Phlebotomy Technician Admissions

Overview of Admissions Requirements

The phlebotomy lecture courses begin each year in August and January. To enroll in the phlebotomy curriculum, a student must meet the college's general requirements and these additional following criteria:

Provide evidence of a high school diploma or equivalent
Placement test at or above ENGL 101
Placement test at or above MATH 099
Completion of any required remedial reading

The student is also required to complete the phlebotomy application with all supporting documents and three reference forms. The deadline for application is June 1 for the Fall class, November 1 for the Spring class. The number of students selected for admission into the program is dependent upon the number of clinical positions available at the affiliate hospitals.

Persons accepted into the Phlebotomy program must meet the essential functions of the Phlebotomy profession which are available for review in the Allied Health Admissions Office. Additional requirements are needed for students to attend the clinical practicum in an affiliated hospital. These requirements include:

Health examination completed by a physician
2-year American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification
Proof of current immunizations: Tetanus, Diphtheria, Influenza, and Hepatitis B
Current TB skin test results
Titers proving immunity to: Rubella, Varicella (chicken pox), Rubeola (measles), and Mumps
Negative drug test results
Clean criminal background check

If you are interested, please contact the Allied Health Admissions Office for application and advising.

Requirements Once Admitted to the Program

Academic Standards

The student will adhere to all the policies and procedures set forth by the Delgado Community College student handbook, the Delgado College catalog, the Phlebotomy Program and clinical affiliates as stated.

The student must:

Obtain a C (70) or better in MLTS 104 and 105 and a C (77) or better in MLTS 151, the clinical rotation.
Adhere to course syllabus objectives and policies in college and clinical practicum.
Successfully complete the required clinical practicum objectives and competencies.
Maintain satisfactory patient care and ethical standards in affiliate hospitals

Failure to meet any of the above requirements will result in termination from the program.

Practicum Assignment Policy

Before admission to the clinical component, the student must have completed MLTS 104 & MLTS 105 with a grade of C (70%) or better and completed all health and affiliate requirements. All efforts will be made to place students in a clinical affiliate for each clinical rotation. Students will be assigned an affiliated laboratory and must agree to travel to that affiliate during the assigned practicum at the assigned time. The hours of training will vary according to site of clinical training and section of laboratory. A typical day will begin anytime between 6 – 8 am and maybe earlier (4:30 am) at select sites. These times are at the clinical site’s discretion. You will be required to train 40 hours per week (8 hours a day). Parking may not be provided by all affiliates. Students may be responsible for paying to park. Transportation to and from all clinical sites and school activities is the responsibility of the individual student.

Under extreme circumstances and with permission from the program director, students may have up to two semesters to complete the practicum. If the student does not complete the practicum within two semesters he/she will be required to reapply to the Phlebotomy Program; if granted acceptance, he/she must repeat MLTS 104 before placement into MLTS 151.

If there is not adequate space at the affiliates to accommodate all students, the students who have their practicum health requirements in a timely manner and have the highest phlebotomy grade point average will be placed first. Any student not immediately placed will be guaranteed a slot the next time the clinical rotation is offered.

Also, if a student is enrolled in the MLTS 151 phlebotomy practicum course without a practicum site or does not pass MLTS 104 or 105 with a 'C" or better, he/she may request to have their tuition reimbursed for MLTS 151.

Service Work During Practicum

Students may not take the place of regular phlebotomy staff during their clinical practicum. They are to perform the phlebotomy procedures indicated on the Phlebotomy Program Technical Competency Evaluation under the supervision of a certified medical technologist or phlebotomist. Before being allowed to perform any phlebotomy procedure independently, students MUST complete the minimum number and maximum level of achievement (i.e., proficiency) for that procedure as described on the Phlebotomy Program Technical Competency Evaluation in order to ensure that the relevant NAACLS Phlebotomist Competencies have been met. No clinical education sites should be dependent upon students to complete daily workloads. Students should not be assigned clinical education activities outside regular assigned weekday clinical shifts unless that is the only time the work is performed by the affiliate personnel.

If a student decides to work in a clinical laboratory OUTSIDE of the regularly scheduled practicum hours, this work must be noncompulsory or elective, paid, supervised, and subject to employee regulations. The student must notify the program faculty about any paid service work.

Attendance Policy

Class attendance in both college and clinical courses is mandatory. Students are expected to attend all classes regularly and punctually. During didactic college courses, semester breaks and holidays will be adhered to according to the college catalog. If a student has missed more than ten percent of the total scheduled class, the instructor may drop the student from the course. During the clinical practicum, hours and holidays will be set by the supervisor at the clinical site in conjunction with Delgado's faculty. Students are expected to adhere to clinical affiliate time schedules and are not allowed to miss any days. If a student misses or is tardy more than 3 days, he/she may be dismissed from MLTS 151. One (1) point for each tardy and two (2) points for each absence will be deducted from the final practicum grade. Excused absences will be given for illness or death in the family. In the event of an illness, a written physician's note must be given to the program director before completion of the course. If a student needs to take off early during their practicum, they must notify college faculty before asking their clinical practicum supervisor. Students are responsible for and expected to make-up classroom or practicum assignments missed during illness. Making up for a day missed does NOT award the student his/her points back to the final grade.

** If the student does not contact Delgado Phlebotomy Program faculty by phone or email on or before a missed day due to illness or any other reason, the absence will not be excused regardless of circumstances.

Advising

Students are encouraged to come to college faculty and staff to address academic and personal issues they are facing. Behavior and grades are monitored and Phlebotomy Program faculty will address these confidentially with the student if it is felt there is a need to do so. If the problem cannot be solved on the program level, the student is encouraged to seek additional counseling and advising through college resources. Confidentiality and impartiality are maintained in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. All records of student issues are kept on password-protected computers and/or retained in the student's permanent file behind locked doors. Faculty shred any information containing student grades or other identifying factors before discarding. You can access information on Delgado's advising services by visiting the advising page.