1. For my step project, I obtained my phlebotomy certification. Over the course of three weeks, I got 40 hours of in person training, along with bookwork instruction. I learned the proper way to safely withdraw blood so that my patients are always in good hands. In addition, I learned how to properly communicate with patients to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

2. Becoming a certified phlebotomist was a transformational experience for me. This was the first time I had ever carried out a procedure on a patient. After graduating from The Ohio State University, I plan on going to graduate school to get my masters in anesthesia. Throughout this field, I will frequently be drawing blood and placing IV’s. Therefore, this patient care experience I received not only taught me how to do important technical work for my future career goal, but also solidified that I chose the right career path.

I absolutely loved this course and realized how important my attitude towards the patients makes them feel more comfortable. My leadership and communication skills were really able to come out during this class. To practice our blood drawing technique, we would withdraw blood from each other. Although this was very scary at first, I realized how much more comfortable I felt when my peers were friendly, confident, and kind towards me. As a result, I quickly picked up on these important skills and was able to successfully make my peers feel the same way. My understanding of myself completely changed through this process as I was able to see that in a patient care setting, I have exactly the right skills needed to make my patients feel comfortable. This gave me the confidence that I have chosen the right career path and I can’t wait to work hard to accomplish my dream of being an Anesthesiologist Assistant.

3.​ The key aspect in becoming a certified phlebotomist was the hands-on practice that we got in this course. For ten straight days, we had two hours of book learning and two hours of learning in the lab. For me, the learning in the lab is what made this experience transformational. I was able to learn the proper technique to withdraw blood by practicing on my peers. This allowed me to understand the communication skills needed in a patient care setting. I was shocked by how quickly I was able to pick these skills up which boosted my confidence tremendously.

In addition, the relationship I was able to gain with my peers in only a short 10 days was amazing. Everybody was so hardworking and had a similar interest in medicine. This made the course way more enjoyable and now I have good friends to reach out to for questions that may come up about phlebotomy or anything patient care related. My teacher in this course was also amazing and said she would be more than happy to help us find a job in phlebotomy or write a recommendation letter which will certainly be helpful in the future.

Lastly, on the final day of this course we took a written exam on all of the lecture material we learned. I was impressed by how much knowledge I gained in the field of phlebotomy in such a short period of time. We learned many new ideas like the order of draw, safety violations, etc that will be essential when I get a job in the medical field in the future.

4. This transformation is valuable for my life because my future career goal is to become an Anesthesiologist Assistant. Throughout this field, you are constantly drawing blood, giving IV’s, and most importantly trying to make the patient feel as comfortable as possible. This course gave me the confidence that all my hardwork in my rigorous classes at school will pay off because I am so passionate about the medical field. In addition, this class forced me to be detail oriented, especially under pressure. This is certainly essential in the medical field because there will often be times where you have to make decisions on the spot. By gaining hands-on experience of phlebotomy, I developed the essential qualities and skills needed to be successful in my medical career in the future.