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Veterinary Technician

Benefits of Getting a Phlebotomy Certification As a Veterinary Technician

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As a veterinary technician, you’ve seen…well, just about everything. From angry cats to bodily fluids in unfortunate places, you handle it all with grace and aplomb.

After all, your job is all about one thing: ensuring good patient care, even when your four-legged patients aren’t too keen on it.

For veterinary technicians looking for another avenue of career growth, a phlebotomy certification is more than just a certificate to draw blood. It’s a way to provide better care for your patients. Here’s why a phlebotomy certification is a great investment for veterinary technicians.

Benefits of Phlebotomy Certification to Supplement Your Veterinary Technician Certification

If you love animals, you love being a veterinary technician. It’s a job that allows you to help animals recover from health issues and feel their best, and you can do anything from administering x-rays to obtaining samples to assisting a veterinarian during exam, even preparing an animal for surgery.

The trick with animals, of course, is that they don’t speak your language. Unlike human patients, it’s hard for them to advocate for themselves. This is where drawing blood makes a huge difference for your animal patients–blood tests are incredibly common diagnostic tools, and they’re incredibly valuable for diagnosing a patient who cannot speak for themselves.

How to Get a Phlebotomy Certification

The trick with phlebotomy (i.e. the process of drawing blood from a vein with a needle) is that it’s an art as much as a science, despite its status as an incredibly common feature of modern medicine. For this reason, phlebotomy requires specialized, structured training to perform safely. Anyone who is not formally trained in phlebotomy must obtain a certification before they are allowed to perform it.

The good news? Getting a phlebotomy certification is relatively easy. You just need to pass a clinical component and a phlebotomy exam.

At the National Association of Phlebotomy Technician Professionals, our exam is 100 questions covering a wide variety of concerns in the field, including order of draw, HIPAA, OSHA, and patient care. In order to register, you must have completed 65 live blood draws within the past two years, or you must be a recent phlebotomy program graduate (within the past six months) with 30 live blood draws at the time of registration.

Where to Get a Phlebotomy Certification: Choosing the Best Phlebotomy Certification Course

Looking for a great phlebotomy certification course? There are a number of certifying bodies out there, so it can be hard to know where to begin.

First, look for a nationally recognized certification. This will ensure that your credentials remain valid, even if you have to move across states. Plus, name recognition makes you a more attractive hire.

Second, look for an exam with three things: a clinical component, a strong code of ethics, and a carefully defined scope of practice. An online exam won’t do you any good if you don’t know how to perform a blood draw in real life, and a code of ethics and scope of practice both indicate an ethical organization which is concerned with certifying ethical medical professionals who reflect positively on the field (as opposed to making a quick buck).

We are Industry Leaders in Phlebotomy Certification

As a veterinary technician, you want the best for your four-legged patients. And as someone who works hard to deliver great care, you deserve an investment in your future too.

We are the nation’s leading organization in phlebotomy certifications. Founded in 1998, we have spent decades promoting best practices in the field and provided thousands of students with the skills, knowledge, and education they need to succeed. So if you’re ready to take the next step in your career, click here to register and receive your exam prep materials.