What Is the Phlebotomy Technician Certification Exam (or CPT)?
Like any skilled job in the healthcare industry, phlebotomy requires certification to demonstrate that practitioners have the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their roles. The Phlebotomy Technician Exam is a comprehensive exam administered by the NHA, which tests individuals on their phlebotomy knowledge and skills.
The NHA CPT exam is composed of 120 questions, 20 of which are used as “test” questions to gather data for future exams. There are five total sections for which you have two hours to complete.
Certified Phlebotomist Exam Registration Requirements & Eligibility
Obtain your high school diploma or GED.
If you haven’t already done so, you first need to finish high school or obtain a GED certificate. This is a fairly standard requirement for most skilled professions within the healthcare industry.
Complete a phlebotomy technician training program and demonstrate evidence of your skills.
Before registering for the phlebotomy national exam, you’ll need to complete a training program at an accredited institution. In addition to your training, you’ll need to demonstrate relevant work experience in a health services field approved by the NHA for a minimum of one year within the last three years.
Your training will qualify if you received formal medical training in a healthcare field while in the military within the last five years. This training will also require relevant work experience.
All applicants must also demonstrate evidence of at least 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary sticks on live patients.
NHA CPT Certification Exam Sections and Content
If you’re wondering how to pass the phlebotomy exam, you need to start by knowing what it covers. The NHA-certified phlebotomy technician exam is structured uniquely compared to other exams. Here’s what you need to know.
Each section or domain includes subtopics that fall under one of two categories.
Knowledge Statements
The exam contained two categories of statements that you’ll need to be familiar with. The first category is knowledge statements, or information relevant to the industry and job description that you’ll need to master to complete the job successfully.
Task Statements
The second category is task statements, which refer to the actions and duties you must know how to perform to succeed as a phlebotomy technician.
You’ll complete 5 total sections or domains on the NHA CPT exam.
1 . Safety and Compliance
The first section will focus on safety and compliance. This first section covers critical information that all phlebotomists must know to protect themselves and their patients and ensure they are working within the bounds of the law.
Some of the topics you can expect to see on this portion of the exam include:
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Bloodborne pathogens
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Safety precautions to prevent the spread of illness
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Performing first aid
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Local, state, and federal regulations
You’ll encounter a total of 15 knowledge statements and 14 task statements related to safety and compliance for this section.
2. Patient Preparation
The second section is all about prepping your patients prior to performing a procedure. This section covers another critical component of phlebotomy, as the technician must take care to ensure the patient is comfortable and adequately prepared for their procedure.
Topics you can expect to see on this portion of the exam include:
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Patient assessment
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Communicating procedures with patients
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Determining collection sites
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Verifying compliance
For this section, you’ll respond to 12 knowledge and 10 task statements related to preparing your patients before collecting samples.
3. Routine Blood Collections
The most extensive section of the exam covers routine blood collections. This is the bread and butter of phlebotomy, so it makes sense that it comprises the majority of the exam content. You can expect to see a variety of questions related to different collection methods, sites, and equipment.
Topics you’ll encounter on this portion of the test include:
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Tourniquet application and removal
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Using proper collection techniques, including order of draw
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Handling and labeling specimens
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Post-draw patient care
You’ll need to demonstrate your knowledge of these topics by responding to 22 knowledge statements and 16 task statements.
4. Special Collections
In the special collections section of the exam, you’ll find information on collecting specimens from patients with difficult venous access, as well as infants and children. You won’t perform these kinds of procedures every day, making them especially important to correctly if and when you do need to accomplish them.
Topics you can expect to see covered in this section include:
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Drawing blood from an infant or child
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Using alternative sites for specimen collection
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Performing other kinds of special collection procedures
You can expect to answer 15 knowledge statements and 7 task statements for special collections topics.
5. Processing
The final section of the exam covers processing and testing procedures. Processing is the last step in the phlebotomy process and includes information on properly transporting and storing specimens for testing.
Topics you’ll