Do nurses learn how to read EKG's and do phlebotomy?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I would take phlebotomy. When I was in nursing school we didn't learn phlebotomy or IV starts, and now, I work at a place where floor nurses do both and still struggle with my sticks.

Most nursing schools will at the very least introduce you to EKG interpretation in your critical care class.

My hospital offers classes in both for nurses that wish to improve their skills.

mskate

280 Posts

Specializes in Burn, CCU, CTICU, Trauma, SICU, MICU.

I had to learn to draw blood, place IVs and do 12 leads on my own after I got my RN and started working - it wasn't taught in my nursing school.

GreyGull

517 Posts

It depends on the area but many RNs do get at least an introduction to EKG and phlebotomy in nursing school. Employers will generally train and educate RNs more indepth to meet their needs.

As a tech, many employers are now looking for the national certification requirements for phlebotomy to be met including taking the test. This can include about 150 hours of education and training with around 40 successful blood draws. A few states like California are also requiring a state certification based on the national testing requirements for those who do not hold what is considered to be a professional license (RN, RT, MLT) to draw blood. More states will probably follow with this as the requirements from the accrediting agencies get stricter. This is also pushing up the cost of the phlebotomy classes. You can still find an EKG class at a reasonable cost through the CE department of a hospital or community college.

Also, there are probably more jobs available for phlebotomists in some areas than EMTs in the ED. With the abundance of applicants for ER Tech positions, many hospitals no longer do OJT for some basic skills in entry level positions. Check with the hospitals in your area to see what they would like on an application for the job you are seeking.

HeartRN2008

16 Posts

Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown.

My personal opinion: Learn phlebotomy and IV insertion on the job. Most new grads won't have had this teaching while in school, so in most hospital new grad programs, it'll be part of your 3/6/whatever month long orientation. The EKG interpretation, however, is really an art. I assume you mean real EKG interpretation, and not rhythm analysis- rhythms you will learn in school. EKG reading, however, is something I would definitely spend some time on. But maybe not to the tune of $1200 :) There are some quality books on the market for this if you're any bit of a self starter. Good luck!!!

Argo

1,221 Posts

Specializes in Peri-Op.

I would take an ACLS class which includes EKG interpretation and costs about $2-300 for a non hospital based/employee free kinda place like Master Train here in San Antonio. I would also take a phlebotomy course, hopefully it will teach you IV starts also. This is the thing I am the worst at and most nurses dont like doing until they get A LOT of experience. My wife has done phlebotomy for 15 years working as a lab tech and is very good at it. I envy her venipuncture skills and wish I had that ability. It is a learned skill that alot of people dont get to practice and learn enough of.

GreyGull

517 Posts

ACLS classes now expect you to know EKGs prior to enrolling. There are prep courses (another $2-300) that could be taken. However, for an EMT-Basic, an ACLS class would not be the best value since EMTs are BCLS and meds are not within their scope of practice. For a new grad RN, ACLS is great but after a decent EKG class.

If you can get a Tech job with just the EMT, don't worry about phlebotomy and EKG until you become an RN.

RNs in hospitals do tend to get spoiled by line draws and calling the lab for everything else.

Murse406

21 Posts

If you are focused on getting a tech job right now, do the phlebotomy class. As a tech, you won't be allowed to interpret EKG's anyway as assessment is a nursing function. You more than likely will be able to draw blood however and in the ER or anywhere else, a valuable skill. Even if you can't get on in an ER as a tech, you may be able to go elsewhere in the hospital. As others have said, you can get the EKG class in nursing school in the future. Schools simply don't teach/give students enough experience with venipuncture. Good luck

Specializes in Critical Care.

I worked as an EMT-B during nursing school. I would say you should stick to working on a truck if you can. It is a great learning experience. Working in EMS gave me a huge advantage in nursing school. (I also worked on an ALS truck, so I always saw ALS calls and always had a paramedic as a partner). Now if you're wanting a tech job so you have a better chance at getting a job at that hosptial after graduating, then go for either tech job. I would pick the one that you think you could stand doing every night for the rest of nursing school, lol.

To answer your questions. My nursing school taught both, but they were not a huge thing. We were never allowed to do blood draws or IV starts until my final semester (and there was rarely the chance to do it in clinicals). We were given a 2 day crash course in EKG interpretation my last semester as well. Most people didn't get it. I luckily was able to since I had been working in EMS for a few years.

Once you start working as a nurse, you'll find that you may never use either of those skills, depending where you work. Unless you are on a tele unit or ICU/PCU or ED, you'll never have a patient on the EKG. So you'll forget it. And depending on your unit and hospital policy, you may never do blood draws or IV starts. At my hospital, if you work on the floor, they prefer the IV team to start IVs and the lab to come up to draw blood. Those of us in critical care get to do it, but we also have the option of calling the IV team or lab. I remember one of the units I had clinicals on while in school, didn't even stock IV supplies.

Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

The more I read threads like this, the more I am grateful for the nursing school I attended. By second semester I had started IVs, and by graduation I had started so many IVs it felt routine.

During the first week on my job, I was starting IVs, drawing blood, and reading EKGs. I think schools are short-changing students to throw them out there into the work environment without proficiency in these skills.

TamTammers

13 Posts

Thanks so much for all the replies, they were all very helpful:)

TamTammers

13 Posts

The way I had gotten my EMT was by volunteering with a rescue squad, but I left about a year later since there was a strong lack of training and most of the people there were pretty keen on making their "thirds" life much harder then need be. I do plan on going to a different station and getting back into it though since right now I only work at a retirement home as a EMT and its not challenging me enough.

bonestAx

81 Posts

Specializes in Emergency Department.

If you are waiting to get into a nursing program and have the time. Take the phlebotomy course. It will be very helpful for you in the future. And you can work sticking people while your in school. You can't imagine how far that puts you ahead of your classmates when you have that kind of experience. Bc some of these people are straight out of high school and have never been in a hospital never less dealt with a patient!

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