One course that phlebotomy students take covers safety and infection control. Working with blood and other bodily fluids can expose phlebotomists to blood-borne pathogens. One wrong maneuver and the phlebotomist can stick herself with a contaminated needle, exposing her to infection. In safety and infection control courses, phlebotomists learn how to take proper precautions to prevent needle stick injuries and other incidents that can be dangerous. They learn about the proper way to discard contaminated needles and what types of personal protective equipment to wear when handling blood.
The medical field has a language of its own, and phlebotomy students must learn that language. Fieldwork terminology courses teach students what certain words and abbreviations mean, how to decipher medical codes and how to document data from samples in a medical record.
Courses on patient relations are a mandatory part of the curriculum. Students learn how to establish positive and caring relationships with patients so that patients feel comfortable in their care and can trust them to provide services in a professional manner.
Working in the health care field means that phlebotomists must be prepared to adhere to standard health care ethics as they relate to conflicts of interest and confidentiality. One of the main regulations is the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act. These courses teach students about the legalities involved in health care and how important it is to follow patient disclosure rules.
Phlebotomy students must take clinical coursework that teaches them about bodily fluids and how to collect and analyze them. Such courses are heavily weighted with science and offer procedural instruction about how to draw blood from patients effectively. Part of the curriculum requires students to apply what they learn so that they can practice drawing blood. They may perform practical application activities on themselves or on classmates.