Are you ready to become a medical assistant and want to learn more about phlebotomy certification? If so, you have come to the right place. This article will review a medical assistant’s role, job duties, certification, and phlebotomy training.
Phlebotomy Certification and Training: Medical Assistant’s Role
A phlebotomy certification can help you gain a position in a health facility. Plus, certification in phlebotomy will help you advance in your job. It will also offer you a leg up on the competition in the employment market. Phlebotomy certification is part of Gwinnett College’s Medical Assistant program.
Phlebotomy training can help you gain on-the-job experience and make you more marketable. While it’s not required in every state, it can make you more attractive to employers.
You’ll use your phlebotomy skills in doctor’s offices or emergency care settings in a high-stress environment. In labs, you can specialize in phlebotomy as a career. If you’re interested in a more hands-on career, you should get certification in this field. A phlebotomy certification will prepare you for an entry-level role in a healthcare facility. It is also an excellent entry-level credential for a medical assistant, as it allows you to begin.
What Are the Steps for Phlebotomy for Medical Assistants?
Phlebotomy is the process of drawing blood for medical testing or donation. The steps for phlebotomy include:
Verify the Patient’s Identity
Check the patient’s name and date of birth against EHR records. Lack of identification can lead to serious medical errors. Verification ensures patients receive the appropriate tests.
Review the Requisition
Physicians use requisition forms to order tests. They include instructions on which tests to perform and why. A review will help you pick the right equipment and screen for medical or billing inconsistencies in the request. The safest time to ask questions is before blood is drawn.
Gather Phlebotomy Supplies
Gathering supplies, such as gloves, alcohol swabs, needles, and collection tubes, before drawing blood helps avoid unnecessary interruptions. It streamlines the procedure, alleviates patient anxiety, and reduces the risk of infection.
Prepare the Patient
Medical assistants should explain the process to patients and verify consent to proceed. Making them comfortable is essential. Most patients sit for the procedures, but patients with a fear of needles or a history of fainting may need to lie down.
Wash Your Hands
Handwashing is still the most effective way to protect yourself and others from infection. Scrub your hands vigorously with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before blood draw.
Wear Personal Protective Equipment
The minimum personal protective equipment for drawing blood is a pair of clean gloves. Gloves protect against bloodborne pathogens. When working with challenging patients, wearing a face shield can deflect splashes. Consider a lab coat or apron to safeguard your clothing.
Apply the Tourniquet
A tourniquet above the venipuncture site sequesters blood in the vein, making it easier to find when punctured. Although venous blood can be drawn from any vein, medical assistants are trained to draw blood on the hand, wrist, or near the elbow.
Cleanse the Site
Phlebotomy isn’t a sterile procedure, but cleaning the site with an alcohol swab reduces the risk of infection.
Puncture the Vein
Bracing the vein with the thumb and index finger, use your other hand to puncture it at a 15-30 degree angle. Needles should be bevel-up and suitable for the patient’s size and physical condition.
Perform Phlebotomy
Push the collection tube into the tube holder and draw the necessary amount of blood. Remove and replace the tube to collect the required volume. Tubes are color-coded to reflect additives necessary for specific tests. Depending on the types of tests ordered, you may need to collect multiple tubes.
Apply Pressure
Once the blood draw is complete, withdraw the needle and apply firm pressure to the site with a cotton ball. Applying an adhesive wrap will protect the patient’s clothing.
Clean Up
Dispose of used supplies according to safety and infection control protocols. Needles are put in puncture-proof “sharps” containers. Gloves and gauze, depending on the situation, go in the regular trash bin or a biohazard bag.
Educate the Patient
Phlebotomy can occasionally result in complications. A medical assistant’s role is to teach patients self-care. You’ll advise them to keep the area clean and apply ice to swollen or bruised areas. You will also provide them with contact information for follow-up.
Label and Process Samples
Label the collection tubes with the patient’s information, the ordering doctor’s name, and the time and date of collection. Then, process the collection tubes according to the laboratory’s guide to ensure they’re test-ready. Some may need to be centrifuged to separate the liquid from the solids, and others may require refrigeration or flash freezing.
Document the Procedure
Something is only considered done once it’s fully documented. You’ll note the procedure in the patient’s electronic health records, including the date, time, blood draw site, complications, and education provided.
Medical Assistant Program
Ready to start a new career as a medical assistant? Gwinnett Colleges & Institute offers medical assisting courses to gain essential skills and training at multiple campuses from Lilburn, Roswell/Sandy Springs, and Atlanta/Marietta to Orlando, FL and Raleigh, NC. The core curriculum at these campuses focuses on the medical assisting skills and training you will need to seek entry-level employment in physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other medical settings needing the services of associates trained in both front and back-office medical assisting skills. These medical assisting courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.
Contact Gwinnett Colleges & Institute today to learn more about becoming a medical assistant.