Short-term program, long-term success.

Phlebotomists are medical professionals who draw and prepare blood specimens for analysis. This short-term certificate can equip you with the knowledge you need to perform venipunctures, skin punctures, urinalysis, and point of care testing. Once you complete the program, you’ll be eligible to sit for a Phlebotomy Technician Certification exam, which will in turn prepare you to work in a hospital, clinic, private laboratory, or physician’s office.

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Industry-based certification

Complete this program in just one semester! Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT) certification examination can be earned through the American Medical Technologists (AMT). This certification testing is given at Belmont College.

What you’ll learn

  • Understand the principles of phlebotomy, including the correct “Order of Draw.”
  • Demonstrate competence in capillary punctures, urinalysis, and point of care testing.
  • Know how to communicate professionally with people from diverse backgrounds.
  • Have the ability to perform patient care procedures using the quality standards of the Code of Ethics of American Medical Technicians (AMT).
  • Pass the certification exam by the AMT for Registered Phlebotomy Technicians (RPT).

Program Information

  • A 10-panel urine drug test must be obtained by you (the student) and submitted separately to the Medical Assisting/Phlebotomy program.
  • Drug testing must be submitted by December 1st.
  • Hand deliver or email the results to the Nursing Program Academic Specialist at stracy@belmontcollege.edu.
  • If your drug test is positive due to prescriptive medications, it is YOUR responsibility to work with your healthcare provider to convert a positive drug test to a negative drug test based upon prescriptive medications.
  • You will be removed from the program if the drug screen is positive in the absence of an authorized prescription by a medical provider.
  • You understand that at the discretion of the director of the nursing program and/or the medical assisting coordinator, a repeat 10-panel urine drug test can be required. Failure to submit a requested drug test will result in immediate removal from the program.
  • You are responsible for all costs associated with drug testing.

Health and immunizations requirements are not a stipulation for entrance to Belmont College (the “College”).  However, students seeking entrance to any of the College’s healthcare programs are subject to health and immunization requirements as a direct result of the demands of the healthcare facilities utilized by the programs to achieve student learning outcomes. Those students who are choosing to enter a healthcare profession must sincerely reflect on the personal healthcare requirements that they may face as a student and later as a professional.

Healthcare facilities require College students to demonstrate proof of compliance with their health and immunization requirements prior to entrance into the facility for clinical experiences.  Entrance to any healthcare facility by college students is a privilege which can be revoked due to non-compliance with the signed clinical contract which outlines their health and immunization requirements.

The College’s healthcare programs generally require clinical experiences at a wide range of facilities, so choosing not to participate at facilities where vaccines are required limits a student’s ability to achieve the skills required by the program’s learning outcomes and may lead to failure to complete the program.

Many facilities with health and immunization requirements have provisions for exemptions based upon religion or specific medical considerations. Students who receive vaccine exemptions from a clinical facility must follow the facility’s policies pertaining to these exemptions. All exemptions are subject to review and may be rescinded based upon new healthcare guidelines. Any student who receives a vaccine exemption from a clinical facility must follow the facility’s policies pertaining to the exemption and assumes the cost of any additional requirements set by the facility for those who are not vaccinated, including, but not limited to, mask fit testing or additional disease testing. Students must provide a copy of the approved exemption to the College through their healthcare program.

Some clinical facilities require the College to determine exemptions based on religion or specific medical conditions. All exemptions processed by the College will be determined by the individual healthcare program and must also be accepted by the healthcare facility. A student seeking an exemption from the College must submit the required paperwork. All exemptions processed by the College will be valid for the length of the current academic year, unless specified differently by a healthcare facility’s exemption policy. A student must reapply for an exemption each academic year or upon reinstatement or change of program. All exemptions are subject to review and may be rescinded based upon new healthcare guidelines. Any student who receives a vaccine exemption from the College must follow any healthcare facility’s policies pertaining to the exemption and assumes the cost of any additional requirements set by any facility for those who are not vaccinated, including, but not limited to, mask fit testing or additional disease testing.

It is the student’s responsibility to seek exemptions in a timely manner that will not delay his/her scheduled entrance to their assigned healthcare facility. Any absence due to the exemption review process not being completed by the time of planned entry to the healthcare facility is the fault of the student. These absences will not be excused and will be made up only as permitted and outlined by the healthcare program. Students are to obtain the necessary paperwork from their healthcare program. All completed paperwork is to be returned to the healthcare program in a timely fashion.

