NATCHITOCHES – An online phlebotomy technician training course through Northwestern State University’s Office of Electronic and Continuing Education will begin in Natchitoches on Feb. 13 and on NSU’s Cenla campus at 1410 Neal Kearby Blvd. in Alexandria on Feb. 20. 

This nine-week course is broken down into three parts. The first part will be a mandatory face-to-face orientation class meeting at the NSU Natchitoches Campus, Monday, February 13.  The second part will be eight weeks of online classroom instruction. The last part will be a face-to-face, hands-on-portion which will meet April 10-April 14 at the NSU Natchitoches Campus from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

For those taking the course on the Cenla campus, the first part will be a mandatory face-to-face orientation class meeting at the NSU Cenla Campus, Monday, February 20.  The second part will be eight weeks of online classroom instruction. The last part will be a face-to-face, hands-on-portion which will meet April 17-April 21 at the NSU Cenla Campus from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  

This course is designed to teach entry-level phlebotomy skills to students interested in pursuing a career in Phlebotomy. Students must complete classroom instruction and 50 venipunctures before they can take the board exam.  

Upon satisfactory completion of this course, students will be eligible to take the National Board Certification Exam on-site through the American Certification Agency for Healthcare Professionals. This course also includes Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification through the American Heart Association. There is a possibility of random drug screening at the student’s expense at clinical sites.   

Requirements for the course include a valid copy of a current I.D., proof of high school diploma, GED, or official transcript. The fee is $995 plus the $125 National Board Certification and $50 material fee due at the first class meeting. A minimum payment of $497.50 must be included with registration and does not include the material fee or board fee. The remaining balance must be paid through checkout.nsula.edu prior to March 31 or April 7 for students in Alexandria. An electronic book is available at no cost and will be posted in the online class. 

For more information or to register for classes, go to checkout.nsula.edu or call (800) 376-2422 or (318) 357-6355.