NEW MADRID, Mo. — You might say it was a shot in the arm for the New Madrid County R-1 Technical Skills Center’s Health Science Program.
This year’s Health Science students, under the direction of instructor Gloria Houston, not only earned their certified nursing assistant licenses but by May will receive national certification in phlebotomy. Phlebotomists are technicians who draw blood.
Houston explained because of changes in state testing due to COVID-19, she pushed the young men and women in her CNA class a bit harder.
“Instead of what we usually take a year to teach, I taught it to them by November. They sat for their exam on Nov. 20 and all of them passed,” she said.
However, that left Houston with a problem of how to fill the next semester.
A registered nurse, Houston said she believed there was shortage of phlebotomists in Southeast Missouri.Then she surveyed area medical facilities about the need.
“I received letters back that this would be a huge asset to them if we would train the phlebotomists for this area,” she said. “That is why I think they were so eager to help.”
With approval from the school district, Houston began developing the program. Donations from SEMO Health Network, Missouri Delta Medical Center, Pemiscot Memorial Hospital and the New Madrid County Family Resource Center provided the class with the blood tubes, a centrifuge, needles and other supplies.
After completing classroom training and mastering skills, the students headed out for real-world experience completing their clinicals in local labs.
Certification as a phlebotomist is a very marketable skill, according to the instructor.
“It means they can instantly have a job,” Houston said. “The difference between being a CNA and phlebotomist is a difference of $7 to $8 more per hour while they are working their way through college or nursing school.”