Phlebotomy is the technique through which you draw blood from veins using a needle for the purpose of examination in the laboratory. Before, it used to be that one could become a phlebotomist by simply watching another phlebotomist working for a certain number of hours. Today, you have to take 4 week phlebotomy classes near me. These are commonly found in community colleges, medical institutions and big medical schools.
Phlebotomy classes are usually structured in 2 sections. The very first is the coursework which covers several subjects and the other is the practical bit where you will get to practice how to plan for the procedure, ways to actually do it and effective ways to store it. Here are the things you can expect to learn in your 4 week phlebotomy classes near me.
1. Anatomy and physiology
This portion of your course covers the major organs of the body and how they combine to create the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the muscular and the skeletal system and even the urinary system. You will learn how these systems interact to maintain optimum balance in the body and what happens when they are not in balance. When you learn about the circulatory system you will find out about all the major blood vessels and which ones you can draw blood from.
2. Blood and cell composition
As a phlebotomist, you don’t just draw blood. You also need to examine it under a microscope and look out for infection and disease. This means that this section of your phlebotomy classes is very important. Not only do you learn the structure of a blood cell and other cells around the body, you also learn how a cell responds when it is under attack.
3. Micro-organisms
This aspect of your course will cover bacteria and viruses and how they affect cells.
4. Safety
As a phlebotomist, you will be handling blood and a lot of diseases that are transmitted through it. You will have to learn how you can be safe when you are drawing the blood when you are handling it in the lab
5. CPR
Technically, anyone who works in a medical setting should have CPR skills. Although some courses don’t include CPR lessons, it is extremely important when you are selecting a school to check whether they include them wherever you will be working, there will be sick people and you need to be prepared for anything
6. Mathematics
This area of your phlebotomy classes teaches you how to convert basic quantities like millimetres to drops and vice versa.
7. Ethics and legal issues
There are several important issues that are covered in this portion of your course. You will learn what is legal and what is not for instance, it is illegal to discuss a patients blood work results with anyone who isn’t a doctor. Ethical issues are crucial for making day to day decisions.
Depending on the length of time a course is, some schools will offer more than just these subjects but this is what is necessary to learn while taking 4 week phlebotomy classes near me.