The College cannot guarantee the availability of an exemption at any healthcare facility. The decision denying an exemption by the College is final and cannot be petitioned.  However, a student may reapply for a previously denied exemption based on new and additional information. Refusing to comply with the health and immunization requirements and policies of a healthcare facility may result in failure to meet the requirements of the academic program. Such a choice is at the student’s own personal risk and could prevent the student from successful completion of the academic program. The College is not responsible for providing alternative clinical sites due to a student’s exemption status. The College is not responsible for any illnesses or healthcare expenses acquired by the students in relation to their clinical experiences.

Phlebotomy students will need uniforms for lab and clinicals. Uniforms must be purchased from Studio Scrubs in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Students need to go to the store to size and order uniforms, lab jacket, and shoes. The cost for these items will be billed to the College who will post your individual charges to your student account. The cost for ONLY UNIFORMS, LAB JACKETS, AND SHOES can be posted to your student account.  Once the uniforms and shoes are ordered the student assumes full financial responsibility, even if the student does not enter the program.

Due to the embroidery of the College’s logo on the tops and lab coats, all uniforms must be ordered ONLY through Studio Scrubs.

Clinical sites require students to be clearly identified.

Students must purchase black tops, black pants, and a black lab coat. These will be worn during campus labs and clinical settings.

Please consider the sizing of the uniform to allow for adequate body movement.

Uniforms can take six to eight weeks to come in, so please take this into consideration when placing an order (Studio Scrubs sends the uniform to another vendor to be embroidered). Students cannot attend clinical experience without the proper uniform.

Uniforms are picked up at the store by the student.

Contact information for Studio Scrubs:

Studio Scrubs, LLC
8 Elm Grove Crossing Plaza
Wheeling, WV  26003
Phone: 304.905.0221
Fax: 304.905.0275
Email: vcook@studioscrubsllc.com

A. Essential Abilities The following functional abilities or technical standards are essential to meet the objectives for the Medical Assisting/Phlebotomy program at Belmont College. Applicants to the program are responsible to review these abilities and identify to the college any potential problem areas, and to recommend to the college any accommodations they may need. Students who do not meet these essential abilities and who enter the program must do so with the understanding that they will be expected to meet course requirements, with any reasonable accommodations that may be provided by the college. Each clinical site has the right to define and determine minimum essential abilities for student entry to their facility. Students must be aware that this may impact their ability to meet clinical and program outcomes.

B. Technical Standards The curricula leading to a program completion of Belmont College Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy Program requires students to engage in diverse and complex experiences directed at the acquisition and practice of essential skills and functions. Unique combinations of cognitive, affective, psychomotor, physical, and social abilities are required to perform these functions satisfactorily. In addition to being essential to the successful completion of the requirements of a program, these skills and functions are necessary to ensure the health and safety of patients, fellow students, faculty, and other health care providers.

The following technical standards describe the non-academic qualifications required in addition to academic qualifications that the college considers essential for entrance to, continuation in, and graduation from its certificate or degree program. Candidates for a certificate or degree must be able to meet these minimum standards with or without reasonable accommodation(s) for successful completion of the degree requirements:

1. Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Abilities

  • Sufficient abilities to allow him/her to gather data from written reference materials, oral presentations, demonstrations and observations of a patient and his/her environment.
  • Sufficient ability to perform health assessments and interventions; observe diagnostic equipment; and obtain information from digital, analog and 12 waveform representations of physiologic phenomena to determine a patient’s condition.
  • Examples of relevant activities:
    • Visual acuity sufficient to draw up the correct quantity of medication in a syringe or detect changes in skin color or condition. Discrimination of depth and color perception.
    • Auditory ability sufficient to detect sounds related to bodily functions using a stethoscope or to respond and react immediately to instructions/requests and audible alarms generated by mechanical systems used to monitor the patient’s physiological status.
    • Tactile abilities sufficient to detect unsafe temperature levels in heatproducing devices used in patient care or detect anatomical abnormalities, such as edema or small nodules. Discriminate between sharp/dull and hot/cold when using hands. Feel vibrations, temperature differences in surface characteristics and differences in size and shape.
    • Smell odors, smoke, gases, or noxious smells.

