Phlebotomy Specialist = the BEST!
Who Draws Blood?
Individuals with widely different backgrounds and training are drawing blood in physicians' offices and
laboratories. They range from employees with no medical or laboratory background, to certified phlebotomy
technicians, to medical technologists, who are highly skilled professionals that have studied the theory and
practice of venipuncture and specimen handling, as well as laboratory testing. There are many medical, emergency,
and health care professionals who draw blood by venipuncture or skin puncture! People who routinely draw blood may
be medical doctors and physicians andnd licensed health care professionals such as:
Nurses (RN, LPN, LVN)
Physician assistants
Laboratory technologists
EMT personnel
Disease intervention specialists
Medical researchers
Allied Health Professionals such as
Medical assistants
Phlebotomy specialists
Clinical Lab Instructors
Job Responsibilities...
Scope of practice often includes neonatal heelsticks, pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric
fingersticks, and venipunctures. Duties of a phlebotomist may also include labeling, preserving,
packaging, and possibly, transporting blood specimen to the lab for analysis. In most cases the samples
are forwarded to an independent reference laboratory where qualified laboratory technicians perform the
analysis. They then report their findings back to the physician who ordered the tests. At times,
phlebotomists also participate, coordinate, or get involved as volunteers in community health fairs and
blood drive events. They also are expected to enroll in continuing education courses, and recertification
programs to maintain their phlebotomist credential if they are certified in their field.
Watch this video of a phlebotomist drawing blood from a vein like there's nothing to it. But, whoops, did you
notice her mistake? If so, let us know:
Click here!  ATTENTION: Please realize that this video (published from YouTube) is NOT HERE TO TEACH you phlebotomy techniques, but merely to show you different
scenarios of the phlebotomist's daily routine. The video may contain
techniques, or procedures that do not conform to proper and safe venipuncture protocol. Viewer discretion
is strongly advised.
Dealing With Different People
Each and every patient must be treated kindly, respectfully and professionally no matter how
tired the phlebotomist is from helping previous difficult and or even abusive patients. Fatigue, aching
back, ringing ears (from screaming kids), etc. must all be set aside as the next patient is greeted with a
smile and friendly hello, all the while following intricate operating procedures to the
letter.
Each hour I would scurry about the 8 floor building to collect timed specimens while being paged
to draw STATs along the way. It seemed to me that I had the toughest job in the hospital as I really had
to hustle and occasionally stretched the rules of safety to get the job done. There's one story about a
fellow phlebotomist that is applicable here but I best leave it untold as it is so tragic.
Through it all though I came away with a positive experience as my efforts contributed to helping
people. But the work that the MT's performed looked so much easier than what I was doing and they were
paid over double. I finally decided that was the job for me and I have no regrets.
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About the Author: Lon is an experienced Medical Technologist (MT) who has worked many
years as a phlebotomist. In his spare time he enjoys researching interesting topics and writing about
them.
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