CNA/Phlebotomy

hlattin · May 7, 2018

I did the phlebotomy program. I loved it. It is very educational, and I believe phlebotomy is something every nurse should also know. It teaches you what the additives are in the tubes and what those additives do to the blood. It is very important to know the order of draw so the results will not be wrong. As a phlebotomist, I had many nurses ask me what color tube needed to be drawn, what order, and many more questions. It isn't their fault, it just isn't covered well enough and nurses have alot of other responsibilities that they are covering. Some test have to be kept in the dark, some must be hand delivered to the lab, some must be kept on ice as soon as it is drawn, and other tests have to be drawn in a certain order so that the additives don't mix. They also teach you the proper way to draw blood, which I also saw many nurses do wrong. I feel like it was a great step and can help alot with a nursing degree.

drewseph92 · May 7, 2018

Hey there!

I am a phlebotomist and I'm here to tell you; if you're looking for clinical experience that's eventually going to get you points for nursing school, become a CNA. Don't get me wrong, I seriously loved being a phlebotomist, but none of the nursing programs I am applying to this year will accept my four years of clinical experience into consideration. If you're end goal ultimately isn't nursing, I totally recommend phlebotomy over CNA! Once you get really good at venipuncture it's a lot of fun, and you can work in a variety of pretty cool settings.

Good luck to you, friend!

happiness_love · May 8, 2018

Hey there!
I am a phlebotomist and I'm here to tell you; if you're looking for clinical experience that's eventually going to get you points for nursing school, become a CNA. Don't get me wrong, I seriously loved being a phlebotomist, but none of the nursing programs I am applying to this year will accept my four years of clinical experience into consideration. If you're end goal ultimately isn't nursing, I totally recommend phlebotomy over CNA! Once you get really good at venipuncture it's a lot of fun, and you can work in a variety of pretty cool settings.
Good luck to you, friend!

Thank you so much! I'm going to be doing CNA

happiness_love · May 8, 2018

I did the phlebotomy program. I loved it. It is very educational, and I believe phlebotomy is something every nurse should also know. It teaches you what the additives are in the tubes and what those additives do to the blood. It is very important to know the order of draw so the results will not be wrong. As a phlebotomist, I had many nurses ask me what color tube needed to be drawn, what order, and many more questions. It isn't their fault, it just isn't covered well enough and nurses have alot of other responsibilities that they are covering. Some test have to be kept in the dark, some must be hand delivered to the lab, some must be kept on ice as soon as it is drawn, and other tests have to be drawn in a certain order so that the additives don't mix. They also teach you the proper way to draw blood, which I also saw many nurses do wrong. I feel like it was a great step and can help alot with a nursing degree.

I've been hearing about this from other nursing students as well to do phlebotomy so I can learn more about how to draw out blood!

AmyJo2018 · May 9, 2018

The Nursing Assistant course is a required prerequisite for my ADN program. I haven't become certified as most nursing students don't. I may though, as I am not getting into the program until spring. Phlebotomy sounds very interesting to me as I feel pulled toward lab work, but our class just didn't fit into my schedule. Good luck in whatever you choose!