Phlebotomy case studies
Phlebotomy · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) credential is a nationally recognized allied health certification for people who draw blood and prepare specimens in hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, blood donor centers, and outpatient settings. It is aimed at candidates who have completed a phlebotomy technician training or education program within the last five years, or who hold one to two years of supervised phlebotomy work experience, and who can document a minimum of 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary or finger sticks performed on live individuals. The Phlebotomy case studies are 5 cases and about 3,816 words.
1Needlestick After a Draw on a Patient of Unknown Serostatus
You are the evening phlebotomist on a 28-bed medical floor. At 21:40 you enter room 412 to draw a STAT troponin on a 74-year-old man admitted with confusion and a suspected urinary tract infection.
718 words, about 4 min2Armband Says One Thing, the Patient Says Another
At 06:10 you arrive in room 318 to draw a stat CBC and basic metabolic panel. The ID band on the patient's wrist reads "Rosalind Okafor, MRN 0048-2211, DOB 03/14/1949." The patient is awake but oriented only to person; she smiles and says her name is "Rosie." A nursing assistant passing in the hall tells you the band is stale - the patient was "just moved up from a step-down unit and the new band hasn't printed yet." Your requisition reads Rosalind Okafor, CBC and BMP.
715 words, about 4 min3Winged Set, Short Citrate, and a Patient Who Faints
It is 23:10 in the emergency department and you have an order set for a 58-year-old woman: PT/INR, aPTT, basic metabolic panel, and CBC. Her antecubital veins are scarred and barely palpable after years of IV drug use; the only usable vessel is a thin dorsal hand vein, so you plan a 23-gauge winged collection set with 12 inches of tubing.
821 words, about 4 min4A Capillary Glucose That Does Not Fit the Patient
A nurse asks you to perform a point-of-care glucose on a 68-year-old man in the intensive care unit. He is hypotensive, his hands are cool and mottled, and he has a fine tremor.
772 words, about 4 min5A Refusal, a Deadline, and a Daughter in the Room
It is 05:50 and you have 12 more patients to draw before 07:00. Grant, 61, admitted for cellulitis, has had four unsuccessful sticks in two days.
790 words, about 4 min