Did you get enough phlebotomy experience in your ADN program?

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I start a 2 year ADN program in Aug., but was considering taking a 6 hour phlebotomy course over the summer. I really want to know what I'm doing and am taking all of the extra certs I can find (already signed up for basic EKG b/c I'd like to work as an ICU tech while I'm in school, if possible.) So, my question is, did you feel like your ADN program included enough phlebotomy practice, or would an extra phlebotomy cert (1 summer class, 2 clinical hours) have been a help? Thanks

Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

My nursing program didn't teach phlebotomy at all. We watched a video about starting IVs, but we never did any. Part of it was liability, part of it was the school's separate, 1-year phlebotomy program.

At my first job, I attended a 3-hour workshop on blood draws. In the year after that I did 5 blood draws, but none were successful. I also tried one blood draw during my 6-week tour of Nursing Home Hell, on an extremely nervous elderly woman whose daughter was literally looking over my shoulder and commenting the entire time. Of course, I didn't succeed.

I'm now trying to take a 6-week phlebotomy course at my local community college.

Specializes in Float Pool-Med-Surg, Telemetry, IMCU.

My program doesn't cover it either. I asked the head of the program if there was any way we could incorporate it into our lab and she was receptive to the idea of doing a supplemental weekend lab to learn blood draws and IV insertion. We took a class vote and everyone was interested and....we graduate in June and still no word of whether it will happen. Somehow, I think not. :mad:

Taking a phlebotomy course sounds like a good idea- it never hurts to have more skills. I might do the same if my hospital doesn't offer training.

Specializes in Ambulatory Care, Case Manager.

I learned phlebotomy when I was a Medical Assistant. I never really used this skill when I worked as an RN, because there were always Lab Techs around until my current job. I would recommend that you take it. You may not need it in the near future, but if you decide to change specialties it might become handy. That's a plus since a lot of nurses don't know how to draw blood.

Specializes in Home health was tops, 2nd was L&D.

My community college we got nothing, never even a discussion or fake arm. My first job was L&D in teaching hospital so nurse got nothing never expected to do this at all. I taught myself when I got into homehealth for VP! And I am very good with VP. I got some IV teaching at one hospitals, not too great. So as I have done mostly HH and we require PICC lines I have never HAD to do peripheral IV... thank goodness.

So I would say yes take the phlebotomy class!!! It will be good even if you do get further teaching.:)

Specializes in CVICU.

I don't think any program, ADN or BSN, gives you "enough" experience with any sort of nursing skill. A huge amt of nursing is OJT (on job training). In my 4th semester practicum I was in an ER setting and that's where I got all of my IV start and basic butterfly stick experience. Then once I hit the floor on my new job I would always try first and if I couldn't get a good stick, I'd seek help. If the other nurse would allow, I would watch their technique and see if there was anything I could do differently to improve my skills.

Specializes in Home Health.
I start a 2 year ADN program in Aug., but was considering taking a 6 hour phlebotomy course over the summer. I really want to know what I'm doing and am taking all of the extra certs I can find (already signed up for basic EKG b/c I'd like to work as an ICU tech while I'm in school, if possible.) So, my question is, did you feel like your ADN program included enough phlebotomy practice, or would an extra phlebotomy cert (1 summer class, 2 clinical hours) have been a help? Thanks

Luckily I worked as a phlebotomist for about 2 years before nursing school - I am a diploma RN. Loved being a phlebotomist and may go back to it someday.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

We got no phlebotomy experience. Couldn't poke people in lab. We did like 3 mins on the fake man arm. A class would have been good. I practiced on my teenager. lol I did an IV on him also since we had 5 mins on the fake man arm for that too.

I'm in my last semester and get plenty of experience during clinical. We practiced on "fake" arms during our 2 lab days for phlebotomy and inserting IV's.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

We have 2 hospital systems here consisting of 4 hospitals. One system uses an IV team on all IV's outside of the ED and Phlebotomist. The other system the nurses all do their own IV's so students in that system have a good advantage getting to learn to do them. Those at the other system don't get the opportunity.

No, no experience in nursing school! I believe it was a liability issue. Just learned on the job! Basically thrown in to it.

I do think it would be a good idea to take that phlebotomy class. I wouldn't have thought of that. Will be a great experience as well as something to put on your resume, that you put the effort into learning it.

Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
part of it was the school's separate, 1-year phlebotomy program.

A 1 yr phlebotomy program?? When I was out of school I got a 5 minute 'pep talk' on how to do it and then go for it...

Specializes in Critical Care.

We learned in school (ADN), both in lab and clinicals. We had dummy arms in the school lab that had veins filled with fake blood and we practiced on each other, then in clinicals we were allowed to start IV's in patients and we also spent a full day in the outpatient lab doing nothing but blood draws for 8 hours. The odd thing was that once I graduated I didn't get to do any blood draws (only IV starts) for years since the hospital I started in didn't allow RN's to due blood draws (job security for the phlebotomists) except in the ICU.

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