PHLEBOTOMY
Essential Question: How Do You Say Phlebotomist?
Learning Targets:
Students will:
 Use a variety of media to develop and deepen understanding of a topic or idea.
 Model the composition of human blood.
 Diagram the components of human blood.
 Deal with frustration as they learn complex new content.
Lesson Overview
A phlebotomist’s role in the health professions is to draw and test blood from patients. The
Young Professionals will begin this lesson by learning some blood basics before building a
model of human blood. The YPs will explore ratios and components in their model as they
diagram of their results. Finally, the YPs will explore the career of phlebotomist and its role in
the day-to-day operations of a doctor’s office or medical lab.
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Health Sciences Module: Phlebotomy
Pathways to Prosperity Network
Lesson Agenda
Opening (5 min)

Emergency Scenario: The Phlebotomist
Work Time



I Vant to Learn About Blood! (20 min)
Bloody Model (25 min)
Exit Survey
Closure (5 min)
Materials
□
□
□
□
Projector, speakers
Young Allied Health Professional student packet
Blood KWL Chart (to project)
Materials for blood model (per group):
□ ½ cup of light corn syrup
□ ½ cup of Red Hots (candy). This candy will color the liquid as real red blood
cells. Not all Red Candy will have the same effect (i.e. skittles).
□ 5 dry lima beans
□ 1 tablespoon of dry lentils
□ Video (to project)
□ 10 Little Known Facts About Blood
FACILITATION NOTES
Intro Video. The 10 Little Known Facts About Blood video is fast-paced. Students will be
completing a KWL note-catcher while watching it. You may need to show the video more than
once so that students can adequately catch notes.
The Narrative Arc. The more each <Emergency Scenario> can be presented as if telling a
story, the more engaged the audience will be. Work to avoid a stale reading and lean towards
bringing the information to life as in a conversation or a “reveal” of the next chapter. Think of
creative ways to make the story your own.
IN ADVANCE
□ This lesson uses videos and online simulations. In advance, prep or reserve the
necessary technology. Test video playback and web availability.
□ Preview 10 Little Known Facts about Blood, found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQp3XM3zugI. This video is an interesting
introduction to information about blood. Show all 2:09 minutes of the video.
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Vocabulary
Content
phlebotomist, platelets, serum, hematocrit,
agglutination, antigen, antibody, hypoxia
Tier II
function, ratio
Opening (5 min)
Emergency Scenario
Say: The allied health fields are filled with many different careers. Some you know, like
doctors and nurses. However, many different health care professionals contribute to patient
health and recovery. Today, we are going to learn about a person that many of us have
interacted with, but few of us know their title: The Phlebotomist.
Ask: Have you ever had your blood drawn? Why? Share your experience.
o
o
o
Invite the young professionals to share with a partner a story about a time they
had their blood drawn.
Call on volunteers to share their stories.
Inquire if they have ever heard the word “phlebotomist.” Why do hospitals and
doctors test peoples’ blood?
Share the next chapter of the story by reading or acting out: <Emergency Scenario: The
Phlebotomist>
Highlighting
“behind the
scenes" careers
is important to
helping young
people develop
a nuanced
understanding
of the world of
work. This
approach
cultivates a
broader
understanding
both of future
opportunities
and varied
contributions of
diverse careers.
Work Time
I Vant to Learn About Blood! (20 min)
The following vocabulary will be used; remember to emphasize function over terminology:
phlebotomist, platelets, agglutination, antigen, antibody, blood type.
Phlebotomists deal with blood as a regular part of their job. They need to be able to handle the
sight of blood and needles—and to interact positively with the people they are sticking needles
into! Blood is a fascinating substance. What do you know about it?
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Blood KWL Chart
1. Distribute and project the <Blood KWL Chart>.
2. Ask: What do you know about blood?
o
o
o
o
o
Invite volunteers to answer. Record their statements in the K column of the
chart. K stands for Know.
Remind the Young Professionals that they are also accountable for
recording these statements on their chart.
Ask: Who can remind me what the W and the L stand for?
Listen for: W: Want to know (questions) and L: Learned.
Explain that as they watch the video, they will add new facts learned to
the L column and new questions to the W column.
3. Project <10 Little Known Facts About Blood>:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQp3XM3zugI
o
o
o
As you watch the video, model adding to the KWL chart with new facts
and questions.
Invite the young professionals to turn and talk and share out what they
learned and the questions they still have about blood (in small groups).
Encourage groups to add each other’s thinking to their own KWL chart.
The KWL chart
connects new
information to the
student’s prior
knowledge. It
encourages curiosity
and also sets a
purpose for viewing
new content. This
scaffold is
particularly important
for ELL students,
struggling learners,
and students with
limited background
knowledge. Time
permitting, consider
using the Science
Talk protocol and
norms.
4. Use equity sticks to call on the young professionals to share a fact or question
from their discussions.
5. Direct the YPs to the <Bloody Quiz> in their students sheets. Give them 2-3 minutes to
complete the questions using notes from their KWL charts, and do a quick popcorn
shareout to ensure correct responses.
Bloody Model: Components of Blood (25 min)
What is blood? We know it runs through our veins and can get messy if we cut ourselves. But
what purpose does it have, and what is it made of? Let’s create a model to help us learn about
the parts of our blood and their functions.
1. Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq_kLjq7QWk.
Now that we have a general overview of what blood does and what it’s made of, let’s start
building. We learned that blood is a mixture of: plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells,
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hemoglobin, and platelets. There is liquid in our blood called plasma. All of the other
components float around in the plasma.
2. Add ½ cup of light corn syrup to a clear bowl to represent plasma.
3. Add ½ cup of Red Hots to represent the red blood cells. Stir.
This activity
presents an
opportunity to
bring in the
math of ratios
and
percentages.
There is about
1 white blood
cell to every
600-700 red
blood cells.
Lesson 12
includes a
deeper
discussion of
Bloody Math.
o
Ask: What do you notice? Listen for: The red blood cells turn the liquid red.
4. Add 5 dry lima beans to represent the white blood cells.
o Ask: What does our model tell you about the ratio of white blood cells to red blood
cells?
5. Add 1 tablespoon of dry lentils to represent the platelets.
o
Ask: Does anyone remember what platelets do?
6. Stir the mixture together.
7. Invite the YPs to turn to the <Vat Is in Blood?> handout.
Now that you have a model, take a moment to sketch and label what you see. As you
sketch, try to capture the ratios you see in the model.
Closure (5 min)
Exit Survey
In today’s lesson, we began to explore the work of the phlebotomist by learning some bloody
facts and building a bloody model that helped us investigate the components of blood. What
was most engaging for you? What did you learn? What suggestions do you have to improve
class?
1. Direct the YPs to the <Exit Survey> in their student packets.
2. Invite volunteers to share what they found most engaging.
3. Cold call on the YPs to share one thing they learned today. Use this opportunity to
clarify any misconceptions or clear up any areas of confusion.
4. Collect the Exit Surveys to help you prepare for the next lesson.
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Name:
Date:
PHLEBOTOMY: How Do You Say Phlebotomist?
Today’s Learning Objectives:
I can:




