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Academic Catalog - Phlebotomy Certificate

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Certificate & Course Information

Otero College’s Phlebotomy certificate program is designed to prepare qualified phlebotomists for entry level employment. The classes are taken over one or two semesters with a total of 5 credits. It teaches the acquired professional skill of performing vein punctures (drawing blood), collection of other blood and body fluid samples, and preparing those samples for processing by various laboratory methods.

Students will study through an online/hybrid format, classroom study, laboratory assignments, and supervised clinical experience. They will follow guidelines developed by National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science’s (NAACLS) phlebotomy competencies. Successful students of this program receive a certificate of completion from Otero College. The student will then be able to apply for the national certification exam for the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and other certifying agencies.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

The student must apply for general college admission to Otero College. Applying to Otero is free and can be completed online at: https://otero.edu/apply/. In addition the student is required to:

  1. Be a graduate of an accredited high school or equivalent. Courses in biology and chemistry are strongly recommended.
  2. Background check and drug screen:
    • Clinical facilities require students to complete a drug screen prior to participating in clinical experience. This will be arranged through the college. Please plan to follow the procedures promptly when notified.
    • Students are required to take and pass the background check available at this web site address: cccs.certifiedbackground.com
  1. Required necessary vaccinations: Annual influenza, Hepatitis B, Varicella, MMR, COVID-19, and DPT.
  2. Colorblindness testing: this will be done in class or can be done on D2L (Desire2Learn).
  3. Health Form: The student must submit a complete physical exam, including TB testing, before beginning clinical rotations in the second course.
  4. Students are required to complete the Otero MLT/Phlebotomy Orientation course.  Please see director for enrollment and instructions. 
Phlebotomy Certificate Course Schedule
MLT 1031Introduction to Hematology2 credits
HPR 1080Internship3 credits

Experience required during HPR 1080

In HPR 1080 Internship, the accrediting agency, NAACLS requires instruction and experiences for:
1. 100 clinical hours of experience
2. Performance of a minimum of 100 successful unaided blood collections
3. Instruction of a variety of phlebotomy techniques
4. Contact with various patient types, which may include varied clinical settings.

Note: Students must complete each course consecutively with a 70% or better average in all courses.

Phlebotomy Program is accredited from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

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