In this advancing world of medical technology, phlebotomy is one of the greatest career tracks a medical student can pursue. This is perfect if you want to hit the ground pretty quickly with the shortest length of schooling. After a rather quick education and phlebotomy certification process, you can start applying for jobs and make a decent living through it
You would normally think that if something takes only short amount of time to learn, then it should be easy. That’s not true because phlebotomy is indeed complicated if you go at it the wrong way. The purpose of most phlebotomy learning programs is to instruct students on ways how to make this career easy. It’s a lot like a short cut to learning things, which is why you should pay more attention to classes. If you can keep up, you will be off to your feet in no time. Here are some of the important educational facts for phlebotomist applicants:
First off, you are not required to finish a two to four year degree in medicine in order to practice this career. A phlebotomist typically starts a career after only four months of education. As a piece of advice, determine first the type of setting you would want to end up before you pick up a vacuum tube. There are many different programs available to students like you. The phlebotomy certification process will vary according to the specific program you choose. There are some programs that will offer better opportunities compared to others. The opportunities and advantages will, of course, vary in terms of salary, employment and work environment.
To start a phlebotomist’s career, you can choose from one of three degree levels: certificate level, associate’s level and a bachelor’s level. The certificate level phlebotomist has completed the aforementioned four-month education and has obtained the proper certification. An associate and bachelor level takes more than that. You will have to continue your education upon completing your initial certification, or try to get some experience first before going back to your studies.
A certified phlebotomist is the exact thing you want to become if you are after quick employment and short lengths of study. In four months, you can be qualified for basic jobs. The focus of your study will be on equipment, physiology, terminology, procedure and techniques. Keep in mind that a short-term program is very likely to focus on these exclusively. The other two types of careers will run on broader subjects and incorporate more complicated platforms. That’s the reason why the associate and bachelor’s degrees take longer.
A typical short-term program will prepare you with all the knowledge you need prior to certification. Your lessons will be a mix of classroom lectures to practical hands-on applications in the laboratory. After completing at least 100 successful venipunctures and at least 140 hours of practical experience, you can proceed with landing your first job. All the while, you can think of pursuing a higher career such as an associate or bachelor’s degree and even better, you can pursue being a medical technologist as an eventual position.
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