Wayne Community College’s phlebotomy program has received national accreditation.
The Phlebotomy Technician course, which is administered by the college’s Workforce Continuing Education (WCE) Division, has been certified by the National Phlebotomy Association. The association has also granted the college approved NPA testing site status.
“Workforce Continuing Education is proud to be able to offer our students the opportunity to earn their training in a nationally accredited program,” said Associate Vice President Renita Allen Dawson.
“Students who complete our program with this national credential will find themselves more marketable when seeking job opportunities,” Dawson said. “When our students gain better employment for themselves and their families, they win and our communities win. We all win!”
Dawson gave WCE Director of Allied Health Elizabeth Curry and Phlebotomy Instructor Gail Rivera credit for their hard work on the process, especially the self-study and resulting report.
The NPA’s Review Board studied the documentation provided by the college and verified it during a site visit in July that included evaluation of facilities and equipment. The result was that “Wayne Community College students have demonstrated that they have obtained and put into practice academic and practical education … [that] meets the standards of the National Phlebotomy Association,” said NPA Chief Executive Officer Diane C. Crawford.
Accreditation criteria includes fiscal and record-keeping soundness, appropriate instructional content and methodologies, and learner assessment, suitable recruitment procedures, and faculty qualifications. The college’s two phlebotomy instructors are both certified phlebotomists and certified phlebotomy instructors.
WCC provides a 220-hour training program that includes 110 hours of classroom instruction, 110 clinical hours of experience, and the students are required to perform 100 venipunctures and 25 fingersticks. The students receive clinical training at area hospitals, health centers, laboratories, physician practices, and the Veterans Administration.
The program provides the knowledge and skills students need to successfully take National Phlebotomy Certification Examination. “Almost all employers look for phlebotomists who have earned professional certification,” according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau further reports that “Employment of phlebotomists is projected to grow 25 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations.”
Phlebotomy courses are offered each semester with both day and evening class options. The cost is $180 plus the price of the textbook.
Information session are held prior to registration to inform students about the requirements of the clinical sites. Attendance at one of these sessions is a requirement of registration. The next sessions are 1-2 p.m. on March 4, 11, and 18, and 5:30-6:30 p.m. on March 13 and 20 in Room 101 of the Walnut Building.
The National Phlebotomy Association specializes in the training of phlebotomists. It provides curriculum for training and accredits phlebotomy training programs. It provides a certification examination for phlebotomists and maintains a registry of those technicians who successfully complete the certification process and of approved instructors.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 12,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 70 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.