PBT ASCP Phlebotomy Technician Certification Routes, Study Material, Guide & Exam Questions and Preparation Course!

Phlebotomy is an essential part of a healthcare center. Board of Certification (BOC) boosts your PBT profession by granting the PBT (ASCP and ASCPi) phlebotomy technician certification that offers you lucrative job opportunities.

Phlebotomy technicians are important team members in diagnostic labs, hospitals, and blood donation centers.

The responsibility of a phlebotomist is to draw blood samples for donations, diagnostic purposes, or other tests. They are responsible for collecting, transporting, & processing other specimens and blood to be examined in the lab.

Furthermore, phlebotomy technicians also prepare specimens for tests, maintain medical equipment, perform some other tests like blood sugar levels, and explain all procedures to patients.

What is a PBT(ASCP) Phlebotomy Technician?

BOC ASCP monitors phlebotomy technician skills and knowledge by conducting a test. To become PBT ASCP certified, it is necessary for candidates must pass this exam by proving their abilities in relevant content areas.

Circulatory system, specimen collection, specimen handling, transport and processing, waived and point-of-care test (POCT), non-blood specimen, and laboratory operation are exam content areas for this test.

BOC choose a different percentage of exam question from each content area, so candidates must have a strong grip on all subjects.

Career Future for Phlebotomy Technician

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics;

Phlebotomy Technician Profession will grow 22% between 2020-2030, faster growth than all other occupations, whereas the growth of all other professions is around 4%. People are anticipated to see 22,8oo new job opportunities in this field.

It is anticipated that a huge number of those job opportunities will increase due to job changes or retirements.

What is PBT ASCP Certification?

BOC ASCP grants PBT ASCP and PBT ASCPi certificates to eligible candidates by monitoring their skills and knowledge in relevant subjects. To qualify for this exam, candidates must have an equivalent or high school degree, a phlebotomy training program, and supervised clinical experience.

Candidates must have complete knowledge of analyzing blood and other specimens in the lab so that they may successfully earn ASCP certificate.

Why Should I Get Certified as a PBT ASCP?

BOC ASCP is the world's largest organization that offers powerful licenses of PBT ASCP (U.S. candidates) and PBT ASCPi (international candidates) to eligible phlebotomists to give them a big opportunity to do the job in any worldwide hospital. With the power of this certificate, you can explain your abilities in better ways.

Being PBT ASCP certified, you may earn a double salary, have opportunities to do more jobs and gain more reputation in the medical field. If you want to settle outside the U.S. BOC can send your score to any worldwide licensing board where you can continue your job as a phlebotomy technician.

State Licensure for PBT ASCP

To become a PBT (ASCP), you need an equivalent or high school degree, a phlebotomy training program, and supervised clinical experience. However, many states of the U.S. require some specific licensure or certification to start your PBT ASCP journey in these states.

These states are Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, Puerto Rico, North Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia. But, The ASCP BOC has been approved for certificate purposes by all of these states.

PBT ASCP Eligibility Requirements

ASCP BOC offers clear eligibility criteria in the form of routes for U.S. residents and international candidates. Therefore, you must check your eligibility before applying for an exam, whether you are an international or U.S. applicants.

Eligibility Routes for PBT(ASCP) (U.S. Candidates)

BOC offers 7 routes for U.S. candidates. To qualify for the exam, candidates must meet the requirements of one route out of seven.

• Route 1: High school graduation degree or equivalent and within the last five years, completed NAACLS accredited phlebotomy program.

• Route 2: High school graduation degree or equivalent and within the last five years, approved two-part formal organized phlebotomy program. This program must be arranged by the program director. This two-part program must consist of:

• 40 clock hours of classroom training including laboratory operations(  quality control, safety, etc.), specimen processing and handling, specimen collection (including venipuncture & skin punctures), circulatory system physiology, and anatomy.
• Clinical training & orientation 100 clock hours with performance of 100(hundred) successful unaided venipunctures from an approved laboratory.

Candidates cannot apply until they complete these structured programs.

• Route 3: High school graduation degree or equivalent and within the last five years acceptable clinical experience (venipunctures & skin punctures must be included) as a phlebotomy technician from an approved lab.

• Route 4:  High school graduation degree or equivalent and within the last five years, successful completion of LPN, RN, or other acceptable approved allied health occupational/professional which includes phlebotomy training & orientation with 100(hundred) acceptable unaided blood collections including skin punctures and venipunctures from approved laboratory.

• Route 5: Valid MLT(ASCP) or MLS(ASCP) certification.

• Route 6: Valid DPT(ASCP) certification, and within the last five years and performance of 100(hundred) successful unaided non-donor blood collections including skin punctures and venipunctures from an acceptable laboratory.

• Route 7: High school graduation degree or equivalent and within the last five years completed a phlebotomy program that is approved by the California Department of Public Health.

Eligibility Routes for PBT(ASCPi)

ASCP BOC recommends four routes for an international phlebotomy technician.

