Can Medical Assistants Draw Blood?
Medical assistants are trained and allowed to draw blood as long as they have received the proper training. This procedure of drawing blood is within the "scope of practice" of a medical assistant. A standard part of medical assistant courses is to learn basic phlebotomy, which involves inserting a needle in a vein or capillary to collect blood. This is an important aspect of many health screenings and procedures that physicians conduct. A Medical Assistant can pursue further education and get specialized certification in phlebotomy. This would open up career opportunities in areas such as working in a lab or in a medical practice where the work requires someone to take blood samples.