CPD and clinical skills for phlebotomists
Reference articles on technique, specific patient groups, order of draw and specimen handling. They are general information, not accredited CPD, and they do not replace your employer's procedures or the requirements of the laboratory you send samples to.
Why CPD matters
Patient safety
Every blood draw carries some risk: haematoma, nerve injury, fainting or a contaminated sample. Keeping your technique and knowledge current reduces those risks and helps you handle them when they happen.
Keeping up with practice
Equipment, local procedures and laboratory requirements change. Regular learning stops old habits from affecting sample quality.
Clinical techniques
Difficult veins
Approaches for patients whose veins are hard to find or access.
Paediatric phlebotomy
Communication, positioning and equipment choices for children.
Older patients
Fragile veins, thin skin and anticoagulants.
Butterfly needles
When to use a winged collection set and how.
Vein selection
Choosing a vein, palpation and common pitfalls.
Haemolysis prevention
Why samples haemolyse and how to reduce it.
Blood culture collection
Aseptic technique and avoiding contamination.
Capillary blood sampling
Finger and heel pricks, and when capillary sampling is used.
Reference
Complications and anatomy
Common complications
Haematoma, fainting, nerve injury, accidental arterial puncture, petechiae from a tourniquet left on too long, and haemolysed samples.
ComplicationsVeins of the arm
The median cubital, cephalic and basilic veins in the antecubital fossa, and the nerves and artery that lie close to them.
Arm anatomySpecimen handling
Many laboratory errors happen before the sample reaches the analyser. Labelling, mixing, storage and transport matter as much as the draw.
Labelling
Label each tube with the patient present, straight after collection, following the receiving laboratory's requirements. Do not pre-label tubes.
Transport
Use suitable specimen bags and packaging, and keep samples within the time and temperature limits the laboratory sets for each test.
Common errors
Wrong tube, underfilled tubes, poor mixing, a tourniquet left on too long, drawing above an infusion, and delays in transport.
Frequently asked questions
Is CPD mandatory for phlebotomists in the UK?
Phlebotomists are not on a statutory register in the UK, so there is no statutory CPD requirement. Employers set their own expectations, and many ask for evidence of training and competency reviews.
What counts as CPD for a phlebotomist?
Formal and informal learning both count: courses and study days, online modules, reading guidelines, shadowing colleagues, teaching others, reflecting on difficult cases and competency assessments. What matters is that you can say what you learned and how it changed your practice.
How should I keep a CPD record?
Log each activity with the date, what it was, what you learned and how you will apply it. Keep certificates alongside the log. A spreadsheet is enough. Review it regularly and set yourself goals.
Lola Dispatch is invitation-only
Lola Dispatch offers mobile blood draw jobs to approved phlebotomists. We add phlebotomists by invitation.
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