Every year on June 14th, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donation Day to raise awareness about the global need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors. Organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), this annual event highlights how donated blood saves millions of lives every year.

The Constant Need for Blood According to the WHO, giving blood is an act of solidarity that saves lives and enhances community resilience. Safe blood is a critical resource for treating those in emergency situations, surgical patients, pregnant women with complications, children with severe anemia, and many others. Yet blood shortages remain a major challenge in many parts of the world.

The WHO estimates that blood transfusion services need to collect blood from 3-5% of a country’s population to meet yearly needs. However, in many nations, less than 1% of the population donate blood annually. This chronic shortage leads to preventable deaths and suffering.

Promoting Voluntary Unpaid Donation World Blood Donor Day commemorates the birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, the Nobel Prize winning scientist who discovered the ABO blood group system in 1900. The day provides an opportunity to motivate more people to become regular voluntary unpaid blood donors.

Voluntary unpaid donors are the safest group of blood donors because they are least likely to withhold facts that could make them ineligible to donate. When donors receive compensation, they may be motivated to donate even if they have conditions that put them at higher risk of carrying transfusion-transmissible infections.

Building a Safe and Sufficient Blood Supply Each edition of World Blood Donor Day carries a specific theme to draw attention to key aspects of blood donation. For 2023, the theme is “Giving blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives.”

By promoting solidarity through voluntary unpaid donation, the WHO aims to increase public awareness, identify shortcomings in national blood transfusion services, and strengthen donor recruitment and retention programs globally. Only through sustained voluntary donations can the world build up safe and sufficient blood supplies.

Whether you’ve donated before or not, World Blood Donation Day is the perfect opportunity to make an appointment at your local blood center. A single donation can help save multiple lives. Give blood and be a part of the global effort to ensure universal access to safe and affordable blood transfusion services.

References:

• World Health Organization Blood Safety Page: https://www.who.int/teams/global-malaria-programme/prevention/blood-safety
• World Blood Donor Day Page: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-blood-donor-day

Becoming a phlebotomist is a great way to start a new career.  However, every new career, especially in the medical field requires skill.  That skill is only learned through practice.  Phlebotomy Career Training understands the need to provide students the opportunity to practice their skills.  This is why Phlebotomy Career Training designed and patented their Virtual Training Arm.  Every student of phlebotomy online receives a VSK or Virtual Simulation Kit.  This VSK includes the supplies that are necessary to learn how to draw blood.

The first reason that students should use their VSK

Students should use their VSK to be able to visually identify all the equipment that they will use in the real world.  Students will learn the names and uses of each of their phlebotomy equipment, such as their vacutainer needle, vacutainer hub, butterfly needle and vacutainer tubes.

The second reason that phlebotomy students should practice on a VSK

Practicing on a simulated arm helps students get over the fear of drawing on a real person.  Much of phlebotomy is muscle memory.  At Phlebotomy Career Training, we want students to practice at least 100 times weekly using their VSK.  The steps provided to students from our teachers and videos helps to demonstrate the correct way to draw blood.  Yes, there is a correct way!  Every step of a blood draw is outlined for students so that they can see the how and why these steps are performed.  Did you know that there is scientifically evidenced based literature on why the angle of the needle is important as well as how to properly cleanse the area.

The third reason why it is important that students use their VSK

Repetition makes perfect.  A thorough knowledge of each step helps students build the confidence they need to go out into the world knowing that they have learned the correct steps of phlebotomy.  As a matter of fact, our students at Phlebotomy Career Training, usually wind up showing seasoned phlebotomist what they have been doing wrong.  Though this doesn’t make them very popular, protecting patients from harm is the only goal for each of our graduates.

The fourth reason why it is important to use their VSK

When students practice on their VSK, they are required to send in a video to their online instructor demonstrating their technique.  Their personal online instructor provides detailed feedback to the student and will request a re-do in certain circumstances until the student gets it right.  Students can also watch other students videos demonstrating their blood draws using the practice arm.  Learning takes place with doing, listening, watching and integrating new knowledge.

