Phlebotomy/Specimen Processing | Westmoreland County Community College

Skills & Competencies

Skills developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET via SOC 31-9097.00

Skills

Service OrientationSocial PerceptivenessSpeakingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringCoordinationReading Comprehension

Knowledge

Customer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageAdministrativeEducation and TrainingPsychology

Abilities

Near VisionArm-Hand SteadinessProblem SensitivityOral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionOral ExpressionDeductive ReasoningSpeech ClarityInformation OrderingFinger Dexterity

Tasks

Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, sy
Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.

Technology

Medical softwareWeb platform development softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail software

Tools

Aliquot tubesBarcode scannersBiohazard spill kitsBlood collection syringesBlood culture bottlesBlood culture incubatorsBlood drawing syringesBlood gas kitsBlood glucose monitoring equipmentBlood lancetsBlood specimen refrigeratorsCapillary tubesCulture platesDigital timersErythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) pipettes

Work Values

SupportAchievementRelationshipsWorking ConditionsRecognitionIndependence

Career Pathways

Occupations this program prepares you for

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET + BLS

Occupations matched to this program, with median wage, top wage, growth, and openings
SOC	Occupation	Method	Wage	Growth	Openings
Match confidence: high31-9097.00	Phlebotomists	title_inference	$43,660 median$57,750 top	+5.58%	790

Program Pathways

Credentials this program stacks toward

No program pathways.

What You'll Learn

Key competencies developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom NSX Competency Framework

Mastery: developing (Level 2)(based on Certificate)

Sharps disposal compliance — consistently manage and document contaminated sharps disposal in accordance with OSHA regulations and facility policy with minimal oversight in a high-volume phlebotomy setting.
Tray and instrument maintenance — independently organize, restock, and verify sterility of blood-drawing trays at the start and end of each shift in a busy outpatient laboratory.
Multi-method venipuncture — perform vacuum tube, syringe, and butterfly venipuncture methods on a range of patient populations with reduced supervision in inpatient and outpatient environments.
Requisition-to-tube matching — accurately reconcile laboratory requisition forms to the correct specimen tubes and verify test codes before specimen transport with routine efficiency.
Standard laboratory tests — conduct routine tests including blood glucose screening, blood smears, and blood alcohol collections following established protocols in a clinical laboratory.
Timed specimen collection — collect specimens at prescribed intervals for therapeutic drug monitoring and glucose tolerance tests, adjusting scheduling as needed in a fast-paced clinical environment.
Specimen processing — centrifuge, aliquot, and prepare blood and fluid samples for downstream analysis by laboratory professionals with limited direction in a processing laboratory.
Patient communication — explain collection procedures clearly to anxious or pediatric patients using active listening and plain language in a patient-facing draw center.
Electronic health records — enter and retrieve specimen data accurately using medical software and office suite applications in an integrated healthcare system.
Time management — prioritize multiple concurrent draw orders and timed collections to meet turnaround time targets independently in a high-demand clinical setting.

Program Details

Detailed information about this program

No detailed information available.

Requirements

What you need to earn this credential

No requirements listed.

Financial Aid

Eligible funding programs

No funding information available.

Scholarships

No scholarships listed.