PMLS Practicals

• Phlebotomy


  The practice of drawing blood from a patient for medical testing, transfusion, research, or medical treatment
• Phlebotomist


  • Has good manual dexterity
  • Has special communication skills
  • Has good organizational skills
  • Has thorough knowledge of laboratory specimen requirements and departmental policies
• Duties and responsibilities of a phlebotomist

  • Prepare patients for collection procedures
  • Collect routine skin puncture and venous specimens for testing
  • Prepare specimens for transport
  • Maintain patient confidentiality
  • Perform quality-control checks
  • Transport specimens to the laboratory
  • Comply with procedures in the procedure manual
  • Promote good relations with patients and hospital personnel
  • Assist in collecting and documenting monthly workload and recording data
  • Maintain safe working conditions
  • Perform appropriate laboratory computer operations
  • Participate in continuing education programs
  • Collect and perform point-of-care testing
  • Perform quality-control checks on POCT instruments
  • Perform skin tests
  • Prepare and process specimens
  • Collect urine drug screen specimens
  • Perform electrocardiography
  • Perform front-office duties, current procedural terminology coding, and paperwork
• Certification


  A voluntary process by which an agency grants recognition to an individual who has met certain prerequisites in a particular technical area
• Licensure


  The act of granting a license, which is an official document or permit granted by a state agency that gives legal permission for a person to work in a particular health profession
• Continuing Education


  Designed to update the knowledge or skills of participants and is generally geared to a learning activity or course of study for a specific group of health professionals, such as phlebotomists
• Organizations related to phlebotomy

  • American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
  • American Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (ASCLS)
  • American Medical Technologists (AMT)
  • International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)
  • Philippine Society of Phlebotomists (PSPh)
• Recognizing Diversity


  • Beliefs and values that shape a person's approach to health and illness
  • Health-related needs of patients and their families according to the environments in which they live
  • Knowledge of customs and traditions related to health and healing
  • Attitudes toward seeking help from healthcare providers
• Professionalism


  • Conservative clothing
  • Proper personal hygiene
  • Physical well-being
  • Attitudes, personal characteristics, and behaviors consistent with accepted standards of professional conduct
• Self-confidence


  • Erect posture
  • Professional appearance
  • Courage
  • Tactfulness in communication
• Integrity


  • Honesty and consistency of character
  • Doing what is right regardless of the circumstances and in all situations and interactions
• Compassion


  • Being sensitive to a person's needs and willing to offer reassurance in a caring and humane way
• Self-motivation


  • Taking initiative to follow through on tasks
  • Consistently striving to improve
• Hygiene


  Contributes to a professional appearance
• Phlebotomist


  Required to display attitudes, personal characteristics, and behaviors consistent with accepted standards of professional conduct
• Personal behaviors and characteristics that make up a professional image

  • Self-confidence
  • Integrity
  • Compassion
  • Self-motivation
  • Dependability
  • Ethical behavior
• Self-confidence


  Many factors affect being perceived as self-confident, for example, erect posture, professional appearance, courage, and tactfulness in communication
• Integrity


  Has to do with a personal feeling of "wholeness" deriving from honesty and consistency of character. Professional standards of integrity or honesty require a person to do what is right regardless of the circumstances and in all situations and interactions.
• Compassion


  Being sensitive to a person's needs and willing to offer reassurance in a caring and humane way
• Self-motivation


  A direct reflection of a person's attitude toward life. Takes initiative to follow through on tasks, consistently strives to improve and correct behavior, and takes advantage of every learning opportunity that may come along.
• Dependability


  An individual who is dependable and takes personal responsibility for his or her actions is extremely refreshing in today's environment. You are dependable if you are independent.
• Ethical behavior


  There are policies designed to regulate what should or should not be done by those who work in the healthcare setting. The Hippocratic oath includes the phrase primum non nocere, which means "first do no harm." Follow ethics. DNR - Do Not Resuscitate.
• The primary objective in any healthcare professional's code of ethics must always be to safeguard the patient's welfare.
• Communication


  It is a skill. It is the ability to understand. The means by which information is exchanged or transmitted. Has three components: verbal skills, nonverbal skills, and the ability to listen.
• Communication components


  • Verbal communication
  • Active listening
  • Nonverbal communication
• Verbal communication


  The most obvious form of communication. Involves a sender (speaker), a receiver (listener), and feedback -> communication feedback loop.
• Active listening


  Effective communication requires that the listener participates. Is always a two-way process. Ordinary person can absorb verbal messages at about 500 to 600 words per minute, and the average speaking rate is only 125 to 150 words per minute. Is the foundation of good interpersonal communication.
• Elements of nonverbal communication

  • Kinesics
  • Proxemics
  • Appearance
  • Touch
• Kinesics


  The study of nonverbal communication. It includes characteristics of body motion and language such as facial expression, gestures, and eye contact. Body language is often conveyed unintentionally and plays a major role in communication. If the verbal and nonverbal messages do not match, it is called a KINESIC SLIP.
• Proxemics


  The study of an individual's concept and use of space. Every individual is surrounded by an invisible "bubble" of personal territory in which he or she feels most comfortable. Social - Friends, Public - Strangers and Acquaintances.
• Appearance


  Appearance makes a statement. The right image portrays a trustworthy professional. Lab coats should completely cover the clothing underneath and should be clean and pressed. Shoes should be conservative and polished. Close attention should be paid to personal hygiene. Bathing and deodorant use should be a daily routine. Strong perfumes or colognes should be avoided. Hair and nails should be clean and natural-looking. Long hair must be pulled back and fingernails kept short for safety's sake. According to current CDC hand hygiene guidelines, healthcare workers with direct patient contact CANNOT wear artificial nails or extenders.
• Touch


  Can take a variety of forms and convey many different meanings. "Therapeutic touch" is a necessary part of the phlebotomy procedure. There may even be a risk of the patient questioning the appropriateness of touching.
• Elements in healthcare communication

  • Empathy
  • Control
  • Respect and confirmation
  • Trust
• Empathy


  Involves putting yourself in the place of another and attempting to feel like that person. Thoughtful and sensitive people generally have a high degree of empathy. One way - Listens but does not understand, Two way - Listens and understands.
• Control


  Feeling in control is essential to an individual's sense of well-being. Recognizing fear in patients stems from a perceived lack of control.
• Respect and confirmation


  Respect is shown in both a positive feeling for a person and in specific action demonstrating that positive feeling. It is an attitude that conveys an understanding of the importance of that person.
• Trust


  It is the unquestioning belief by the patient that health professionals are performing their job responsibilities as well as they possibly can. Note: Phlebotomists spend very little time with each patient.
• General categories of healthcare facilities

  • Inpatient (nonambulatory)
  • Outpatient (ambulatory)
• Levels of healthcare facilities

  • Primary
  • Secondary
  • Tertiary
• Primary healthcare facilities


  RHUs and their sub-centers, chest clinics, malaria eradication units, schistosomiasis control units, TB clinics