2. Lesson 1 Objectives
• The History of Phlebotomy
• The Evolution of Phlebotomy
• Phlebotomy Organizations
• Responsibilities of the Phlebotomist
• Other Regulating Agencies
• HIPAA
5. Lesson 1.1 - History of
Phlebotomy
• Phlebotomy can be translated from the Greek words Phlebos meaning vein and tomy meaning to cut
into or to make an incision.
• Phlebotomy is performed by a qualified or trained healthcare professional, usually, a phlebotomist may
have many roles in the Doctor’s office or hospital setting their main duty is to collect quality blood
specimen either by venipuncture (blood collection from the vein) or by dermal puncture (blood
collection via finger prick for capillary collection.)
• Other roles of the phlebotomist may include basic front office duties, greeting patients, packaging and
transporting samples, and sending samples to pathology labs.
6. Lesson 1.2 - The Evolution
of Phlebotomy
• The removal of blood dates to the time of the ancient Egyptians where leeches were applied to the
skin of sick people to remove the “bad blood" which is referred to as bloodletting.
• Bloodletting eventually evolved to a time where barbers were taking care of sick people and they
would use a similar principle to the Egyptians
• Barbers would remove "bad blood" by using a lancet
• Now Phlebotomy is performed by trained professionals. Most Phlebotomy professionals go through
training programs that include both hands-on practice and theory lecture portions to obtain a
certification through one of seven national organizations.
10. License, Certification, and
Accreditation
• A license is granted by a state or federal government
• A certification is granted by a private organization
• Accreditation is granted to specific training programs
11. Phlebotomy Organizations
• The are organizations that a phlebotomist may seek
certification from. This is a list of organizations. We will
discuss more in depth.
• These organizations include the following:
• American Certification Agency (ACA)
• American Society of Clinical (ASCP)
• National Certification Agency (NCA)
• American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT)
13. ASPT
• American Society of Phlebotomy is a
hub for professionals seeking
certifications and updates on continuing
education in phlebotomy or related fields
(ASPT, 2020)
14. American
Certification
Agency
• The American Certification Agency provides
certifications and is a certification agency based
in Indiana for individuals involved in Phlebotomy.
15. National Certification Agency
• The National Accreditation
Agency for Clinical Laboratory
Sciences (NAACLS) is
committed to being the premier
agency for international
accreditation (naacls.org, 2020)
16. National HealthCareer Association (NHA)
• The National Healthcareer Association is
the issuing organization for the National
exam. A total of 100 to 250 questions are
on the exam. Exams may be taken via a
computer or paper. Normally, testing
dates are on Fridays from 2:30 pm to 5:00
pm. Students are given the allotted time
to finish their exam questions.
18. American Medical Technologists
• American Medical Technologists (AMT) is a not-for-profit
association of allied health professionals. In addition to
certification, AMT provides members ongoing support to
competencies, learn and grow in their chosen professions, and
in the workplace. (americanmedtech.org, 2020)
22. Responsibilities of the
Phlebotomist
• Patient Identification the most important part of any medical procedure is determining that you have the right patient.
The best way to do this is to find two to three identifiers for the patient and have them verify this information with the
correct spelling (E.G. First name, Last name, and date of birth)
• Professionalism there are many aspects to professionalism not just in the medical field but in the job and workforce in
general. These include dressing appropriately for the job, and using appropriate language maintaining a well-groomed
appearance, and respecting personal space.
• Customer service in the medical field customer service is curtailed due to the fact that patients associate quality customer
service and bedside manners with quality healthcare. A phlebotomist must be flexible in handling any situation promptly
whether it’s with a patient or another health care professional.
23. Other Core
Responsibilities:
• Identifying patients and their personal information by reviewing their identity documents.
• Assessing patient needs, reviewing patient history, and determining the reason(s) for drawing blood.
• Selecting gauge needles and preparing veins or fingers for blood drawing.
• Extracting blood from patients through venipuncture or finger sticks.
• Analyzing blood specimens using the correct testing equipment, when necessary.
• Preparing specimens for transportation, including labeling vials accurately and matching blood specimens to
patients.
• Supplying diagnostic notes to physicians, other healthcare professionals, and hospitals.
• Keeping and maintaining records of patient names, volume of blood drawn, and diagnostic findings.
• Cleaning, maintaining, and calibrating laboratory equipment used in the drawing and testing of blood specimens.
• Ordering laboratory supplies, as needed. (BetterTeam, 2020.)
24. Phlebotomist
Requirements:
Diploma in Phlebotomy.
Proven experience working as a Phlebotomist.
Understanding of proper patient identification methods.
Knowledge of legal requirements pertaining to drawing blood, handling specimen
samples, and the use of relevant medical equipment.
Experience using effective puncture techniques.
Knowledge of testing protocols and the use of testing equipment.
Superb dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Keen attention to detail.
28. CDC and OSHA
• Aside from the seven certification agencies, there are several
regulatory agencies that a Phlebotomist must adhere to their
standards. These include the center for disease control (CDC) and
their role is to monitor and report diseases and how to prevent
said diseases from spreading.
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and are
responsible for overall employee and patient safety. The Clinical
and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) who are in charge
of setting the standards for phlebotomy.
30. Center for Disease Control
• As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health, safety, and security
threats. (CDC.GOV, 2020)
32. OSHA
• Is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had
federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces
• OSHA standards fall into four categories: General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and
Agriculture (OSHA.Gov, 2020.)
• Created in 1970 by the Occupational Safety and Health Act
34. The Clinical and Laboratory
Standards Institute
• The Clinical and Laboratory Standards
Institute provides standards and guidelines
for the medical professionals through its
unique consensus process (clsi.org, 2020.)
• Its volunteer driven
37. HIPAA
• The Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996 is United States
federal statute enacted by the
104th United States Congress
and signed into law by
President Lincoln on August
21, 1996 (hhs.gov, 2020)
39. 3 Causes of
Data Breach Employee
action
Lost or stolen
devices
Third
Party
Error
40. When Asked About Incidents
48% have generalized incident report response
plan
35% have a response plan for different types
of incidents
17% Have a plan, but haven’t looked at it for
awhile
70% of companies have had an incident over
the past 12 months
42. Lesson Summary
• History of Phlebotomy
• The Evolution of Phlebotomy
• Phlebotomy Organizations
• NHA
• NCCT
• Responsibilities of a Phlebotomist
• Other Regulating Agencies
• OSHA
• CDC
• HIPAA
