1. My STEP leadership project was obtaining my Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) certification. I attended the Ohio School of Phlebotomy for a 7 week course, where I learned basic and advanced techniques of venipuncture, butterfly draws, syringe draws, finger sticks, and more. At the end of the course, I took the National Healthcareer Association’s certification exam to obtain formal licensure as a phlebotomist.
Here’s a picture of my certificate I got after passing the national licensure exam!
2. I think something that really changed my assumptions and views of the world, namely the healthcare industry, is how intentional even the smallest of steps may seem. I feel like phlebotomy is not something most people give a lot of time to. At least for me, I thought things such as the color on the top of the tube the phlebotomist chooses was just that – a color. In reality, the colors on the tubes, the tubes you pick, the order you draw the tubes in, and even the basic sanitary steps your phlebotomist takes before they even touch you are immensely detailed, and the people who draw our blood are trained very intricately to make this a safe and seamless procedure.
For example, the colors of the tubes are dependent on the type of test the doctor is ordering. So, phlebotomists are responsible for knowing all the different tests a doctor might order and what colored tube they have to use to collect the specimen. This is because each colored tube contains a different additive that preps the blood in a different way for testing. Because of this, even the order the tubes are drawn in is something that phlebotomists take great responsibility in making sure is done correctly. When you’re sitting there as a patient, you do not notice the person drawing your blood doing all of this, but so much is going on in their mind before they even meet you to make sure you stay safe and your samples are drawn as efficiently as possible.
3. For one, my teacher was incredible. She was so passionate about being a good teacher and instilling the values every good phlebotomist should have when working with patients. We were not allowed to draw blood on each other without her presence with us. In fact, we couldn’t even prep our stations unless she was watching to make sure we didn’t miss any important safety steps.
She also placed a huge emphasis on understanding the correct order of draw and the tests ran in each color of tube. Every tube we selected for our partner was dictated by her, testing our understanding of the tests associated with each tube. Every day of class, she would assign us specific tests, such was a basal metabolic panel, hemoglobin A1C, and a glucose tolerance test, and we would be responsible for correctly selecting the right tubes (in this case, gold, lavender, and gray, drawn in that order). Of course, if we didn’t initially get the correct colors or we accidentally tried to perform the draw in the wrong order, she would guide us to the correct method and reassure us that it just takes practice and that we’d get there eventually.
You could tell how much she cared about phlebotomy and making sure we learned to be the best phlebotomists we could. She would go out of her way to prepare resources for us to study with – flashcards, handouts, games, activities, etc. You name it, she had advice or a resource for us to turn to to help us learn. In all, my teacher is entirely the reason I was able to understand the importance of being so passionate when doing procedures that can be as simple as a finger prick on a patient.
4. I hope to pursue a career in medicine. I want to be a caring and passionate physician; ones like the doctors I’ve shadowed, whose patients tell them that their lives have changed because of how much their physician cares about their well being. These same doctors I’ve shadowed and worked with have also demonstrated the importance of blood work and have made it evident to myself and their patients that the support they receive from phlebotomists, medical technicians, and other medical professionals is the ultimate backbone behind what makes their jobs effective. Without medical support, physicians can only do so much.
I understand that the best way to be the kind of physician who understands the importance of their support system is to have been in the shoes of the aforementioned support system. I know that with the experience I have gained from my time in phlebotomy school and the experience I will continue to gain as a work as a practicing phlebotomist, I will develop the skills to display the compassion the best physicians have for their patients and their support network. Until I can experience the work medical professionals aside from doctors do for myself, I cannot truly understand all that goes into treating a patient and making sure they have the best experience one can have in an otherwise not so pleasant situation such as visiting the doctor.