Use a variety of media to develop and deepen my understanding of a topic or idea.
Model the composition of human blood.
Diagram the components of human blood.
Deal with frustration as I learn complex new content.
A phlebotomist’s role in the health professions is to draw and test blood from patients. I will
begin this lesson by learning some blood basics before building a model of human blood. I will
also make a diagram of my results. Finally, I will explore the career of phlebotomist and its role
in the day-to-day operations of a doctor’s office or medical lab.
Today’s Activities:




Emergency Scenario: The Phlebotomist
I Vant to Learn about Blood
Bloody Model
Exit Survey
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Emergency Scenario: The Phlebotomist
As a phlebotomist, you draw blood from patients so that their blood can be studied by
hematologists, or the doctors who study blood. Phlebotomy is a Greek word that translates to
vein cut. Usually, you use one of two methods to collect a blood sample: blood drawn from a
vein, typically in the arm, or a venipuncture, a finger stick. You need to collect a blood sample
from a young skateboard accident victim who needs surgery on his leg. You need the blood
sample so that the medical providers know some things about him and his health before the
operation. Your first task is to introduce yourself to the young patient and be sure that he is the
correct patient. You introduce yourself, ask him his name, talk to him a little about his accident,
and check his medical bracelet and his file folders for his patient identification number. You then
explain that you will be doing a blood draw and talk him through what you need to do.
You are drawing blood to test the patient for a few things. First, doctors need to know the
patient’s blood type, in case a blood transfusion is needed during surgery due to a lot of
bleeding. You also need to test the blood for a condition known as anemia, when the patient
does not have enough red blood cells to transport oxygen. If a patient is anemic, then he or she
can have an issue with low oxygen during surgery. Other tests let the doctors know if the patient
has kidney problems and so would not be able to flush out the medications used during surgery
very well. They also test blood for indications of malnutrition, or not getting enough good food,
and for whether or not the blood clots effectively, so the person does not have a lot of bleeding
that cannot stop.
You love your work and the number of people you meet. You sometimes see up to 150 patients
per day! You’re always on the move, and you know your role is critical for taking care of people
who need medical help.
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BLOODY FACTS! KWL
K (Know)
W (Want To Know)
L (Learned)
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Bloody Quiz!
Directions. Select the correct response to the questions below.
1. How many components does human blood have?
1. Over 1,000
2. Over 20,000
3. Over 4,000
4. Over 35,000
2. Which blood
1. Type
2. Type
3. Type
4. Type
type is most attractive to mosquitoes?
A
B
AB
O
3. How many blood types does a human have? How many blood types does a cow
have?
1. 4; 4
2. 4; 800
3. 800; 4
4. 800; 800
4. Which blood
1. Type
2. Type
3. Type
4. Type
type can be donated to anybody?
A
B
AB
O
5. What are the common types of blood donations?
1. Whole blood, plasma, red blood cells, and platelets
2. Just whole blood
3. Whole blood and plasma
4. Whole blood, plasma, and red blood cells
6. About
1.
2.
3.
4.
how much blood does a newborn baby have?
3 liters
1 cup
10 cups
1 liter
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Vat Is in
Blood?
Diagram your model. Draw and label the components of human blood in the circle below.
WORD BANK
Red Blood Cells: Carry oxygen to all parts of the body
Plasma: The liquid
White Blood Cells: Consume harmful bacteria that enters the body
Platelets: Create clots to stop cuts from bleeding
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Exit Survey
Directions. Complete the following survey. Answer the questions
using complete sentences.
Today’s lesson was fun and engaging.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Which activity did you find most engaging? Least engaging?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
I learned a lot in class today.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Explain at least one thing you learned today:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Share at least one idea to improve class:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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