The fifth reason that students should use their VSK

Finding veins!  Yes, finding veins is the bane of all phlebotomists, regardless of how long they have been in the field.  Which is why that Phlebotomy Career Training designed the veins in the practice arm to mimic actual vein anatomy.  Bifurcating veins can be a real issue and is one of the main reasons that phlebotomists miss the vein.  The term, “Palpation” is frequently used in phlebotomy to describe the touching of the vein by the phlebotomists by applying slight pressure to identify where the vein lies and its diameter.  The veins in the VSK are palpable and also bifurcate so that if as student closes their eyes they can feel the veins under the skin and trace the veins direction in the arm.

Phlebotomy Career Training puts emphasis on patient interaction and compassion

Student must also practice introducing themselves to their patients.  Every patient has the right to know who is going to be taking care of them or who is drawing their blood.  Phlebotomy Career Training wants every student to introduce themselves using their first and last name as well as their title.  For instance, the student will say, “Good morning, my name is Mary Doe.  I am going to be your phlebotomist today.  May I have permission to draw your blood?”

This short introduction does much in the way of providing respect and autonomy to the patient. First the student tells the patient who they are, and secondly they ask the patient’s permission.  Every patient has the right to say,”No”!

Students at Phlebotomy Career Training are taught to label all of their blood specimens at the bedside once they have completed their blood draw.  This provides an extra assurance that they have collected blood on the right patient.

Identification of the patient is crucial. Student are taught to ask the patient to state their name, spell their name and provide their date of birth.  Many people have similar sounding names but may be spelled differently.  Proper protocol is especially critical so as not to draw blood on the wrong patient.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have detailed meta analysis research on the best practices for identifying patients and preventing gross errors that can result in providers prescribing errors.  Phlebotomy Career Training follows these guidelines so that our graduate students will be less inclined to make errors of patient identification.

Knowing these rules and guidelines and practicing their introduction and patient identification questions are all part of the students blood draw skills.  The students will go through all these procedures during their video which they will submit to their instructor.

At the end of their course, the student will feel competent and ready to out into the world as a phlebotomist.  While is will be somewhat intimidating at first, they will be glad that they learned the correct methods and procedures, thereby keeping their patients safe and respecting their patient dignity and rights.

van Dongen-Lases EC, Cornes MP, Grankvist K, et al. Patient identification and tube labelling – a call for harmonisation. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM). 2016;54(7). doi:10.1515/cclm-2015-1089.

This article is written by Nancy Lydia Kimmel RN, MSN, FNP-BC

Nancy Kimmel is a Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in the care of adults and children.

More than ever, the medical field needs committed people passionate about helping others. The passion for helping others regain their health and saving their lives makes it one of the most respected professions. The job of a healthcare professional requires them to have a strong sense of morality.

Indeed, the medical field offers a meaningful profession with many opportunities. But at the same time, it holds a strong appeal for those interested in helping others because only such people can understand the true meaning of their work.

So if you’re interested in pursuing a healthcare career, here’s what the medical field expects from you as a healthcare professional!

A Meaningful Profession

Behind every aspiring medical student, there’s a motivation that leads them to this path. A calling to help others, dedication and commitment to work hard, and the perseverance to help patients restore their health and vitality, often at personal cost, is what the medical field requires from you. No wonder why medics earned the title of “frontline warriors during the current pandemic.”

In some people, this passion for helping others and a strong feeling of empathy are innate, which is why they want to give back to society. While in others, this compassion may become their desire to enter the medical field.

The Feeling to Help Others Efficiently

The quality of life of people depends on their health. It dictates how we function in our everyday lives. What can be more rewarding than helping people restore their health? This is the sole objective of a healthcare professional. It is this objective that makes this profession so rewarding.

The medical field requires people with a passion for bringing relief to patients and are ready for an ongoing effort to treat illnesses successfully.

Taking Measures to Prevent Disease

Your work as a healthcare professional is not limited to treating the patients coming to your clinic but to take measures to eliminate illnesses and seek more improved treatment methods.

Research shows that healthcare professionals may not offer the quality care patients require if they’re not emotionally connected with them. Factors such as passion at work, engagement, and meaning of their profession prove to be protective factors in the medical profession, particularly in nursing, phlebotomy, etc.

