Overview
Also known as phlebotomy technicians, phlebotomists are health care professionals who help the doctors, nurses and other medical personnel with the duty of collecting blood samples, urine and stool samples from the patients for further testing or for transfusion requirements. Apart from this, they ensure that the patients are not put at risks while drawing blood from them. They also make sure that used needles are never reused. Furthermore, they are responsible for monitoring the patient’s blood pressure and respiratory readings. Working with such medical facilities as blood banks, they are required to collect blood from the donors and store it in safe blood bags, ready for transportation to the blood banks.
Most people who want to enter into the medical profession start as phlebotomist, then work their way up and to a specialization of their choice.
- Branford Hall Career Institute in Danbury, Windsor, Branford, Southington, Connecticut
- Lincoln College of New England in Southington, Connecticut
- Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield , Connecticut
- Goodwin College in East Hartford, Connecticut
- Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson, Connecticut
- Manchester Community College in Manchester , Connecticut
- Norwalk Community College in Norwalk Connecticut
- Middlesex Community College in Middlesex, Connecticut
- Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport , Connecticut
- Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury , Connecticut
Top cities in Connecticut hiring phlebotomists
- Mystic
- New Haven
- Hartford
- West Haven
- Norwalk
- Fairfield
- Bridgeport
- Meriden
- Danbury
- Waterbury
- Stamford
- Bristol
- West Hartford
Essential training and certification
Phlebotomists spend most of their time learning how to draw blood samples from the patients. Although this seems easy to some people, it is not. Mastering the technique takes some time. Phlebotomist ensures that doctors get usable blood samples, and at the same time minimizing the patient’s discomfort while drawing the blood samples.
In Connecticut, to become a phlebotomist does not require a fixed education prerequisite. Nevertheless, a sound knowledge of the anatomy is required.
Training the potential phlebotomist ensures that they don’t get into problems while dealing with the patients or when handling the collected specimens. Below are some agencies that provide or issue licenses and certificates to phlebotomists in Connecticut:
- The American Society for Clinical Pathology
- The American Association of Medical Personnel
- The American Medical Technologist
Personality and skills required for this vocation
Like any other career, one should always try to learn new skills so as to get an edge over the others in the same profession. Taking a soft skill, for instance basic computer training, communication training, or a personality improvement course will not only help in improving you career prospects, but is also beneficial in the later stages of your career.
A phlebotomist should be a trustworthy, friendly, patient, joyful and hard working person. He or she should posses the ability to withstand long working hours with ease and in an extremely demanding environment.
Salary expectations and career prospects
A phlebotomist who has one year of experience earns approximately $18 000-$30 000 yearly in Connecticut. The more experienced one gets, the higher the salary scale; for instance, an experience of four years will see a phlebotomist earning a salary that ranges between $20 000 to $35 000 per annum in Connecticut. A phlebotomist who has been working for over 20 years comfortably earns up to $50 000 per annum.
The radical growth in the health care arena has created a huge demand for qualified professionals, for instance phlebotomist who are trained to help the doctor reduce their work load. It is not only hospitals that hire qualified phlebotomist- there are many other organizations that require their services. These are such as; blood banks, medical offices, pharmaceutical firms, clinics, research facilities and many others.
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