Choosing a Phlebotomy Technician Training Course near Marksville Louisiana
Enrolling in the ideal phlebotomy technician school near Marksville LA is an essential first step toward a gratifying profession as a phlebotomist. It may seem like a difficult undertaking to evaluate and compare all of the training alternatives that are available to you. However it’s important that you perform your due diligence to make sure that you get a quality education. In reality, most prospective students start the process by considering 2 of the qualifiers that first come to mind, which are location and cost. Another option you may consider is whether to attend classes online or commute to an area campus. We’ll review a bit more about online classes later in this article. What you need to keep in mind is that there is a lot more to researching phlebotomy training programs than finding the closest or the cheapest one. Other variables such as reputation and accreditation are also significant considerations and should be part of your decision process also. Toward that end, we will supply a list of questions that you should ask each of the phlebotomist schools you are reviewing to help you pick the best one for you. But before we do that, let’s address what a phlebotomist is and does, and then continue our discussion about online training.
Phlebotomy Technician Work Description
A phlebotomist, or phlebotomy tech, draws blood from patients. While that is their primary function, there is in fact much more to their job description. Before drawing a blood sample, a phlebotomist needs to confirm that the tools being used are sterile and single use only. After collection, the sample needs to be correctly labeled with the patient’s information. Next, paperwork must be properly filled out to be able to track the sample from the time of collection through the lab screening process. The phlebotomist then delivers the blood to either an in-house lab or to an outside lab facility where it can be tested for such things as pregnancy, infectious diseases or blood type. A number of phlebotomists actually work in Marksville LA area labs and are in charge of making certain that samples are analyzed properly using the strictest quality assurance procedures. And if those weren’t enough duties, they may be called upon to instruct other phlebotomists in the collection, delivery and follow-up process.
Where are Phlebotomy Techs Employed?
The quickest response is wherever there are patients. Their work environments are many and diverse, including Marksville LA hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes, or blood banks. They can be charged to collect blood samples from patients of all ages, from babies or young children to seniors. A number of phlebotomy techs, based on their practice and their training, specialize in drawing blood samples from a specific kind of patient. For instance, those working in an assisted living facility or nursing home would exclusively be drawing blood from elderly patients. If they are working in a maternity ward, they would be drawing blood from newborns and mothers exclusively. In contrast, phlebotomists working in a general hospital setting would be drawing blood from a wide variety of patients and would work with new patients on a daily basis.
Phlebotomy Training, Licensing and Certification
There are essentially 2 kinds of programs that offer phlebotomist training, which are degree and certificate programs. The certificate program generally takes less than a year to finish and offers a basic education together with the training on how to draw blood. It provides the fastest means to becoming a phlebotomist. An Associate of Science Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, even though it’s not specifically a phlebotomy degree, will provide training to become a phlebotomist. Offered at Marksville LA community and junior colleges, they normally require 2 years to complete. Bachelor’s Degrees are less accessible and as a four year program offer a more comprehensive background in lab sciences. After you have finished your training, you will probably want to be certified. While not required in most states, most Marksville LA employers require certification before employing technicians. Some of the key certifying organizations include:
- National Phlebotomy Association
- National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
- American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
- American Medical Technologists (AMT).
There are several states that do call for certification in order to practice as a phlebotomist, like Nevada and California. California and a few additional states even require licensing. So it’s important that you pick a phlebotomist training program that not only furnishes a quality education, but also readies you for any licensing or certification examinations that you elect or are required to take.
Online Phlebotomy Colleges
To start with, let’s resolve one likely misconception. You can’t obtain all of your phlebotomist training online. A significant part of the curriculum will be clinical training and it will be performed either in an on-campus lab or an approved healthcare facility. A large number of courses also require completing an internship prior to graduation. However since the non-practical part of the training can be attended online, it could be a more practical alternative for some Marksville LA students. As an added benefit, some online classes are less expensive than their on-campus counterparts. And some costs, such as those for textbooks or commuting, may be minimized also. Just confirm that the online phlebotomist college you enroll in is accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization (more on accreditation to follow). With both the extensive clinical and online training, you can obtain a premium education with this method of learning. If you are disciplined enough to study at home, then earning your certificate or degree online may be the best choice for you.
Subjects to Ask Phlebotomy Schools
Now that you have a basic idea about what is involved in becoming a phlebotomist, it’s time to start your due diligence process. You may have already selected the kind of program you wish to enroll in, whether it be for a degree or a certificate. As we previously mentioned, the location of the college is significant as well as the tuition expense. Perhaps you have opted to enroll in an online phlebotomist school. All of these decisions are a critical part of the process for choosing a school or program. But they are not the only concerns when making your decision. Below we have provided a few questions that you need to ask about each of the Marksville LA schools you are reviewing prior to making your ultimate selection.
Is the Phlebotomy Program Specific to Your State? As mentioned previously, each state has its own regulations for practicing as a phlebotomist. Several states require certification, while some others require licensing. Every state has its own requirement regarding the minimum amount of practical training performed before working as a phlebotomist. Consequently, you might need to pass a State Board, licensing or certification exam. Therefore it’s extremely important to enroll in a phlebotomy program that satisfies the state specific requirements for Louisiana or the state where you will be practicing and preps you for any examinations you may have to take.
