerous and varied, including Schwenksville PA medical clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, or blood centers. They can be charged to collect blood samples from patients of of every age, from infants or young children to senior citizens. A number of phlebotomists, depending on their practice and their training, specialize in drawing samples from a specific type of patient. For instance, those practicing in a nursing home or assisted living facility would solely be collecting blood from senior patients. If they are practicing in a maternity ward, they would be drawing blood from mothers and newborns solely. On the other hand, phlebotomy technicians practicing in a general hospital setting would be drawing samples from a wide range of patients and would work with different patients each day.

Phlebotomy Education, Licensing and Certification

There are essentially two types of programs that furnish phlebotomist training, which are certificate and degree programs. The certificate program typically takes under a year to finish and provides a general education as well as the training on how to draw blood. It provides the quickest route to becoming a phlebotomy tech. An Associate of Science Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, even though it’s not exclusively a phlebotomy degree, will incorporate training on becoming a phlebotomy tech. Offered at community and junior colleges, they usually take 2 years to complete. Bachelor’s Degrees are not as accessible 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 become certified. While not required in most states, most Schwenksville PA employers look for certification before employing technicians. Some of the principal 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 prior to practicing as a phlebotomist, like Nevada and California. California and a few other states even require licensing. So it’s important that you pick a phlebotomy training program that not only supplies a quality education, but also prepares you for any licensing or certification examinations that you elect or are required to take.

Online Phlebotomy Classes

To begin with, let’s resolve one potential misconception. You can’t get all of your phlebotomist training online. A significant component 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 completing an internship prior to graduation. But since the non-clinical part of the training can be attended online, it may be a more convenient option for some Schwenksville PA students. As an additional benefit, many online schools are less expensive than their on-campus counterparts. And some expenditures, for instance those for textbooks or commuting, may be minimized as well. Just make certain that the online phlebotomy school you choose is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization (more on accreditation to follow). With both the extensive clinical and online training, you can obtain a quality education with this method of learning. If you are disciplined enough to study at home, then obtaining your degree or certificate online may be the right option for you.

What to Ask Phlebotomist Programs

Now that you have a general idea about what is involved in becoming a phlebotomist, it’s time to initiate your due diligence process. You may have already picked the kind of program you intend to enroll in, whether it be for a degree or a certificate. As we previously mentioned, the location of the campus is significant if you will be commuting from Schwenksville PA as well as the tuition expense. Perhaps you have opted to enroll in an accredited phlebotomy online college. All of these decisions are a critical part of the process for choosing a phlebotomy program or school. But they are not the sole concerns when arriving at your decision. Below we have provided a few questions that you should ask about all of the schools you are looking at prior to making your final selection.

Is the Phlebotomy Program Specific to Your State? As previously mentioned, each state has its own requirements for practicing as a phlebotomist. Several states call for certification, while some others require licensing. Every state has its own requirement regarding the minimum hours of clinical training performed before working as a phlebotomy tech. As a result, you might have to pass a State Board, certification or licensing examination. Therefore it’s extremely important to enroll in a phlebotomist program that satisfies the state specific requirements for Pennsylvania or the state where you will be working and prepares you for any examinations you may be required to take.

Is the Program Accredited? The phlebotomist program and school you enroll in should be accredited by a highly regarded national or regional accrediting agency, such as the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). There are many advantages to graduating from an accredited school aside from a guarantee of a premium education. First, if your program is not accredited, you will not qualify to take a certification examination offered by any of the previously listed certifying agencies. Also, accreditation will help in obtaining financial aid or loans, which are often not available for non-accredited programs. Finally, earning a certificate or a degree from an accredited school can make you more attractive to future employers in the Schwenksville PA job market.

What is the School’s Ranking? In numerous states there is minimal 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 schools you are looking at. You can begin by asking the schools for references from employers where they place their students as part of their job assistance program. You can research internet school rating and review services and solicit the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. You can even contact a few Schwenksville PA clinics or hospitals that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can offer any recommendations. As a final thought, you can check with the Pennsylvania school licensing authority and find out if any grievances have been submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.

Is Adequate Training Included? First, 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 furnish no less than 40 hours of classroom training (most require 120) and 120 hours of clinical training. Anything below these minimums may indicate that the program is not expansive enough to offer adequate training.

Are Internships Provided? Find out from the schools you are considering if they have an internship program in partnership with area healthcare facilities. They are the optimal means to receive hands-on practical training frequently not available on campus. As an additional benefit, internships can assist students develop relationships within the local Schwenksville PA healthcare community. And they look good on resumes also.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Getting your first phlebotomist job will be a lot easier with the help of a job placement program. Inquire if the schools you are looking at provide assistance and what their job placement rate is. If a college has a higher rate, signifying they place the majority of their students in jobs, it’s an indication that the college has both a good reputation as well as an extensive network of professional contacts within the Schwenksville PA health care community.

Are Class Times Available as Needed? Finally, it’s crucial to confirm that the ultimate school you select provides classes at times that are compatible with your hectic lifestyle. This is particularly important if you opt to still work while attending college. If you need to go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Schwenksville PA, check that they are offered at those times. Also, if you can only attend part-time, confirm it is an option also. And if you have decided to attend online, with the clinical training requirement, make certain those hours can also be fulfilled within your schedule. And ask what the make-up protocol is should you need to miss any classes as a result of emergencies or illness.

Best Phlebotomy Schools Near Me Schwenksville PA

Weekend Phlebotomy Classes Schwenksville Pennsylvania

Making sure that you pick the most suitable phlebotomist training is an important first step toward your success in this gratifying healthcare career position. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that contribute toward the selection of a superior program. Phlebotomist certificate or degree programs can be found in a wide range of educational institutes, such as community or junior colleges, trade schools, and colleges and universities that offer a wide array of programs in healthcare and medical sciences. Program offerings can differ a bit from state to state as each state has its own prerequisites when it pertains to phlebotomy training, certification and licensing. The most important point is that you need to carefully research and compare each college before making your final choice. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Weekend Phlebotomy Classes and to get more information regarding Phlebotomy Weekend Course.  However, by addressing the questions that we have provided, you will be able to fine tune your choices so that you can pick the ideal phlebotomy program for you. And with the appropriate education, you can accomplish your goal of becoming a phlebotomist in Schwenksville PA.

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