Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Routine Collection Procedures 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient is receiving IV fluids in their right arm. Where should the phlebotomist draw blood?
- Above the IV site in the right arm
- Below the IV site in the right arm
- From the left arm (Correct answer)
- From any site; IV fluids do not affect results
Correct answer: From the left arm
Blood should be drawn from the opposite arm to prevent dilution or contamination of the specimen by IV fluids.
Question 2: Which personal protective equipment (PPE) is REQUIRED for all routine venipuncture procedures?
- Gloves only (Correct answer)
- Gloves and face mask
- Gloves, gown, and face shield
- Gloves and goggles
Correct answer: Gloves only
Gloves are the minimum required PPE for venipuncture under Standard Precautions to protect against bloodborne pathogen exposure.
Question 3: A gray-top tube containing sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate is used primarily for:
- Complete blood count
- Glucose and lactate testing (Correct answer)
- Coagulation studies
- Blood bank crossmatch
Correct answer: Glucose and lactate testing
Sodium fluoride inhibits glycolysis to preserve glucose levels, making gray-top tubes ideal for glucose and lactate specimens.
Question 4: When labeling a specimen tube, which information is MOST critical to include at the bedside?
- Phlebotomist's employee ID number
- Patient's full name and date of birth (Correct answer)
- The name of the ordering physician
- The patient's diagnosis
Correct answer: Patient's full name and date of birth
Patient name and date of birth are the minimum two identifiers required at the time of labeling to ensure specimen-patient match.
Question 5: What is the maximum number of venipuncture attempts a phlebotomist should make on a single patient?
- One attempt only
- Two attempts, then seek assistance (Correct answer)
- Three attempts
- As many as needed until successful
Correct answer: Two attempts, then seek assistance
Standard practice limits a phlebotomist to two attempts before seeking assistance from another qualified collector to minimize patient trauma.
Question 6: A phlebotomist draws a serum separator tube (SST) and notices it did not fill to the minimum volume. What should be done?
- Send the tube as-is and note the partial fill on the requisition
- Draw a new full tube if possible; partial fills can affect centrifuged serum yield (Correct answer)
- Add saline to bring the tube to the correct volume
- Combine it with another SST from the same patient
Correct answer: Draw a new full tube if possible; partial fills can affect centrifuged serum yield
Short-draw SST tubes may yield insufficient serum after centrifugation and can affect gel separator performance.
Question 7: Which statement correctly describes the proper technique for performing a dermal (capillary) puncture on an adult finger?
- Puncture the center of the fingertip for maximum blood flow
- Puncture the side of the third or fourth fingertip in a perpendicular motion (Correct answer)
- Puncture the thumb for the largest capillary bed
- Puncture the index finger parallel to the fingerprint lines
Correct answer: Puncture the side of the third or fourth fingertip in a perpendicular motion
The lateral (side) aspect of the third or fourth finger is the preferred site because it is less sensitive and has adequate capillary depth.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Routine Collection Procedures 5
A patient is receiving IV fluids in their right arm.
Where should the phlebotomist draw blood?