Phlebotomy Technician Course

This is about much more than just drawing blood

Phlebotomists fill a critical need in the healthcare field, and it’s not just because they’re good at drawing blood. There’s so much more that you can contribute.

Helping physicians in the diagnostic phase of patient care is a real privilege. Your accurate, well-labeled, and carefully drawn blood samples make it possible to diagnose diseases, read blood sugar levels, detect bacterial infections, measure cholesterol levels, and so much more. This ability to “see inside the blood” is one of the great achievements and most effective tools of modern medicine. As a Phlebotomist, you’re right there where it all happens.

The position of Phlebotomist takes place in many environments, and in most of them you’ll also contribute to:

• test ordering
• specimen registering
• specimen processing, and
• accessioning specimens for shipping to outside labs.

You’ll also need good computer and organizational skills; your patients and the doctors you work for are counting on you to stay on top of every detail.  

At times you may even be called on to help with clerical tasks, take insurance cards, do filing and more. A Phlebotomy Technician (another term used for Phlebotomist) often functions as a jack of all trades, utilizing many more skills than you might expect.

But perhaps the most important skill which separates a mediocre Phlebotomist from one who patients are happy to see, every time, is their ability to project warmth, to be comforting and kind, to be able to build trust almost immediately. In this way, along with your well-honed skills in drawing blood, your patients will develop confidence in you and they won’t have to be afraid every time they need a blood test.

Career Opportunities

Phlebotomists

Median Salary (2021) in Michigan: $37,440
Employment growth (2021-31): 20%

Salary data according to O*NET Online

At Kirtland you’ll complete a Phlebotomy Technician Course

Some details about our program:

• Our Phlebotomy Technician Course takes 15 or 16 weeks.
• We call it a ‘hybrid course’ because it’s a mix of learning online, on-site training (or laboratories), and clinicals. 
• During your semester, you’ll be required to be on campus for four days and to participate in clinicals for three weeks, which fulfills your practicum requirement.
• The program is offered in the fall and winter, but not in the summer.
• You’ll have no general education requirements (pending English placement).
• The course is embedded within the Medical Assistant path if that’s something you want to pursue in the future. You’ll have one less course to take when you come back to school!
• Your Phlebotomy Course provides a good stepping stone to go into the Nursing field later if you wish. You can apply right here at Kirtland!
• Your training will allow you to work in around 85% of the other U.S. states should you decide to change your location.

Your Kirtland education is highly respected by employers

There are a number of ways to get trained and educated as a phlebotomist. Kirtland is one of the best places you can go, one of the strongest training programs in the State. 

Some of the other programs you might find only teach the skill set of drawing blood. 

Our Course is far more than this. 

For instance, we have a module about ‘needle-phobia.’ We want you to be ready to talk to your patients and put them at ease. We consider this part of excellent customer service and a required skill. We also teach you how to process specimens, another area that’s often shortchanged in more minimal programs. Our instructors talk to you about real-life situations to help prepare you for the workplace. They know from experience!

We go into many topics we consider essential – those topics that will make you a sought-after professional – topics that won’t be covered thoroughly in many other programs.

You’ll come away from Kirtland not just with book learning, but with an understanding of what really happens in a lab setting. This is possible because our instructors have very high levels of experience – especially the lead instructor who’s been working in a laboratory setting for 40 years! She’s also a lab manager in a local hospital, has worked all over Northern Michigan, and has contacts throughout the State.

How do we know we’re better?

Lab managers all over Northern Michigan call us constantly asking for a Kirtland student. They know that our students are well prepared. As they often tell us, our students have had serious lab time and clinical time, they’ve had hands-on experience, and they’re well-rounded. What better recommendation could we receive than that?

Many of our students have a job opportunity right after completing their clinicals. And our pass rate for the American Medical Technologists (AMT) Certification Exam is 100 percent.

Only one semester to become a Registered Phlebotomy Technician! 

This course can fit into your busy life.

The Phlebotomist course only takes 15 weeks to complete (or 16, depending on the season). 

During this time, you’ll participate in clinicals in a hospital or clinic for three weeks and do at least 10 dermal punctures and 100 blood draws. You’ll also spend 4 days on the Kirtland campus. With this preparation, you’ll BE ready and FEEL ready to go out and get a job soon after completion. 

It’s flexible! You can complete this course at your own pace each week. Just get that week’s module accomplished when you can fit it into your other responsibilities. 

We highly recommend you also sit for the AMT Certification Exam after you get your Certificate, although it’s optional. You’ll be glad you did.

Our faculty care about you and your success

One thing Kirtland is known for is having caring faculty who not only know their subject areas, but also care deeply about the wellbeing and progress of their students. Our faculty consistently receive glowing reviews from students!

You’ll have every advantage as you pursue your studies

Kirtland is consistently ranked among the top 25 sources for online learning in America

We’re not newcomers to online education! We’ve been teaching online for over ten years.

Our classes are highly interactive. Our faculty put themselves and their personalities into the classes.

This is not a plug-and-play robotic interaction with students! We get personally acquainted with our students and make ourselves available to help them.

We’re set up with Canvas, which our students tell us is an easy platform to use where you can find everything you need to keep learning.

Our students do very well on the AMT certification exam

For those who elect to sit for the AMT Certification Exam (highly recommended), our recent pass rate is 100%. While of course we can’t guarantee your results, we’re confident you’ll be ready. 

Small class sizes

You’ll never get lost in a huge auditorium when you’re working toward your Registered Phlebotomy Technician Certification (RPT) with us. Our class sizes are small enough that your instructor will know your name, have conversations with you, and take an interest in you. 

You’ll get to know your fellow students, encourage, and depend on each other. And you’ll receive an abundance of individual attention.

This Course is not a place where you will become “just a number with a student-ID.”

State-of-the-art classrooms with latest technology

Not only do we have a beautiful campus with labs that duplicate real-life work environments, we also use the latest in innovative instructional technologies in our ‘smart classrooms.’ Your classroom is equipped with smart boards, computer workstations, projection equipment, multiple software products to support instruction, and a variety of technology support.

Passionate student-focused advisors provide the guidance you need to succeed.

Our advisors are well-known among current and former students alike for their kindness and exceptional level of interest and commitment to our students’ success. They’ll do their best to answer your questions and get you the right information.