News

St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is opening its School of Phlebotomy in January to develop highly skilled, patient-focused phlebotomists seeking a rewarding career.

“Our goal is to provide an outstanding patient experience every single time a patient visits one of our patient service centers,” says Elizabeth Taylor, Director, Outpatient Lab Services, Network, System Services.

“Launching the SLUHN School of Phlebotomy allows us to address the industry’s need for skilled phlebotomists, particularly in pediatric phlebotomy. The phlebotomists who complete our program will have the interpersonal, clinical and technical skills, confidence and sound judgement to effectively perform phlebotomy on patients of all ages. Ultimately, we hope to hire these graduates.”

The SLUHN School of Phlebotomy is located in the St. Luke's Center at 1110 St. Luke’s Way in Allentown. The school’s program is 12 weeks; the following program sessions are scheduled:

• Session 1: January 10, 2021 - April 1, 2022
• Session 2: April 18 - July 8, 2022
• Session 3: August 29 - November 18, 2022

The SLUHN School of Phlebotomy’s curriculum features strong hands-on training, which, Taylor says, is crucial for phlebotomy students.

“A phlebotomy student absolutely needs hands-on practice to build their own confidence prior to supporting a patient,” she explains.

“Our hands-on training provides additional routines and replication of the phlebotomy technique to help ensure that when students successfully complete the program, their skills are at a much higher level for successful performance and to make the patient experience as positive as possible. Our phlebotomists say the most rewarding part of their job is their ability to interact with and help patients become healthier.”

There are also opportunities to become certified. The SLUHN School of Phlebotomy is approved by the American Medical Technologists (AMT), a nonprofit certification agency and professional membership association, and adheres to the AMT’s stringent standards.

If they choose to do so, students who successfully complete the SLUHN phlebotomy program will be prepared to take an accredited national certification exam through AMT or the National Health Career Association (NHA) to become a Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT).

Applications for the SLUHN School of Phlebotomy are currently being accepted. Students must have a high school diploma or GED to be considered eligible for acceptance into the program.

The application is available at https://www.slhn.org/admissions-school-of-phlebotomy. The deadline to apply for the first session is Friday, November 19, however, applications are also being accepted for Session 2 and Session 3.

In addition to Taylor, the members of the project team who helped develop the St. Luke’s School of Phlebotomy are:

• Tamara Denby, Phlebotomist
• Kelly Speaker, Lab Outreach Regional Manager
• Beverly Evans, Outpatient Lab Operation Support Coordinator
• Cathleen Conway, Human Resource Business Partner

“St. Luke’s mission emphasizes our unwavering commitment to excellence for our patients’ care, and educating our physicians, healthcare providers, staff and others,” Taylor says.

“By establishing our School of Phlebotomy, we are expanding on this commitment for our patients, our community members and the students who complete our program.”

For more information about the SLUHN School of Phlebotomy, call 215-538-4888, email SOP.Admissions@sluhn.org or visit https://www.stlukesphlebotomy.org/.