There are many roles you can play in the medical field if this is a niche that interests you. For instance, you might become a phlebotomist.
Before you start looking for a phlebotomy school, though, you should understand this profession and what it entails. We’ll talk about it in the following article.
What Exactly is a Phlebotomist?
A phlebotomist is what the medical field calls a person who draws blood from adults and children. Since this is something that needs to happen often in the medical world, you can be sure these individuals are in high demand.
How Do You Become One?
You definitely need to go to school to learn how to become a phlebotomist. You can’t just pick up the equipment and go right to work. There are best practices in the field of phlebotomy, just as there are in any of the other recognized medical disciplines.
Phlebotomists have to study human anatomy to get ready for this profession. You can start doing that as early as middle school or high school. However, if you didn’t think of becoming a phlebotomist until after you graduated from high school, you might have to start your training after that.
What Does the Phlebotomist Do?
If you go to a blood bank with the intention of giving blood, the chances are high that you’ll run into a phlebotomist. They will make a small puncture in your vein, usually in one of your arms. Then, they will use what’s called a cannula to draw your blood.
The medical profession calls this a venipuncture. You’ll also see this same procedure if someone needs intravenous therapy.
Phlebotomists can work at clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities. Some of them remain at one location, while others work for multiple different medical entities.
Why Does Phlebotomy Matter So Much?
The reason why phlebotomy matters so much in the medical world is that patients need to give blood for all kinds of reasons, and there need to be qualified individuals who know how to draw it with no difficulties. Some people voluntarily give blood because medical facilities frequently need it.
Other times, a doctor will recommend that a patient get some blood drawn so that tests can be run on it. The person may need to give multiple blood samples if there’s something puzzling happening with them from a medical standpoint. It’s the phlebotomist who allows this to occur with a minimum of discomfort to the patient.
You can regard phlebotomy as a critical part of the medical world, and it provides a service to humanity. You might become a phlebotomist if you want to help people through the medical industry, but you do not necessarily have the patience or aptitude to become a doctor.
The good news for anyone who wants to enter this profession is that you can become a phlebotomist in a much shorter time than it would take you to become a doctor. Keep this in mind if this profession appeals to you.