Therefore, the medical field is in need of people who have a passion for being a part of the medical field to help society and provide them with better healthcare facilities.

Passionate to Improve the Quality of Life of Others

As an aspiring healthcare professional, you may have found your calling uniquely and want to contribute to society by providing innovative health practices and improved treatment methods. Other students may have different motivations than yours. Regardless of this motivation, medical institutes aim to facilitate medical aspirants to pursue their careers and practice their passion.

Whatever your professional sector of origin and your initial training, improving your skills to become a caregiver is always possible. Phlebotomy Career Training Institute is a leading medical health careers and certifications institute that helps facilitate the transition of individuals into the medical field, providing them with world-class training and stressing the importance of being compassionate and kind to others.

The Phlebotomy Career Training Institute of Healthcare offers passionate students a wide range of programs on medical health careers and world-class certifications, both online and in class, allowing them to rehearse their journey to becoming a healthcare professional in every possible way.

We focus on training students in small classrooms so they can have maximum interaction with their instructors. This ensures that each individual receives the required attention, can spend quality time with instructors and is fully prepared for a career in medicine.

Contact 888-410-6416 or visit the website to learn more about the courses we offer and to enroll in your desired field!

copyright 2023 PCT

Are you an aspiring phlebotomist? Do you live in Michigan? If your answers to both of these questions are yes, you may also wonder: how much do phlebotomy technicians make in Michigan?

The average phlebotomist in the US makes over $42,000 per year. Average phlebotomy technician salaries in Michigan are slightly lower, though, at just over $37,000. Of course, this is just an average.

How high can a Michigan phlebotomist salary get? And what is the lowest you might expect to get paid as a phlebotomist in Michigan? We will answer these questions and more next, so keep reading.

How Much Do Phlebotomy Technicians Make in Michigan Exactly?

As mentioned, the average salary for a phlebotomist in Michigan is $37,280. That equates to around $18 per hour.

The top 25% of phlebotomy technicians in Michigan earn $20 per hour or about $42,200 per year.

But the highest-paid phlebotomists in the state can earn much, much higher annual salaries. The top earners in this field bring in over $60,000 per year or an hourly wage of around $30.

The lowest-earning 25% of phlebotomists in Michigan earn $27,704 per year. That earns out to about $13 per hour. That is only $1 greater than Michigan’s new minimum wage of $12 per hour.

By now, you may be curious as to why there is such a wide range between low-end earners and top-paid Michigan phlebotomists.

A wide pay range usually implies ample opportunities for career advancement. Some of the most common reasons for increased pay in this field include the following:

• Skill level
• Certifications held
• Location
• Years on the job

Additionally, there are jobs you can work up to as a phlebotomist. These jobs promise higher salaries. But you typically must hold a phlebotomy certification to qualify for these positions.

For example, crisis phlebotomists can earn up to $64,641 per year in Michigan. These medical professionals work with patient populations experiencing upheaval or trauma. 

The Highest-Paying Cities for Phlebotomists in Michigan

The phlebotomy technician salary in Michigan is not the only thing to keep in mind. You should also know the highest-paying cities to live in as a Michigan phlebotomist. Learn more below.

Warren

Warren, MI is the largest suburb located outside of Detroit. It has a population of 138,130. A big employer of phlebotomists in the area is the Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital Warren Campus.

In Warren, the average phlebotomy technician earns an annual salary of $44,492. That is over $6,000 more than the entire state’s average annual salary.

Fowler

Technically a village, Fowler is north of Michigan’s capital, Lansing. This is the place for rural phlebotomists to earn a great living.

Fowler’s average phlebotomist earns an hourly wage of $21.29. That is almost as high as Warren’s hourly pay, with a total annual salary of $44,286.

Grand Rapids

You may be surprised to see that Michigan’s largest city (Detroit) and its capital city (Lansing) do not make this list of the top ten highest-paying cities for phlebotomists.

But Grand Rapids the state’s second-largest city ranks #3 for the highest average phlebotomist pay.

