Phlebotomy Technician
To draw, or not to draw, that is the question! Explore the amazing world of Phlebotomy... Definition of the Phlebotomy Technician

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Adequate Training Is Important to Enter the World of Phlebotomy

Adequate training of phlebotomist responsible for collecting blood and urine specimens is of utmost importance to assure safety and avoid false results. Otherwise, an improperly collected sample will lead to false lab results and errors that can harm the patient, or even cause their death. Almost certainly it will increase the cost of care. Only through skillful and efficient blood drawing procedures can a quality blood sample be obtained and reliable results be recorded.

female phlebotomist draws blood from man in mobile bus

Blood Sample Collection and Proper Techniques

A phlebotomist must understand that each person is different, each situation unique and a routine situation can turn critical in the blink of an eye. No matter what the circumstances, potential dangerous situations must be recognized and procedural errors prevented. Special challenges arise when collecting blood from the antecubital fossa area is not possible because of bad veins, obesity, or the presence of indwelling intravenous lines (IV), or when an arterial vessel must be accessed for arterial blood gas tests and there is a vascular access device (VAD) in place. There is MUCH, MUCH more to proper blood sample collection and lab test recording than meets the eye.

Other areas of concerns are...

diurnal and circadian variations

patient preparation

patient general health and gender

physiologic variables

medications a patient is taking

patient's position when drawing

tourniquet placement and venous stasis

puncture of a secondary site

safety and infection control to prevent complications or injury to self and others.

Required blood tests may include timed procedures for analysis, e.g. glucose tolerance and drug levels and special tests such as STATS, blood culture, or tests required to be obtained in a fasting state. Some tests may require administration of oral diagnostic medications such as glucose and xylose and will be given to patient per the doctor's instructions.

The right blood drawing technique will...

prevent errors (e.g. false lab results)
prevent injuries (e.g. anticoagulant reflux, nerve injury)
prevent compromised samples (e.g. hemolysis, hemoconcentration, or agglutination)