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Phlebotomy Technician Certificate

Health and Sciences Division

General Description | Semester Layout | Course Requirements | Printable Checklist

Mission

To provide quality training in phlebotomy that will lead to entry level employment in the health care industry. Completers can also continue their education in the medical assisting, medical laboratory technology, or nursing programs when they met the entrance requirements.

Description

A phlebotomist draws blood by venipuncture or skin puncture collection for laboratory tests, transfusions, donations, and research. They must exercise appropriate safety precautions to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. Phlebotomists must become familiar with hospital procedures and environments, and must perform assigned tasks efficiently while demonstrating appropriate bedside manners. Phlebotomists work in hospitals, commercial laboratories, private physician's offices, public health departments, clinics, or blood banks.

Beginning Phlebotomy Technicians earn $9.00 per hour or $18,720 per year. More experienced technicians can expect $12.00 per hour or $25,000 per year.

Program Entrance Requirements

Course Level	Required Courses
High School	Algebra I, Biology
College	None
NOTE: A grade of "C" or better is required for each prerequisite course.

Other	Required
Diploma or GED	Yes
Approval/Permission Needed -- Application Process	No
Prior Experience/Observation	No
Minimum Cumulative GPA of 2.0	Yes
Current CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross	Yes
First Aid Certification	No
Hepatitis B Immunization or Signed Informed Refusal or Titer	Yes
MMR Immunization or Titer	Yes
Chicken Pox Vaccination or Titer	Yes
Two-step PPD / Chest X-Ray	Yes
Medical Examination Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.	Yes
Dental Examination Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete. Dental health must meet departmental standards.	No
Technical Standards Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.	No
Negative Drug Screen	Yes
Satisfactory Background Check	Yes
Other Diplomas, Licensures, etc.	No
Recent Photograph Photograph will not be returned.	No

Academic Standards

Standard Criteria	Required
Courses requiring a grade of "C" or better Any course with one of the following prefixes: ALL	Yes
Courses that may not be attempted more than twice Any course with one of the following prefixes: BIO	Yes
Complete or Maintain CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross	Yes
Curriculum Completion Requirement	No
Drug Calculation Competency Students must demonstrate drug calculation competency each semester in order to progress in curriculum courses.	No
Dismissal Policy A student who receives a grade below "C" for any two or more required curriculum courses will be dismissed from the program and will not be eligible to re-enter the program.	Yes
Re-entry Policy	No

Agency Requirements

Students in health majors must meet the published clinical agency requirements when participating in assigned labs. Requirements include immunizations, background checks, and drug testing. To be in compliance with Article, 23, Section 44-7-2920 of the S.C. Code of Law, all students enrolled in AHS 141, DAT 154, DHG 154, HIM 102, MED 102, MLT 110, NUR 160, NUR 201, PNR 110, RAD 101, RES 101, and SUR 101 must complete the requirements listed above prior to being assigned to any direct care entity. Results of the background check/drug screening could affect the student's ability to complete required clinical rotations and/or become credentialed. For example, a felony conviction could make a student ineligible to take the licensing exam(s) required by the profession or prevent the student from participating in the clinical training component.

Graduation Requirements

Complete all required courses specified in the curriculum.
Fulfill all financial obligations to the College.
Achieve a cumulative final GPA of 2.0.
Earn at least 25 percent of the total credit hours of his/her curriculum at FDTC. Exceptions can be made only by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Program Specific Notes

To progress in the Phlebotomy Program, all of the required courses in each of the previous semesters of the curriculum must be completed with a grade of "C" or better.