Grand Rapids offers an average annual salary of $44,214 to phlebotomy technicians employed in the city. That equals about $21.26 per hour, which is almost double the state’s new hourly wage.

Dimondale

Another small village that pays big bucks to phlebotomy technicians, Dimondale is a few miles southwest of the state capital.

Dimondale offers its phlebotomists an annual salary of $43,337. Even though this is lower than the three top-paying cities on this list, it is still over $5,000 more than the state average.

Harbor Springs

This tiny town sits on Little Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. It only has about 1,200 total residents. This is a great place to live and work if you want a high-paying phlebotomy job on the water.

Harbor Springs phlebotomy technicians earn an average of $42,319 per year. That is equal to about $20.35 per hour.

Stockbridge

Yet another small village to make our list, Stockbridge, has a population of less than 4,000 people. It is within driving distance of Lansing, taking only about 35 minutes to get to the capital by car.

In Stockbridge, phlebotomists earn less than $20 per hour. But their annual salaries are still impressive at an average of $41,328 per year.

Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor is a college town that offers local phlebotomists an average of $40,855 per year. That earns out to about $19.64 per hour.

Located just west of Detroit, most people know this city best because it is home to the University of Michigan. It has a large population of more than 120,000 people, plus more when school is in session.

Lewiston

Another lakeside community, Lewiston, sits on the coast of the East Twin Lake. It is well-known for its championship golf courses, despite being home to only about 1,000 people year-round.

Lewiston’s average phlebotomy technician pay equals $40,672. If you earn this salary, that means you would get about $19.55 per hour.

Edmore

The Village of Edmore is a small town with a population of only 1,201 people. The town is known around the state for its charismatic founder, the real estate tycoon Edwin B. Moore.

Edmore pays its phlebotomists a little over $40,011 per year. This is the last city on our list that pays an average phlebotomy technician salary of $40k or more.

Sterling Heights

Last but not least, Sterling Heights phlebotomists can earn an average of $39,950 annually. That means the city’s average hourly wage is $19.21.

Like Warren, MI, Sterling Heights is a suburb of Detroit. It is the second-largest Detroit suburb behind Warren, with a population of 133,269. A big local employer of phlebotomists is Henry Ford Medical Center.

Phlebotomist Certification to Further Your Career

So, how much do phlebotomy technicians make in Michigan? It depends on where you live, your skill level, and how many years of experience you have. But you can also make yourself more competitive with certification.

Are you a current or aspiring phlebotomy technician in Michigan looking for phlebotomist training courses? We offer the top phlebotomist certification program in the US.

Click here to learn more about our online phlebotomist training courses today!

Included in the instructor package is the National Phlebotomy Technician Exam with study guide. Those who seek their instructor certification must successfully pass the NAPTP national phlebotomy technician exam.  This exam along with study materials is provided at no extra charge.

Phlebotomy Career Training is excited to advertise this opportunity on behalf of the NAPTP to successful phlebotomist across the United States.  Upon enrollment, students will be given access to the NAPTP instructor course.  Students will receive powerpoints and teaching materials to enable them to teach their own classes as a NAPTP Certified Instructor.  The NAPTP is a registered trademark.

The NAPTP Phlebotomy Instructor Course includes access to the NAPTP Instructor Review Course + exam      According to Talent.com, Certified Phlebotomy Instructors can earn up to $58,000 per year working for healthcare organizations or educational institutions. The NAPTP is now offering a 100% online, instructor tutorial for those looking to gain a nationally-recognized certification as a Phlebotomy Instructor. The Phlebotomy Instructor Certification course also includes access to the NAPTP Review course. The NAPTP awards 16.5 CEU’s upon completion.

Any nurse will agree that the risk of back injury in their profession is very real.  Floor nursing comes with its own set of stressors but lifting and pulling up patients in bed can cause serious harm to the lower back and spine.

According to the American Journal of Critical Care over 38% of nursing staff across the United States suffered debilitating back injuries in 2003.  The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that nurses in private industry took approximately 20,000 days off from work throughout the United States due to back and other related work injuries.  If these statistics aren’t staggering enough the BLS also reported that nurses have a 104 chance out of 10,000 to experience a work-related injury.  These statistics indicate that nursing related injuries are the highest of most other professions with Women’s MMA being excluded.

