What is a Phlebotomist and What do They do?
Do you have a keen eye for detail and possess manual dexterity? Then starting your career in phlebotomy might be the perfect career for you! What is a phlebotomist you may ask? A phlebotomist is a medical professional who draws blood from patients for various lab tests and procedures. Their job is highly technical and requires special training that can be received here, at Lamson Institute.
To further answer the question of “what is a phlebotomist?” let’s look in to the detail of what their job duties entail. A phlebotomy technician is required to take blood samples from all different types of patients, ranging from infants to elderly people. They are also required to perform basic laboratory tasks that include setting up samples for analysis and entering lab results into the computer.
A technician must be skilled at performing venipunctures, while simultaneously taking precautions to avoid any possible infections. A venipuncture consists of locating the correct size vein on the arm in which to administer the proper needle for blood recovery. After locating the vein, they will insert the needle and draw the blood as trained. When done properly, little or no pain will be experienced by the patient during the procedure. In order for a phlebotomist to perform their job proficiently, they must have thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the limbs, especially of the bend of the arm and its blood vessels and nerves. After performing the venipunctures, they pass the samples to a laboratory technician who can perform hematology testing.
A phlebotomy technician will be CPR trained and will also be prepared to identify any potential hazardous situations that could come as a result of withdrawing patients’ blood. They are also in charge of explaining the procedure to patients beforehand and should assist in the recovery of the patients with adverse reactions afterwards.
So what is a phlebotomist? They are well trained professionals who are an extremely important member of any medical team. At Lamson Institute we offer our Lab Assistant, EKG Technician/Phlebotomist course that will give you the proper training you need to get started in the medical field. It’s time to do something and make a change for yourself, check out Lamson Institute today for more information!
Like Lamson Institute on Facebook!