• Route 1: High school graduation and completed formal phlebotomy program. This program consists of
• Classroom training including laboratory operations (quality control, safety, etc.), specimen processing and handling, specimen collection (including venipuncture & skin punctures), circulatory system physiology, and anatomy, and a minimum performance of 100 successful clinical training, unaided venipunctures from an approved laboratory.

• Route 2: High school graduation one year of approved clinical experience from an accredited laboratory. This experience must include skin punctures and venipunctures.

• Route 3: High school graduation and successful completion of an acceptable nursing or other biomedical science program which includes phlebotomy training from an approved lab with a minimum performance of 100 successful, unaided blood collections including skin punctures and venipunctures.

• Route 4: Valid MLT(ASCP) or MLS(ASCP) certification.

PBT ASCP Recertification Requirement

All ASCP certificates including PBT are valid for three years, after this period, these certificates are expired. To update your ASCP certificate, you have to participate in the Credential Maintenance Program (CMP). The CMP program helps to update your ASCP certificate and add advancement to your certificate.

CMP application fee is $95, and the reinstatement fee is $125. To meet PBT CMP requirements, you need to get 9 points in different content areas. Distribution of point

• 1 point in patient safety or laboratory (i.e., quality assurance, quality control)
• 1 point in medical ethics (e.g., IRB, sexual harassment/microagressions, confidentiality, compliance, HIPAA, DEI (Inclusion, Equity, Diversity), etc.)
• 2 points in phlebotomy
• Remaining points in lab management, lab specialty, education, or other lab-related areas

PBT ASCP Exam Content Areas (Valid for PBT ASCP/ASCPi Testing Dates Up to and including December 31, 2023)

The PBT certification exam questions comprise six content area including Circulatory system, specimen collection, specimen handling, transport and processing, waived and point-of-care test (POCT), non-blood specimen, and laboratory operation. ASCP BOC chooses the specific percentage of exam questions from each content area to make 80 questions. The content areas and percentages of exam questions are described below:

Circulatory system

The content area of the circulatory system is the function and structure of the circulatory system, the function/composition of blood. 5 – 10% of exam questions are taken from this part.

Specimen Collection

This part is very important for the PBT ASCP test because 45 – 50% of questions are chosen from its content area.  Therefor you must read specimen collection content area concisely. Patient communication, patient assessment/preparation, patient identification, review & clarification of orders, common tests, order of draw, site selection, equipment, techniques, considerations, and complications are content areas of specimen collection.

Specimen Handling, Transport, and Processing

BOC select 15 – 20% of exam questions out of 80% from this part. The content area for this is equipment, transport and storage, specimen quality assessment, labeling, accessioning, and specimen types/suitability.

Waived and Point-of-Care Test (POCT)

This part covers 5 – 10% of exam questions and performance/operation of rapid tests: hemoglobin, urinalysis (e.g., dipstick), coagulation (e.g., PT/INR), kit tests, hematocrit, and glucose are exam syllabus for POCT.

Non-Blood Specimen

Specimen collection; patient preparation & instruction; physiology; specimen processing & handling are exam content areas for non-blood specimens and this part gives 5 – 10% of total exam questions.

Laboratory Operation

It covers 15 – 20% of exam questions.   Patient confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA), coding/billing, infection control, safety, regulatory applications, professional ethics, interpersonal relations, quality improvement, and quality control are exam syllabus for lab operation.

PBT ASCP Exam Content Areas (Valid for PBT ASCP/ASCPi Testing Dates Beginning January 1, 2024)

There is a little difference in the PBT (ASCP) exam syllabus for the 2024 test, but the exam percentage is the same.

Circulatory System

The content area of the circulatory system is the function and structure of the circulatory system, the function/composition of blood.

Specimen Collection

The exam syllabus of specimen collection is patient assessment and preparation; patient identification; patient communication; verification, clarification, and review of orders; equipment; complications and considerations; order of draw; common tests; techniques; and site selection.

Specimen Handling, Transport, and Processing

Specimen transport & storage; specimen centrifugation & aliquoting; specimen accessioning/labeling; specimen acceptability for testing.

Waived and Point-of-Care Test (POCT)

Performance of rapid tests (e.g., kit tests, glucose, coagulation, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and urinalysis); instrument operation, quality control, maintenance, and troubleshooting are exam syllabus for POCT.

Non-Blood Specimen

Specimen processing & handling; specimen collection; patient preparation & instruction and physiology.

Laboratory Operation

The content areas for lab operation are Quality assurance; competency assessment; safety regulations; laboratory regulations; professional ethics; interpersonal relations; proficiency testing; and quality improvement.

PBT ASCP Exam Preparation for ASCP and ASCPi

Although BOC offers 7 textbooks and 9 online associations for PBT ASCP exam preparation. All these study materials confuse you and you cannot decide which one is best. Therefore, you must be conscious of selecting a PBT (ASCP) exam prep course.

You must choose a comprehensive course that offers excellent study material with clear information in various ways including, images, and video.

MLSIACADEMY is the best source for exam preparation that offers an excellent PBT prep course with practice tests and question bank. MLSIA prep course has the following features.

• A Unified PBT ASCP Study Material
• Online Classes
• Question and Answer

FAQs for PBT ASCP