Phlebotomy cheat sheets

18 one-page reference sheets for the highest-yield CPT exam topics. Each page here previews the start of the sheet; the full sheets are in the app, offline.

Venous Order of Draw, Additives and Inversions
Fill blood cultures first, then light blue citrate, serum tubes, heparin, EDTA, and gray fluoride/oxalate last; invert each additive tube…
PPE for Blood Collection: Putting On and Taking Off
Clean hands, then gown, mask or respirator, eye protection and gloves last; take gloves off first and the mask or respirator last, then…
Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions
Standard Precautions apply to every patient at every draw; contact, droplet or airborne precautions are added for specific infections, and…
Hand Hygiene at the Draw Station
Alcohol-based hand rub is the default when hands look clean; use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled or after C. difficile or…
Sharps, Bloodborne Pathogens and Exposure Response
Activate the safety device and drop needle and holder straight into the sharps container; after a stick or splash, wash or flush at once…
HIPAA for Phlebotomy: PHI Rules and Deadlines
A labeled tube or requisition is PHI; use and share only what the task needs, keep it out of sight, and remember the fixed deadlines for…
Phlebotomy Abbreviations and the Do-Not-Use List
Read orders and requisitions fluently, and never write an abbreviation on The Joint Commission's Do Not Use list; write the full word…
Medical Word Parts for Phlebotomy
Split a term into its parts to decode it: phleb (vein) + -otomy (incision) = phlebotomy; hem (blood) + -lysis (break down) = hemolysis.
Capillary (Skin) Puncture: Sites, Depths and Order of Draw
Infants: medial or lateral plantar heel, no deeper than 2.0 mm. Older children and adults: side of the middle or ring fingertip. Capillary…
Specimen Handling, Processing and Transport
Chill, keep warm or shield from light the analytes that need it, separate serum or plasma within 2 hours, and send every specimen closed…
Point-of-Care and CLIA-Waived Tests: QC and Expected Values
Waived tests are simple and low risk, but you still follow the maker's instructions exactly, run controls when required, and report…
Collection Equipment and Needle Gauges
Pick a needle smaller than the vein (21 gauge is the usual adult choice), prefer a closed tube-holder system, and check every device for…
Venipuncture Sites, Veins and Sites to Avoid
Use the median cubital vein first, then the cephalic, and the basilic only last; the back of the hand is the usual alternative, and some…
Complications: Signs and Responses
Stop the draw for rapid swelling, shooting nerve pain, bright red pulsing blood, fainting or a seizure; remove the needle, apply pressure…
Blood Culture Collection: Prep, Bottles, Volumes, Order
Blood cultures are drawn first in the order of draw, after an antiseptic skin prep that is left to dry; disinfect each bottle top, fill to…
Pediatric Blood-Volume Limits and Newborn Screening
Estimate the child's total blood volume from weight, keep the day's draws within the facility's percentage limit (guidelines range 1% to…
Timed Draws, Tolerance Tests, TDM and Blood Alcohol
Timed tests are only valid when drawn at the right time and labeled with the actual collection time; blood alcohol sites are cleaned with…
Chain of Custody and Drug-Screen Collection
Chain of custody documents every hand-off of a specimen; in a DOT urine collection the donor shows photo ID, gives at least 45 mL, the…