WWYD? Phlebotomy

Students General Students

Published

So my school doesn't teach phlebotomy - blood draws and starting IVs. I think these are important skills for a nurse and obviously difficult (based on the trouble nurses seem to have with it!) Our professors tell me that the reason they don't teach it is because every hospital has their own training program for it. I suspect there may be other reasons, but OK. So I'm considering taking phlebotomy on my own in summer school. That said, if I take another class PLUS phlebotomy, I can get certified in phlebotomy, which is tempting. The phlebotomy class is three credits and the other class is four credits.

So here are my options: take just phlebotomy over the summer; take both classes over the summer (7 credits total), or take one of the nursing classes for next year and get it out of the way.

WDYT?

Kelly

AmyLiz

952 Posts

That is WEIRD that your school doesn't teach venipuncture! I don't know of any hospitals around my area that teach you...they figure if you passed nursing school, you know all the skills.

I'd definately take a class, just to get some experience. I'm not sure how far into your program you are, but if you've got a ways to go & you want to get a job as a phlebotomist, then go for the certification. If you don't want a lab job like that, then I'd just take the one class for the experience.

nurz2be

847 Posts

So my school doesn't teach phlebotomy - blood draws and starting IVs. I think these are important skills for a nurse and obviously difficult (based on the trouble nurses seem to have with it!) Our professors tell me that the reason they don't teach it is because every hospital has their own training program for it. I suspect there may be other reasons, but OK. So I'm considering taking phlebotomy on my own in summer school. That said, if I take another class PLUS phlebotomy, I can get certified in phlebotomy, which is tempting. The phlebotomy class is three credits and the other class is four credits.

So here are my options: take just phlebotomy over the summer; take both classes over the summer (7 credits total), or take one of the nursing classes for next year and get it out of the way.

WDYT?

Kelly

Kelly,

My school doesn't have a specific class for this either, BUT when we start our clinical rounds our preceptors can work with us as well. The hospitals in my area have IV teams that their specific task is to start IV's. If you go into the ER, at least in my area, there is a training class for IV insertions. I would take the nursing class. You will get the opportunity to learn this. One of my classmates took a phlebotomy class last year and she still has trouble because it is one of those things that you really have to do A LOT to keep up on. Plus there are LOTS of people like me who have either minimal surface veins or horrible veins who really rather nurses from the IV team do their IV insertions.

GOOD LUCK

Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.

Our school doesn't teach Iv or blood draw in the program either but they offer both classes if you want to take them. Hospitals teach you how to draw blood but most want you to be IV certified before your hired or before you can loose your GN status (means you get less money until you get that paper). I have phlebotomy experience and my instructor said that it's basically the same thing when inserting an IV so I should have no problems in the class. They are a couple of nights a week for two months so it's not that bad. I plain on taking the IV class while waiting to take the boards.

If you want to the phlebotomy class for yourself it might be a good idea but I wouldn't worry about getting certified as it will not give you any extra standings once you finish nuring school. In my state you have to have twenty five sticks of various kinds (butterfly, capillary, vaccutainer) then you have to sit for the exam $180 90 questions. I was going to sit for it to get a job at a lab but the tests doen't really question how to do blood draws it's all about the little tubes. Which one first, what order, what's the additive, what needs to be refrigerated, what tube for what test). If you want to sit get a book to study for I know you can get tested pretty quickly after taking the class.

caliotter3

38,333 Posts

My school wasn't giving me the proper experience in this skill also and they wouldn't allow us to do it in clinicals. My local cc offered a phleb class taught by the head of that dept. in one of our local hospitals so I took the class for the experience. We got to do some clinical hours by going to the hospital and going around with the phlebotomists and practicing. However, our instructor warned us that her class would not be able to provide us with enough clinical time to get enough draws to take the exam. It still was better than what I got from my nursing school, nothing. I got exposed to the skill. Later on, I took an IV cert class.

I see nothing wrong with taking the certification exam. You never know when it will come in handy and you can always add it to your resume. For that matter, I have been job hunting recently, and several job listings have phlebotomy certification listed as a requirement, albeit for nurse tech or CNA positions.

jemommyRN

587 Posts

Specializes in ICU.

Take the class!

Monica D

47 Posts

Mine doesn't either and for the same reasons. I was already a certified Phlebotomist, so I'm not really worried. My program does have dummy arms and supplies that you can go into the lab and practice on yourself and in your own time. As previously stated by another poster, I wouldn't worry about getting certified because it would be a waste of your time and money in the long run.

kukukajoo, LPN

1,310 Posts

We cover this but only in sim lab. We are not allowed as students to start any IV's. If my school offered classes like you are contemplating, I would most definately take them in the summer.

jackson145

598 Posts

At Ivy Tech Bloomington they no longer teach LPN students how to start IV's. They are told that if they take a job somewhere that wants them to start IV's then their employer can teach them how.

jmgrn65, RN

1,344 Posts

Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

Not all hospitals have IV teams. Mine doesnt. We expect nurses to at least know the basic how to. I can't believe a school doesn't at least teach the skill.

+ Add a Comment