2.  Communication Abilities

  • Ability to communicate with accuracy, clarity and efficiency with patients, their families, and other members of the health care team (including spoken and nonverbal communications, such as interpretation of facial expressions, affect and body language).
  • Required communication abilities, including speech, hearing, reading, writing, language skills and computer literacy.
  • Examples of relevant activities:
    • Reading ability sufficient to understand the English language written word at a minimum of a high school graduate or at the acceptable level for TASC/GED completion.
    • Abilities sufficient to give verbal directions to or follow verbal directions from other members of the health care team and to participate in the health care team discussions of patient care. • Ability sufficient to elicit and record information about health history, current health state, or responses to treatment from patients or family members.
    • Ability sufficient to convey information to patients and others as necessary to teach, direct, and counsel individuals.
    • Interpersonal skills sufficient to establish rapport with patients and coworkers, and to respect the rights of others and their differences.
    • Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, using appropriate grammar, vocabulary, and word usage.
    • Communication skills sufficient to teach others, to explain procedures, to interact with others, and to convey information in writing.
    •  Ability to convey proper phone etiquette.

3. Motor Abilities

  • Sufficient motor function to execute movements required to provide general care and treatment to patients in all health care settings.
  • Required motor functions include gross and fine motor skills, physical endurance, physical strength, and mobility to carry out procedures, perform basic laboratory tests and provide routine and emergency care and treatment of patients.
  • Physical stamina/endurance sufficient to perform patient care for the entire length of the clinical experience.
  • Examples of relevant activities:
    • Fine motor skills sufficient to obtain assessment information by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers.
    • Physical endurance sufficient to complete assigned periods of clinical practice.
    • Stand or walk for long periods of time
    • Climb stairs: potentially many floors
    • Sustain repetitive movements
    • Carry equipment or supplies
    • Twist, bend, stoop, squat, or move quickly
    • Mobility sufficient to carry out patient care procedures, such as chest compressions or performing emergency airway management.
    • Strength sufficient to carry out patient care procedures.
    • Assisting in the turning and lifting of patients
    • Lift and transfer patients from a stooped position, then push or pull the weight up to 3 feet.
    • Lift and transfer patients from a stopped position to an upright position to accomplish bed to chair and chair to bed transfers.
    • Physically able to apply up to 10 pounds of pressure to bleeding sites in performing and the physical endurance required to properly perform CPR/BLS.
    • Move within a confined space.
    • Reach above the shoulders and below the waist.

4. Behavioral, Interpersonal, and Emotional Abilities

  • Ability to relate to colleagues, staff and patients with honesty, integrity, and non-discrimination.
  • Capacity for the development of mature, sensitive, and effective therapeutic relationships with patients. Ability to work constructively in stressful and changing environments with the ability to modify behavior in response to constructive criticism.
  • Capacity to demonstrate ethical behavior, including adherence to the professional standard and student honor codes. Examples of relevant activities:
  • Emotional skills sufficient to remain calm in an emergency and adapt to environmental stress.
  • Interpersonal skills sufficient to communicate effectively with patients and families of diverse religious, cultural, and social backgrounds.
  • Behavioral skills sufficient to demonstrate the exercise of good judgment, prompt completion of all academic responsibilities and the care of the patients.
  • Emotional stability to monitor and control own emotions.
  • Arithmetic competence that would allow the student to read and understand columns of writing, to tell time, to use measuring tools, and to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Write numbers in physical records or enter them in electronic health management systems.

5. Cognitive, Conceptual and Quantitative Abilities

  • Ability to read and understand written documents in English and solve problems involving measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis.
  • Ability to gather data to develop a plan of action, establish priorities, and monitor treatment plans and modalities • Ability to comprehend three-dimensional and spatial relationships.
  • Examples of relevant activities:
    • Cognitive skills sufficient to calculate appropriate medication dosage given specific patient parameters.
    • Arithmetic competence that would allow the student to read and understand columns of writing, to tell time, to use measuring tools, and to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Write numbers in physical records or enter them in electronic health management systems.
    • Conceptual ability sufficient to analyze and synthesize data and develop an appropriate plan of care.
    • Analytical thinking sufficient to transfer knowledge from one situation to another, to problem solve, to prioritize tasks, and to use long-term and short-term memory.
    • Critical thinking ability sufficient to exercise sound judgment through the sequencing of information and the identification of cause-and-effect relationships.
    • Quantitative ability sufficient to collect data, prioritize needs and anticipate reactions.
    • Ability to comprehend spatial relationships adequately to properly administer injections, insert various types of catheters, or assess wounds of varying depths.

*Faculty revised 2019 and adapted from the Technical Standards for Admission, Progression, and Graduation from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with permission (2015).

Questions

Amanda Piegan, CMA, MPA
Coordinator Medical Assisting, Phlebotomy, and Coding Program
740.699.3846
apiegan@belmontcollege.edu