A Phlebotomist’s Primer

In California, phlebotomists who draw blood for lab testing must be trained and issued a certificate by the training physician or clinical laboratory bioanalyst in charge of the program, according to state regulations, or they can take state-approved college or university courses or other approved training programs. Applicants to the school programs are advised to ask to see the school’s approval letter from the state of California.

* Many phlebotomists also opt for voluntary certification through the National Phlebotomy Assn. or several other certifying organizations, says Diane Crawford, a former phlebotomist who founded the nonprofit National Phlebotomy Assn. in 1978 to certify members of the profession. (For more information, call the association in Landover, Md., at [301] 386-4200.)

Requirements vary among the organizations, but the NPA, for example, requires applicants to complete 200 hours of practicum, going to a site and working with patients, sometimes for pay and sometimes gratis. Applicants also take a 240-item test. Annual renewal is required; for that, phlebotomists must complete 18 hours a year of continuing education.

American Medical Technologists ([800] 275-1268) requires work experience or training to certify phlebotomists, taking individual applicants’ backgrounds into account, says a spokeswoman.

* In the Los Angeles area, entry-level pay for hospital-based phlebotomists is in the range of $10 to $12 an hour. But compensation can be higher if the person has other, related skills.