UA System Workforce Center Partners with UAMS, UAM to Offer Free Phlebotomy Training

LITTLE ROCK (Tuesday, August 29, 2023) — The University of Arkansas System Workforce Response and Training Center is offering a certificate and training program in phlebotomy at no cost to students to be completed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock.

This career opportunity is offered through a partnership formed between UAMS and the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology – Crossett (UAM-CTC). Students will complete coursework to earn the Phlebotomy Certificate of Proficiency offered by UAM-CTC. The Phlebotomy Certificate of Proficiency program is a combination of online and in-person coursework, and careers for certified phlebotomists are currently in high demand.

Enroll By Sept. 20
Potential students interested in applying or getting additional information can contact a counselor at UAM-CTC by emailing  FranklinL@uamont.edu or calling (870) 460-2024. Students must apply by Sept. 20 to be enrolled for the Oct. 9 start date. The program can be completed in just less than five months.

“The UA System Workforce Response and Training Center works collaboratively with our UA System campuses across the state with support of the Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) to identify local workforce needs and match them with high-quality training opportunities available at any of the UA System campuses,” said Chris Thomason, vice president for planning and development for the UA System. “This training opportunity for students to earn a Phlebotomy Certificate of Proficiency from UAM-CTC through UAMS is not only time efficient and at no cost to students, but those who complete the program are prepared to fill healthcare career opportunities in Pulaski County immediately.”

The Phlebotomy Certificate of Proficiency provides instruction in basic anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, ethical, legal and regulatory issues, safety measures, infection control, special collections, how to avoid errors to become successful in collection and transfer of blood specimens in veni and capillary blood collections. It also introduces the student to basic laboratory techniques and prepares the student to perform entry level venipunctures and dermal punctures.

Student Learning Outcomes 
At completion of the Phlebotomy Certificate of Proficiency students will be able to successfully obtain patient specimens through various functions such as venipuncture and capillary blood collections; process specimens and sample collections; maintain patient confidentiality; and meet required legal, regulatory and safety measures while avoiding medical errors.

Tuition, books and supplies for the certificate of proficiency will be provided at no cost to the student through funds provided by the UA System’s Workforce Response and Training Center.

What it Takes 
Students will earn nine total credit hours in the certificate program that includes a mix of in-person and online training and can be completed in less than five months beginning in October.

The first step is completion of the Tech Phlebotomy course, which will be offered Oct. 9  through Dec. 7 and will meet  Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-7:45 p.m. The in-person course will be held at UAMS.

The Tech Phlebotomy Practicum and Tech Law & Ethics in Healthcare courses will be offered Jan. 10 through Feb. 29, 2024. The Tech Law & Ethics in Healthcare course will be offered online and the Tech Phlebotomy Practicum will be at assigned clinical sites.

COURSE                                                          CREDITS                  DELIVERY
PHL 1054  Tech Phlebotomy                            4 credits                    UAMS

HIT  1023  Tech Law & Ethics in Healthcare    3 credits                    Online

PHL  1062 Tech Phlebotomy Practicum           2 credits                    Clinical

EXIT: Phlebotomy Certificate of Proficiency =  9 credits

About the University of Arkansas System (www.uasys.edu)
Since its inception, the University of Arkansas System has developed a tradition of excellence that includes the state’s 1871 flagship, land-grant research university; Arkansas’s premier institution for medical education, treatment and research; a major metropolitan university; an 1890 land-grant university; two regional universities serving southern and western Arkansas; seven community colleges; two schools of law; a presidential school; a residential math and science high school; and a 100 percent-online university and divisions of agriculture, archeology and criminal justice. As the premier higher education system in the state, it enrolls more than 70,000 students, employs more than 17,000 employees, and has a total budget of more than $4 billion. An intrinsic part of the texture and fabric of Arkansas, the UA System is a driving force in the state’s economic, educational and cultural advancement.

About the UA System Workforce Response & Training Center
Through the University of Arkansas System Workforce Response & Training Center, comprised of seven two-year colleges, two regional universities and strategic partnerships that provide workforce education to their communities, the UA System provides a wide range of career and technical education programs and capabilities that stand ready to support the statewide effort for improved workforce development. The Center was created in 2021 through a federal Economic Development Administration grant and local investment with the goal of creating a consortium of UA System entities aligned to maximize existing training efforts that will be deployed in a data-driven, collaborative format led by the Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). The Center focuses on identifying workforce needs through data, and then aligning skills training opportunities for future employment and economic growth.