Medical technologists do many tasks as a whole depending on the subspecialization of the work. Radiographers, sonographers and lab technologists are the technology people who work in different areas. One of the health care workers who are trained to draw blood either for laboratory tests or for blood donations is known in medical terms as phlebotomist. Thus medical technologist and phlebotomy walk on a single way.
Phlebotomy deals with the act of collecting blood either for testing or transfusion. Many medical technologists are involved in the process. Nurses, medical assistants and clinical laboratory scientists work as phlebotomist. All these medical workers are skilled people in this particular field.
Trained medical technologists and phlebotomy experts are needed for most of the treatments. Almost every medical test or treatment need blood tests. There is immense need of phlebotomist in the hospitals, clinical laboratories and blood banks. This profession in is demand as the medical industry is growing in every sense.
Medical technologists and phlebotomy experts work in coordination. A certified phlebotomist who helps to reduce the workload of doctors and nurses by focusing exclusively on blood collection, particularly in hospitals, blood banks and blood drives. Scope of medical technologist and phlebotomy are growing day by day.
Phlebotomists collect blood chiefly by performing venipuncture. If they want blood in minute quantity then medical technologist prefers fingersticks. Sometimes technologists use a butterfly needle when they collect blood from infants by means of a heel stick or from scalp veins. Normally arterial blood samples are not taken. However, phlebotomist may be trained in some hospitals to draw from arterial lines if needed.
Medical technologists do not administer intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. Doctors and nurses do that. Phlebotomist paid as a normal medical technologist.
Medical technologists supervise to the laboratory technicians in terms of the sample taken and the expected changes. While the blood is collected for the test or treatment then it has to undergo many processes afterwards. Some minute mistake can make a lot of difference. The work should be done with extreme care and skill.
Technologists are the perfect and skilful professionals that involve in the task otherwise supervise the work. Medical technologist maintains the integrity of the laboratory work by introducing error and rejecting contaminated or sub-contaminated specimens. Combination of medical technologist and phlebotomy applications results in smooth operations of various treatments.