Phlebotomist Certification Exam
Phlebotomist Certification Exam Preparation
The Phlebotomist certification exam is the exam given by the either the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ACP), The association of Phlebotomy Technicians (APT), or the National Phlebotomy Association (NPA). The requirements before testing are a bit different for each board. Each of them will require the Phlebotomist to have at least 200 hours in class room time and clinical experience. Most of them require documentation of successful venipunctures, and skin punctures.
The Phlebotomy Certification exam focuses on anatomy and physiology, anatomical vein sites, the appropriate way to access them, lab safety, and specimen handling. They will want you to be proficient in a variety of different tools used to draw blood, such as butterfly needles, catheters, and specialized containers in which the specimen will be placed. There will also be a skills test in which a proctor will have you draw blood from a manican. They will be watching for proper safe techniques, and to assure that you can accurately place a needle. Common mistakes in the skills test is forgetting to remove the tourniquet and also not keeping the area properly sterilized. Be careful not to touch the needle or catheter in any way shape or form. And also take care to prep the site of penetration with an Alcohol swab or iodine. Try to be calm and collected and the Phlebotomy certification exam will be a breeze.
The written testing process is fully automated. You will take the test on a computer which will ask you a number of questions. The questions will pertain to the areas of study mentioned earlier. The questions will consistently become more and more difficult, when you have reached the required difficulty in any given category the test will recognize that you are proficient in this subject and will move on to another category of questions. So the test can either be very fast (less than 80 questions), or it can take quite a while asking up to 250 questions. The length of the test ultimately relies on how well you answer the questions and how in depth your knowledge is as a phlebotomist. The test will turn off when you have either shown that you are competent or incompetent in a subject. Do not take your testing process lightly, get in there and make sure you pass the first time around. It is important to have your training and your experience from class and clinicals fresh in your mind when it comes time to take this test.