Phlebotomy Certification

Tips To Pass Your Phlebotomy Certification Exam

Have you completed your phlebotomy training? Are you qualified for the phlebotomy certification exam? Graduating from school may have given you the proper fundamentals and the necessary clinical training to become a skilled phlebotomist. But let's face it, there are many out there with the same training and skills that you have. So if you want to increase your competitive edge and phlebotomist salary then you should consider getting certified.

The value of certification

When the competition is stiff, and if your field of expertise is sensitive and invasive, certification will guarantee that your skills are of the standard required by the industry. In the case of phlebotomy, only two states actually require a phlebotomy certification to practice. But employers are increasingly looking at this validation issued by one of 10 certifying organizations to determine they will be hiring competent individuals.

Phlebotomy is the process of extracting blood for purposes of diagnosis, research and transfusion. It can be a very painful experience for patients so extreme care and mastery of technique is necessary. You'll be working with needles so being familiar with the veins and arteries where you can perform venipuncture with the least discomfort is very important.

At the same time, since you are dealing with bio-hazardous equipment, you need to know about proper safety and handling procedures that will protect both you and your patients and preserve the integrity of the collected specimen.

So how do you prepare for and pass the phlebotomy certification test?

1. Train with the best. Whether you choose a phlebotomy school in Florida or a community college in Oregon, it is important that the basic foundations are given you. So aside from the prerequisite courses like physiology, chemistry and biology, you need to master five areas to become a skilled phlebotomist. These include: human anatomy, needle technique, safety handling of specimen, record keeping accuracy and patient rapport.

2. Get as much clinical training. The heart of the job is extracting blood. So you need to get as much practice to perfect the techniques of venipuncture, arterial puncturing and drawing blood through capillary bodies, and learn how to get past tricky situations like when a patient is unable to cooperate with you.

You can only master the technique of drawing blood when you've done it many, many times. In fact, to even qualify for the phlebotomy certification exam, you need to have completed 100 clinical hours, 100 successful venipunctures, and 10 successful dermal punctures.

3. Accreditation is important. The Clinical and Laboratory Sciences Institute is the body that sets the standards for phlebotomy training and tools used in the trade. This is aside from verifying if the school or program is accredited by any organization approved by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. This will eventually make it easier for you to qualify for the phlebotomy certification exam.

4. Use practice tests. Depending on which organization you wish to get the certification from, you have to get the review or study book that will contain the materials that will come out in the tests. There are currently 10 associations that give phlebotomy certification exams including the American Medical Technologists (AMT), National Phlebotomy Association (NPA), National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT), American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and American Certification Agency (ACA). You can purchase the review materials or search online to help you prepare with timed practice tests.

There are also certain states with different levels of certifications. California has a three-tiered certification process, and there are certain requirements to pass each level and be certified. It goes without saying that once you achieve Level 3, then you have better chances at improving your earning capacity or finding better opportunities.

You can also take the certification exams even without formal training if you have been practicing phlebotomy and these online practice tests will also be very valuable to you. Likewise, there is a separate phlebotomy certification test if you are eyeing to become an instructor in phlebotomy, which is another career path aside from being a clinical phlebotomy technician.

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