Positions

• Though currently not licensed or certified under Florida law, phlebotomists must receive training to be hired as a phlebotomist. Florida phlebotomists work for a variety of employers in different positions, requiring proof of a completed course of study. Positions in which you might find a phlebotomist include home health phlebotomists, blood drawing at blood banks, patient care technicians, ER technicians, blood drawing at plasma centers, being a hemodialysis technician or working for insurance companies drawing blood.

Certification

• Many technical schools, community colleges and colleges offer certificate programs in phlebotomy in Florida. At Pensacola State College, a six-credit course — offered during the day only — is available to students wishing to become phlebotomists. Classes take eight weeks to complete followed by 120 hours of clinical study. Other schools that offer phlebotomy courses, according to Education-Portal.com, include Brevard Community College in Cocoa and Pasco-Hernando Community College in Port Richey, with additional campuses in Dade City, Spring Hill and Brooksville.

Requirements

• Students desiring to become phlebotomists require a high school education or GED. They must be 18 years of age and have maintained a minimum 2.0 GPA during high school. Other requirements include submitting high school transcripts to the school of choice. Some schools require phlebotomy students to also receive training in CPR and AIDS, which doesn’t count toward coursework.

Other Training

• The Florida Department of Health recommends that phlebotomists, along with other health personnel, receive chemical terrorism preparedness training in the form of chemical terrorism awareness and clinical specimen collection after a terrorism event. Two hours of training is offered through the Bureau of Laboratories and covers both topics. Trainees receive manuals, materials and chemical terrorism preparedness kits after completing the course.