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There are many reasons why someone would need their blood drawn, which means that blood drawing is a busy job. The term for someone who is trained specifically to draw blood, is a phlebotomist. Although a hospital is one of the most popular settings where phlebotomists are used, there are many other medical settings where blood drawing takes place.

Although many nurses can and do draw blood, if you have ever had to have your blood drawn, chances are, you had it drawn by a phlebotomist. Phlebotomy is the study of collecting blood by means of venipuncture. They are typically trained to draw blood on people of all ages; from infants, to the elderly (for more information on phlebotomy in general, check out Phlebotomy-Training Resource, one of the best sites for phlebotomy information online).

On any given day, a phlebotomist may need to collect blood from a newborn, using their heel as the means of getting a good vein. They may also need to collect blood from an elderly person where the veins can be a bit more challenging to draw from because they may be fragile.

There’s a lot of information a phlebotomist needs to know regarding drawing blood. First, phlebotomist must have a good understanding about the venous system. They must be able to find, or palpitate for a good vein to draw the blood, even if it means using a vein in another area of the body other than the arm. They must also use correct sterile, or aseptic techniques in order to obtain sterile blood draws to prevent contamination of either the patient, or the blood sample.

One of the most important aspects of being a phlebotomist, may be understanding the different tubes used for the different types of blood samples that can be drawn. Knowing which tube to use may start with being able to read the doctor*' orders. When a phlebotomist reads the doctor’s orders correctly, the phlebotomist should be able to identify the correct tube he needs. Tube tops may be color-coordinated according to the type of test that has been ordered, and needs to be run.

Once the doctor has ordered the tests, and the right tube is identified, the phlebotomist needs to perform proper aseptic techniques to get a non-contaminated, germ-free blood sample. The phlebotomist must also be able to correctly label the tube, as well as accurately fill out the requisition to send to the lab, so the lab knows exactly which tests are supposed to be performed, and on which patient.