Phlebotomy Technician (Non-Vocational) — Certificate Program

Understand the human body systems as they relate to phlebotomy practice.

Key Learning Areas:

• Commonly used veins for venipuncture
• Differences between veins and arteries and their locations
• Overview of the integumentary and cardiovascular systems
• Blood composition, disorders, and diagnostic testing
• Body planes, cavities, and anatomical terminology

Master the use of blood collection tubes and their chemical properties.

Key Learning Areas:

• Tube identification for common laboratory tests
• Additives and anticoagulants used in blood collection
• Understanding SST vs. PST
• Serum vs. plasma  differences and sample handling

Promote patient and personal safety through rigorous infection control standards.

Key Learning Areas:

• Appropriate use of PPE
• Safe disposal of sharps and biohazardous materials
• Equipment safety and maintenance
• Managing exposure incidents and reporting injuries
• Isolation procedures and contamination prevention

Ensure optimal blood collection conditions and minimize pre-analytical errors.

Key Learning Areas:

• Proper cleansing agents and disinfection techniques
• Recognizing pre-analytical errors (e.g., recontamination, prolonged tourniquet use)
• Selecting appropriate collection sites based on requisition and patient factors
• Differentiating veins from arteries during site assessment

Apply standard practices to maintain specimen integrity and accuracy.

Key Learning Areas:

• Inversion times and discard tube procedures
• Consequences of incorrect order of draw
• Selecting the correct needles, lancets, and accessories
• Choosing proper antiseptics for specific tests
• Checking expiry and integrity of equipment

Develop essential communication and care skills for patient-centred phlebotomy.

Key Learning Areas:

• Reducing patient anxiety and managing needle phobia
• Obtaining informed consent ethically
• Verifying patient identity using proper procedures
• Monitoring patient safety during and after collection
• Documenting collection data accurately

Gain full procedural competency from collection to laboratory transport.

Key Learning Areas:

• Venipuncture and capillary blood collection methods
• Correct needle angle, site stabilization, and patient positioning
• Handling difficult draws and preventing complications
• Maintaining sample integrity (avoiding hemolysis, contamination)
• Specimen labelling, centrifugation, storage, and transport
• Packaging and delivery of specimens under proper conditions
• Post-puncture care and safety compliance

Build essential language and literacy in laboratory communication.

Key Learning Areas:

• Understanding key clinical abbreviations (RBC, WBC, INR, ESR, PSA, etc.)
• Definitions of hemolysis, hematoma, and hemoconcentration
• Proper use of terminology in documentation and requisitions

Leading academic and clinical resources support the program curriculum:

• Phlebotomy Essentials (7th Edition) – Ruth E. McCall
• CLSI Standard GP41: Collection of Diagnostic Venous Blood Specimens (7th Edition)
• CLSI Tubes and Additives for Blood Specimen Collection (6th Edition)
• Clinical Chemistry: Principles, Procedures, Correlations (8th Edition) – Bishop, Fody & Schoeff