For your Phlebotomy Certification exam you will need to be prepared for both a written portion and a clinical skills (hands on) portion. If you have been through a formal training program your books and notes should suffice as study guides. But if your training has been on the job, as informal training, you might want to invest in a study guide or even take an online course.
Skills tested during the hands-on portion of the exam will be assessed during your demonstrations and verbal explanations of your techniques. As long as you are prepared for your exam, the most important thing during the skills test is to stay calm and not rush. If you try to hurry to get through it, you will make a mistake, and shaking hands cannot hit a vein properly. If you feel overly anxious just take a deep breath and try to relax.
Venipuncture Skills and Methods:
- Steps to find and prepare the intended puncture site
- Discuss how squeezing and heat affect finger sticks
- Discuss how tourniquets and fist making affect venipuncture
- Demonstrate proper technique for needle insertion and removal
- Demonstrate infant and adult capillary puncture and blood collection
- Identify sites for arterial venipuncture
Infection Control Skills:
- Discuss maintenance of laboratory safety
- Identify transmission routes of microbes and how to prevent transmission
- Discuss biohazard labeling and disposal
- Discuss nosocomial infection
- Demonstrate use of OSHA standards
- Demonstrate knowledge of MSDS (material safety data sheet)
- Demonstrate safe practices for infection control and isolation procedures
- Show procedures that ensure safety of inpatients and outpatients, adult and pediatric
- Discuss sterile and antiseptic differences in technique
Technical Phlebotomy Knowledge:
- Know what additives are used in blood collecting and what they do
- Know the color code of the collection tube as it relates to the additive
- Collect the proper equipment for a capillary stick, a venipuncture, and an arterial puncture
- Discuss causes of phlebotomy complications
- Know which color tube is necessary for each test a doctor might order
- Discuss transportation of specimens
- Discuss errors that can occur during specimen collecting, transporting, and processing that may affect the tests outcome
- Be able to demonstrate competency in computer systems
- Demonstrate appropriate patient instruction
Medical Knowledge:
- Discuss basic functions of each body system
- Demonstrate knowledge of the veins and arteries in the hands, arms, and feet
- Discuss the constituents of the blood and their functions
- Discuss the differences regarding whole blood, plasma, and serum
- Discuss roles of lab personnel
- Know medical terminology and accepted abbreviations
- Define coagulation
- Discuss the differing properties of capillary, venous, and arterial blood
- Job stress management
Law and Ethics
On the phlebotomy certification exam you will also be tested on your knowledge of medical laws, ethics, and malpractice insurance. This will include knowledge of proper documentation, confidentiality, the Patient’s Bill of Rights, and policies that are in place to avoid legal issues.
Phlebotomy Exam
Generally you can expect the written portion of the test to take about 2 hours, and the clinical portion an hour. If you fail the test you can take it again but you will have to pay the registration fees again, so go prepared. Testing fees are not refundable.
There are several online sites with free practice tests and answer guides. Take every opportunity to study, practice, or learn something new in your field.
If you pass the phlebotomy certification exam, you will need to keep up with CEU’s (continuing education) each year and pay a renewal fee to keep your certification valid.
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