No nurse wants to be sidelined from their profession due to agonizing back pain and immobility, which is why this topic is so important for nurses.  Nurses must take great care in practicing lifting hygiene.

Injuries related to improper lifting

Improper lifting of heavy patients increases intra-abdominal pressure which can translate into the risk of prolapsed internal genitals and lower spine injury.   Add to this milieu medications such as NSAID’s and poor dietary habits and you have the perfect storm for the beginnings of osteoporosis.  Common injuries found among nurses include lower back strain, L4 and L5 herniations and sciatic nerve damage.

As teachers and care givers nurses provide the best advice to their patients but rarely listen to their own advice.  Nurses should pay close attention to the red flags when they begin to feel lower back pain.  An easy method is to use the SOCRATES pain tool.  This addresses eight features of pain which are, Site, Onset, Characteristic, Radiation, Associated factors, Timing, Exacerbating Factors and Severity.  Many nurses are familiar with the OLD CARTS method which is also applicable.

As care givers it is important to also provide care to ourselves.  Taking time to evaluate aches and pains should be a daily requirement for nurses.  Nurses should ask themselves what they can do differently on their shift to lower their chances of injuring their back.

The key is to know when to recognize that there is a problem before the pain becomes too intense or causes long term damage.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self-care is defined as “what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, and to prevent and deal with illness.”

Let’s review some of the basics of nursing self-care.

1. Know when to rest
2. know when to ask for help (whether it is job related or personal)
3. know how to relax
4. know how to process stress, emotions and frustration
5. know how to lift, when to lift and when not to lift.
6. know when to say, No!

Don’t forget what stress can do to the body!  Stress hormones produce cortisol.  Cortisol also lowers the body’s ability to fight infections by lowering immunity.  Stress can also cause lipids to accumulate to in the arterioles which can lead to atherosclerosis.  Lowered immunity can also cause injured muscles to heal more slowly, thus making re-injury to the site lower to heal.

Basic proper lifting review.

• Stand with your feet about 2 feet or so apart
• Squat down, bending at the hips and knees only
• Keep your back straight.
• Slowly lift by straightening your hips and knees (not your back)
• Hold the load as close to your body as possible

Factors that can exacerbate back pain

Nurses work unceasingly.  They come to work when they are sick, tired, in pain or if their world is falling apart.  Nobel indeed.  But healthy?  Not so much.  If the hospital provides mental health days or sick days, take those days provided.  Many nurses forgo their sick time to earn more money for noble causes, such as daycare, school supplies and bills.  What they need to remember is that they, themselves are also a noble cause and must receive care as well.

To have a long fulfilling career in nursing, it is important that the nurse takes care of themselves. Good lifting techniques and proper attention to self-care can provide nurses with a longevity of helping others.

If you would like to learn more about Phlebotomy Career Training and the courses that are offered through our school please visit; https://pctedu.fusedash.com/

We are located at 28050 Ford Rd. Ste B

Dearborn, MI 48135

Our phone is: 734-762-3220

Fax: 734-762-1718

Whether you would like to take online classes or in person classes, we have the program for you.

Nancy Lydia Kimmel is a MSN Board Certified Nurse Practitioner in Michigan and teaches classes at Phlebotomy Career Training Center.

If you are a medical health care professional, then you are required to continue your education after getting into your new career. While that’s something you were probably aware of already, you’re probably underestimating the difficulty of balancing both a professional workload and an educational regimen, especially while also catering to personal responsibilities. Even veterans in the field can have to compromise on either their coursework or themselves, a choice we wouldn’t want to impose on anyone.

Online Continuing Education Credit Hours

That’s why we at Phlebotomy Career Training are proud to announce that when you take our in-classroom or online phlebotomy course you are entitled to 16.5 credit-earning units (CEUs) through the NAPTP. The CEUs are awarded through the National Telemetry Association, which CAPCE accredits. The NTA is a national accredited body that is committed to the pursuit and provision of excellent training programs and credentials to professionals in telemetry and other related fields, such as phlebotomy and EKG technician training.

