Topics Covered:

• A Brief History of Phlebotomy
• Professionalism
• Terminology and Abbreviations
• Health Care Settings
• Legal and Regular Issues
• Review of General Rules for Infection Prevention and Safety
• Review of How the Heart and Circulation Work
• The Blood Collection System
• Procedure for a Routine Venipuncture
• Procedure for Skin Puncture
• Special Situations in Phlebotomy
• Special Collection Techniques
• Drawing Blood Donor Units
• Specimen Collection Other Than Blood
• Training on Artificial Arm
• Training on Real Phlebotomy
• Training Vacutainer Distribution 1
• Training Vacutainer Distribution 2

Upon completion of this course, the Candidate should be able to:

• Identify the importance of phlebotomy procedures to the overall care of the patients.
• List professional competencies for phlebotomists.
• Participate in quality improvement activities.
• Perform active listening and effective communication with patients.
• Explain the proper techniques for hand washing, gowning, gloving and masking.
• Identify the various supplies that should be carried on a specimen collection tray when a skin puncture specimen must be collected.
• Describe the process and time limits for applying a tourniquet to a patient’s arm.
• Locate and name of the veins most commonly used for phlebotomy.
• Identify the most appropriate sites for venipuncture and situations when these sites might not be acceptable. Identify alternative sites for venipuncture procedure.
• List the various types of anticoagulant used in blood collection, their mechanisms for preventing blood clotting and the vaccum collection tube color codes for these anticoagulants.
• Describe the anticoagulant order of drawing for collection tubes.
• Describe the decontamination process and the agents used to decontaminate skin for routine blood tests and blood cultures.
• Explain the importance for collecting “timed specimen” at the requested times.
• Prevent and handle preanalytical complications related to phlebotomy procedures.
• Describe special collection techniques, draw blood donor units and perform specimen collection other blood.
• Describe guidelines for maintaining privacy and confidentiality.
• Describe methods commonly used to transport specimens.