Question about working as PCT

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

a lot of us are working as techs (patient care techs, nurse techs, unlicensed assistive personnel, etc.), while in school. i just accepted a position. i was told i'd be doing blood draws and ekgs and would be trained. in reading my clinical skills book, i learned that the blood draw is considered an invasive procedure and not allowed to be performed by performed by techs or cna's without a certification in most states.

my question is whether you do blood draws and did you have to attend a special class for certification at your facility? what did it entail and did you get paid for it since it is considered training? :chair:

[shape0fmyheart]

I know at the hospitals around here they have classes and orientation to train you in whatever you don't already know. If you are already done a semester of nursing school, the training is shortened because all you really need to learn is blood draws and EKG. Otherwise I believe it's a 2 week course they offer to train people to become PCTs... and yes they get paid for it.

[nurse2be in ny]

I drew blood and did EKGs as a psych tech in an Emergency Dept. It was on-the-job training (this is in NY). After I'd been doing it for about a year, we did have a "formal" training provided by the hospital, but I was never certified by the state or anything. The training I had was paid.

[PHM]

As a tech where I work we do EKGs, blood draws, Foleys, dressings, enemas, etc. During orientation we went through an afternoon class on techniques of phlebotomy (blood draws) and were required to be supervised for our first 25 "sticks" and signed off by our unit preceptors.

I didn't do it, but a few others spent a day at the phlebotomy lab where they got their 25 (and more) and were cleared on their own.

Phil