Understanding Rules of Procedure

The online course offered by PCT also comes bundled with one free attempt at the National Association of Phlebotomy Technician Professionals’ Phlebotomy Exam. The NAPTP phlebotomy exam tests you for comprehensive on-the-job experience, as well as an understanding of rules of procedure, HIPAA and OSHA regulations, and more of what a certified phlebotomist needs to know.

Opportunity to Learn

The course offers you the opportunity to learn about recent developments within the field of phlebotomy.  It teaches you how conduct blood draws and take samples effectively, efficiently, and without incident.  Aside from enabling aspiring professionals in the pursuit of formal medical practice, the course also stands to benefit long-standing practitioners within the field.   If you are one of those aspiring professionals or long standing practitioners, now is a good time to begin again.

CEU’s Awarded

The CEUs awarded can help work towards the continuing education requirement for practice in your state while also giving you an edge in terms of cutting-edge training. Not only will you check off a formal requirement, but you’ll be able to work towards giving yourself a professional edge

Fast Track your Career

If you’ve been on the lookout for other certification courses, the NTA and PCT both have an arsenal of training programs that you should check out. These include a Review Course and Exam that helps test takers who aren’t familiar with recent course material preparation for the phlebotomy certification test and an immunization course and exam that deals with aspects of vaccination procedures and protocols as a course for IV technicians.

Learn More

If you’d like to learn more about the courses and exams offered by the NAPTP, click here to send in a query through their contact page. If you’d like to know more about the NTA, click here to get in touch. You can also find additional information regarding courses, as well as recent developments in the field of phlebotomy, on their website if you’d like to know more.

Phlebotomy is on the rise throughout the US, as healthcare providers around the country look to add to their staff. The pandemic exposed more than a few healthcare systems’ weaknesses, one of them being the lack of accredited professionals to take and handle blood samples. This means that the phlebotomists of today will find themselves facing a much more welcoming job market than those in the past.

Appropriately trained Professionals

Of course, the necessity of these critical professionals being appropriately trained and prepared to meet the needs of the day cannot be ignored. To equip aspiring professionals better to tackle the challenges of a clinical environment, Phlebotomy Career Training, a licensed proprietary school operating out of Michigan, has recently increased the length of its Online Phlebotomy Technician Certification from 70 to 170 clock hours.

The course, which attempts to endow students with a knowledge of the basic and advanced principles of phlebotomy technique, patient assessment and care provision, specimen handling, recordkeeping, and more, has been expanded to give aspiring professionals a better, more in-depth look at the nuances of the discipline.

Opportunities to work

Of course, students will also be given opportunities to link up with hospitals and health care providers to complete the practical requirements for phlebotomy certification. While the exact number varies from state to state, students must complete between 35 – 100 blood draws to be eligible for graduation. However, this requirement (and the 1,040-hour prior work experience requirement) may be waived for people with prior work experience over the past 16 months.

National Exams

Having completed their training, students are eligible for an attempt at several national exams. These include the NAPTP, AMT, NCCT, NHA, AMCA, and ASCP exams, depending on the number of blood draws they’ve completed. Students are even offered one complimentary attempt at the NAPTP exam, paid for by PCT. The course also comes with additional free courses, including infection control and hazardous material handling (including covid testing) and a clinical laboratory assistant certification.

Prospective students will be glad to learn that expansion has not been limited to just course material and scope; PCT has also joined hands with organizations such as Castle Branch and the American Red Cross.

Phlebotomy Career Training’s Partnerships

These partnerships and a national contract with Concentra mean that PCT can now better assist students in finding externships to complete the required on-the-job training for their certification. Given all these factors, there’s no doubt that the PCT Online Phlebotomist Technician Certification offers budding professionals some of the best opportunities out there.

PCT graduates boast an exemplary 95 percent employment rate, and the school has been providing efficient on-ground training throughout its 12 years of operation. If you’d like to learn more about the different kinds of coursework offered by PCT, click here to visit their website. If you have further questions about the written exam or your potential career as a phlebotomist, feel free to contact NAPTP to learn more.