RNs and Phlebotomy

I don't know the legalities, protocols, nurse practice acts of your institution or state, etc., but I believe any RN is able to do blood draws. You may need to be checked off on starting IV's at your facility as a new hire, but then phlebotomy is assumed?

Accessing the vein is just about 100% the same as starting an IV. There can be subtle variations in your technique depending on what type of phlebotomy supplies, needles, butterfly's, etc., you use.

Are you concerned with the technique of accessing the vein? What supplies to use? What color tube to use? Which tube to fill first? What vein to access?

I asked a similar question recently here is the link to the thread

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/phlebotomy-class-worth-843739.html

If you are still interested, look around your community. My school offers the pleb course (and it is a whole semester), but I found many private schools in my small town that did it for cheap and over three days!

I just have to say I never took a phlelotomy course. In my first job the night shift (11 pm to 7 am) nurses did the routine morning blood draws. We received no special class or training. I wasn't the greatest, but also wasn't the greatest at IV's either!

For a different job we did pre-op blood draws. Got quite proficient.

Third job, different area, we would occasionally have to do blood draws prior to starting IV's for patients going to OR. Again became quite proficient at simply starting the IV and obtaining the blood draw prior to hanging the fluid.

Didn't need any special class or training for any of it. I think a class is a great, I always support more education and training, but don't know if I would recommend a semester long class. I can't see any harm to a 3 day class if not too expensive!

In school we were not allowed to do them, and in employment I have always worked where a lab handled every venipuncture. I hope to learn through a job who is willing to train me.

Sometimes the lab actually has continuing education on this very subject. If your facility doesn't, your nurse educator may like that suggestion from you. Every facility is diffierent. Sometimes it is drawing off of IV's, which is something that usually a lab tech doesn't do, as well as drawing off of central or midlines, which also is not something that a lab tech does. It is facility based, however, and there are some lab techs that are well within their scope to do so.

All in all, I think a good topic for nursing education in your facility.