Overview
When compared to other basic branches of medicine, phlebotomy is relatively new. Phlebotomy is the art of skillfully drawing blood from the patients, either for safe storage or for further medical testing. A phlebotomist casually puts the patient at ease while searching for a venipuncture site and skillfully and painlessly slides the needle into the vein and out before the patient even realizes it.
Among the varied medical jobs, a phlebotomist job actually stands out due to its competitive requirements and scope. Health care industry offers numerous career opportunities and is expected to grow, expand and branch out even further as years passes by, thus phlebotomists will always be in great demand.
Top cities in Tennessee hiring phlebotomists
- Memphis
- Knoxville
- Chattanooga
- Jackson
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Hendersonville
- Murfreesboro
- Cleveland
- Bristol
- Columbia
- Kingsport
Essential training and certification
The general training requirements and educational qualifications for phlebotomy vary from one state to another. In Tennessee, you are required to at least have a high school diploma or the General Education Development certification along with the appropriate training course so as to train as a phlebotomist. The training duration ranges from 3 to 6 months or up to 1 year depending on the type of training you are undertaking. A phlebotomy trainee coursework incorporates such areas as anatomy, lab safety tips, physiology, blood sampling processes, venipuncture techniques, capillary method of drawing blood, finger stick blood drawing method for those with damaged veins and so forth.
In Tennessee, phlebotomist certification is offered by such agencies as; the Association of Phlebotomy Technicians, American Society for Clinical Pathology, American Medical Technologists and so forth. These agencies award certification in accordance with the trainee’s performance. Once a trainee has acquired the required certification, he or she can apply for the post of an intern in any medical facility. While here, senior phlebotomists train them further -at least for 6 to 8 further weeks. This helps them to get practical experience before they themselves could be allowed to work on their own.
Personality and skills required for this vocation
Although a phlebotomist job may seem easy, blood drawing procedures and processes are skills that many are not proficient with. To become a successful phlebotomist, you must be in a position to create an atmosphere of trust and confidence with the patients while carrying out your duties. Apart from this, you must have the ability to endure long working hours. You must also love working with all sorts of people without getting worked-out when things go the other way. Along with this, you must be a fast learner and computer literate. You learn by observing, thus you must have excellent observational skills and ability to communicate precisely. A successful phlebotomist is a person who loves to listen and use his or her hands. Lastly, you must be a team player.
Salary expectations and career prospects
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of a phlebotomist in Tennessee is well above $ 30,000 per year. Again, this depends with the employer you are serving. For instance, in most private hospitals, the yearly pay scale is much higher, while in a government or a federal institution, it is lower. After serving for approximately 20 years, a phlebotomist salary is normally more than $50,000 per year.
Nowadays, phlebotomists are in great demand, for instance in the hospitals, blood banks, medical offices, pharmaceutical firms, clinics and several others. As a result of this, their salaries and other financial compensations are seeing an upward growth as the medical arena becomes more and more competitive.
Tennessee schools offering phlebotomy courses
- The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
- Southwest Tennessee Community college in Memphis, Tennessee
- Tennessee Technology Center in Nashville, Hartville, Tennessee
- Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, Tennessee
- Remington College
- East Tennessee State University
- Miller-Motte Technical College
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