Is the Program Accredited? The phlebotomist program and school you pick should be accredited by a respected regional or national accrediting agency, for example the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). There are several advantages to graduating from an accredited school aside from an assurance of a premium education. To begin with, if your program has not received accreditation, you will not be able to take a certification exam offered by any of the earlier listed certifying organizations. Next, accreditation will help in getting loans or financial assistance, which are typically not available for non-accredited schools. Last, earning a certificate or a degree from an accredited school can make you more desirable to future employers in the Marksville LA job market.
What is the School’s Ranking? In many states there is little or no regulation of phlebotomist schools, so there are those that are not of the highest quality. So along with accreditation, it’s essential to investigate the reputations of all schools you are looking at. You can begin by asking the schools for references from employers where they refer their graduates as part of their job assistance program. You can research online school reviews and rating services and solicit the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. You can even talk to a few Marksville LA clinics or hospitals that you might be interested in working for and find out if they can provide any insights. As a closing thought, you can check with the Louisiana school licensing authority and find out if any grievances have been submitted or if the colleges are in full compliance.
Is Enough Training Provided? First, contact the state regulator where you will be working to learn if there are any minimum requirements for the length of training, both clinical and classroom. As a minimum, any phlebotomist program that you are considering should provide at least 40 hours of classroom training (most require 120) and 120 hours of clinical training. Anything lower than these minimums might signify that the Marksville LA training program is not expansive enough to provide sufficient training.
Are Internships Provided? Ask the programs you are reviewing if they have an internship program in collaboration with Marksville LA healthcare facilities. They are the optimal means to get hands-on clinical training often not obtainable on campus. As an added benefit, internships can assist students develop relationships within the local Marksville healthcare community. And they look good on resumes as well.
Is Job Placement Support Provided? Finding your first phlebotomist position will be a lot easier with the help of a job placement program. Find out if the colleges you are considering provide assistance and what their job placement percentage is. If a school has a higher rate, signifying they place the majority of their students in positions, it’s an indication that the school has both an excellent reputation as well as an extensive network of professional contacts within the Marksville LA health care community.
Are Classes Compatible With Your Schedule? And last, it’s crucial to verify that the final program you select offers classes at times that will accommodate your busy lifestyle. This is particularly true if you opt to still work while attending college. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Marksville LA, make sure they are available at those times. Additionally, if you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify it is an option as well. And if you have decided to attend online, with the practical training requirement, make sure those hours can also be fulfilled within your schedule. And find out what the make-up procedure is in case you need to miss any classes because of emergencies or illness.
Considering Phlebotomy Training near Marksville LA?
Marksville, Louisiana
Louisiana's first land-based casino, Paragon Casino Resort, opened in Marksville in June 1994. It is operated by the federally recognized Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe, which has a reservation in the parish.[5]
Marksville is named after Marc Eliche (Marco Litche or Marco de Élitxe, as recorded by the Spanish), a Jewish-Italian immigrant who established a trading post after his wagon broke down in this area.[6] He was a Sephardic Jewish trader believed to be from Venice.[7] His Italian name was recorded by a Spanish priest as Marco Litche; French priests, who were with colonists, recorded his name as Marc Eliche or Mark Eliché[8] after his trading post was established about 1794. Marksville was noted on Louisiana maps as early as 1809, after the United States acquired the territory in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.[8] Eliche later donated the land that became the Courthouse Square. It is still the center of Marksville, the county seat.
Marksville's population has numerous families of Cajun ancestry, in addition to African Americans, European Americans, and persons of mixed European-African ancestry. Many of the families had ancestors here since the city was incorporated. These Cajun families include Gaspard, Sylvan, Trahan, Malveaux, and Zachary.
Marksville became the trading center of a rural area developed as cotton plantations. After the United States ended the African slave trade in 1808, planters bought African-American slaves through the domestic slave trade to use as workers; a total of more than one million were transported to the Deep South from the Upper South in the first half of the 19th century. Planters typically bought slaves from the markets in New Orleans, where they had been taken via the Mississippi River or by the coastal slave trade at sea. Solomon Northup, a free black from Saratoga Springs, New York, was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana. After being held for nearly 12 years on plantations in Avoyelles Parish, he was freed in 1853 with the help of Marksville and New York officials. Northup's memoir, which he published after returning to New York, was the basis of the 2013 movie 12 Years A Slave, of the same name.
Enroll in the Best Phlebotomy Course near Marksville LA
Making certain that you select the most suitable phlebotomist training is an important first step toward your success in this gratifying health care field. As we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that go into the selection of a superior program. Phlebotomy training programs can be available in a number of educational institutes, including community or junior colleges, vocational schools, and colleges and universities that provide a comprehensive range of courses in healthcare and medical sciences. Training program options can vary a bit from state to state as every state has its own criteria when it pertains to phlebotomist training, certification and licensing. The most important point is that you need to thoroughly screen and compare each college prior to making your ultimate selection. By asking the questions that we have presented, you will be able to narrow down your options so that you can pick the best program for you. And with the proper training, you can achieve your goal of becoming a phlebotomist in Marksville LA.
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