What Skills Would a Phlebotomist Have?

Phlebotomists are good at calming patients and explaining procedures.

Phlebotomists do more than just draw blood. They are medical professionals with skills in taking vital signs and samples for testing. They work directly with patients, explaining procedures to them and helping them calm their fears. Phlebotomists have a wide range of skills that are typically learned on the job.

Duties

Some of the duties a phlebotomist performs include updating patient medical records and cleaning and sterilizing equipment. They also prepare stains and reagents, and take patients' respiration rate, pulse and blood pressure. They send fecal and urine samples for laboratory testing as well.

Draw Blood

One of the primary duties of a phlebotomist is to draw blood from patients. They send the samples to labs for testing. The tests will become part of a patient's permanent medical record, so it is important that in addition to drawing blood well, a phlebotomist pays careful attention to small details of the whole procedure. Phlebotomists learn how to draw blood properly from a variety of locations on the human body and do other duties during training. If a phlebotomist undergoes formal training, she may get certified by an organization such as the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the American Society for Phlebotomy Technicians or American Medical Technologists. Phlebotomists who use good technique in drawing blood are also able to prevent many injuries to patients, including nerve injury, hematoma and anticoagulant reflux.

Professionalism & Safety

Phlebotomists must also be aware of legal and quality issues surrounding their profession. They also are skilled in using a computer, as patients' medical records and other information has to be entered or retrieved on a regular basis. Phlebotomists also have a good understanding of the human body, blood composition and laboratory safety, which is paramount on the job.

Calm

Phlebotomists recognize signs of distress in patients and know how to alleviate them. They may help distract a patient if he is nervous throughout the blood drawing process. They also work quickly and ensure they are drawing blood from the right patient, using the right collection containers as per doctors' orders, and that the blood is going into the container labeled for the correct patient.

References

• All Allied Health Schools: Phlebotomy Career Resource Center
• All Allied Health Schools: Phlebotomy Training Courses
• Phlebotomy Training Info: Phlebotomy Training