Having phlebotomy certification is the best way to start a career that allows you to use your skill, to help people who are in need of medical assistance, and most importantly to save human life. Acquiring a phlebotomy US Certification opens more doors for high salary job, having better job benefits, and a respect from you colleagues.
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Some districts and countries require the phlebotomist to be registered or licensed. But now, phlebotomy certification can serve as a single requirement to start a career of being phlebotomist. Luckily, more schools and training centers are offering the phlebotomist aspirants to learn the course for a short period of time.
Phlebotomy schools and training services offers short courses of Phlebotomy. After finishing the course, you are allowed to take the phlebotomy certification exam. The phlebotomy course is normally around 8-24 months.
This depends on the programs that the training and school centers will offer. Along this period of time, the student will learn all the important skill a phlebotomist must know.
This will also offer hands-on training that will help the student to acquire the skill of a true phlebotomist.
Details of Training before the Phlebotomy Certification Test
The training includes how to identify and find a vein, how to extract blood and many more. Aside from skills, you will also learn bedside manners. This is needed to ease the worries of the patient as well as to relax them while having blood extraction.
Vocational training is mostly taken by the aspirants now a day. For the reason that, this is only a short course approximately 11 weeks. 10 weeks are devoted for theoretical studies and 1 week for hands-on training or externship.
In externship, the trainees can apply what they have studied and learned in their theoretical phlebotomy classes.
Several requirements and prerequisites are needed by a phlebotomy student. These are the highschool graduate transcripts or GED, the student should attend classroom instructions for 40 hours, 40 hours given to practical training, and must perform 10 skin punctures as well as 50 venipunctures. The list of requirements comes from California new phlebotomy regulations.
Different Path for your Phlebotomy Certification
They can get the certification from three specified organizations in US.
The organizations are Associations of Phlebotomy Technicians, National Association for Clinical Pathology and American Association for Clinical Pathology.
Requirements to get your Phlebotomy Certification
The three organizations not only require passing the certification examination and finishing a training program instead they needed some additional requirements.
The requirements include definite number of blood extraction that were successful, completion of internship, number of hours in practical training, and number of hours that are spent inside the classroom with additional professional membership.
In addition, the organizations give various examinations that the students should pass. The following are the list of requirements to complete before acquiring phlebotomy certification. These are divided according to organizations:
The Association of Phlebotomy Technicians (APT)
- 100 times of successful venipunctures
- Membership to APT
- 5 times of successful skin punctures
- Completion of a Phlebotomy Training Program
American Society for Clinical Pathology
- Highschool Graduate
- 120 hours of hands-on training
- Completion of 40 hours inside the classroom
- 100 times of successful blood extraction and collection
National Phlebotomy Association
- Should have studied venipuncture techniques
- Should have finished hands-on clinical internship
- 160 hours in the classroom excluded the clinical internship
Therefore, the student must first look at these requirements before enrolling in one training services. Because some schools will help the students in completing all the requirements listed by the organizations. However, phlebotomy certification is worth having for because it will give you more job opportunities that will make your life better.
Getting certified in phlebotomy could be the wisest move a person could ever make. When people get certified they will have better opportunities of employment and also will increase their chances of getting promoted to a position of supervisor or any other higher job position.
The Cost of Phlebotomy Certification Exams
The cost of exams will be different depending on which National Agency that is giving the examination.
Some of the top testing agencies are listed here. If money is a priority then knowing what test will be least expensive will make a difference in choice. Not all agencies will be recognized by the places a person may want to work, however.
This means being certain the correct exam is taken from the right national agency. Money should not be an issue quite as much as a recognized agency is.
- American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians – ASPT will charge around $55 for someone to take their examination. People taking one of these tests will also be required to become a member of the agency. That will mean a small fee is needed to be paid to become a member.
If someone fails an exam they still are considered a member so when they are ready to attempt the test again they will not have to rejoin ASPT. Most states do accept a certification from ASPT.
Health care facilities that employ phlebotomists can be asked if certification from this agency is accepted. They can advise as to which agency to use for certification.
- National Healthcareer Association – NHA also gives certification examinations. Theirs is a bit higher than most but there are no memberships that have to be joined. Their fee for certification exams is $105.
- National Center for Competency Agency – The NCCT will charge $90 for students that are still in class or have graduated in a six month period or less. The regular fee for people who are not students is $135.
- American Medical Technologists – AMT charges fees of $83 for taking their certification test.
- American Certification Agency – AMA charges $100 for their certification exams.
- American Society for Clinical Pathology – ASCP is one of the best known of any national agency. Most states will recognize a certification through them. They charge $135 for certification tests.
On average people will pay between $50 and $135 for their tests in phlebotomy. There are ten agencies in all that give certification exams. That is one reason people should always check with health care facilities before they take examinations.
It is possible to have more than one certification from different agencies. One is all that is needed but having more than one can make a phlebotomist stand out when applying for phlebotomy positions.
Nowadays there are very few health care facilities that will hire someone unless they are certified. They want to know the candidate knows their job well and can perform tasks assigned to them as a phlebotomist. This makes what is spent on an examination well worth the money.