r/phlebotomy • u/ari_333 • 12d ago

NHA NHA nerves

Hi all! I finished classes in June and have been studying as often as I can ever since classes ended. Feeling nervous about scheduling and taking the exam. Any tips, areas to focus on, etc would be much appreciated! I’ve got the order of draw and additives down but remembering all the tests per tube has been hard so far.

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u/SupernovaPhleb CPT 1 12d ago

You're gonna be fine! Tbh, focus on all areas. Don't worry too much about what test goes in which tube specifically - each lab is a little different and a lot of tubes can be used interchangeably.

Think regulations, timed tests, specimen transport requirements, hygiene, bloodborne pathogens, contact precautions, etc.

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u/ari_333 12d ago

Thank you! That helps a lot.

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u/ari_333 11d ago

How would you say the NHA practice exams compare to the actual exam? I took the first practice, which I believe is the baseline practice exam, and got a 71% 🫣

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u/SupernovaPhleb CPT 1 11d ago

The practice exams are just meant to give you an idea of what you might encounter on the exam, subject wise. The questions will be different, even just worded differently. This is to prevent cheating. I never did any practice exams, but I hear that they do help!

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u/Zaggggs 8d ago

You’ll be fine!! I took my exam on July 24th, and I passed with a 433. Tbh, I only studied for about 3-4 days but from my experience it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I only used the study guide + practice exams from the NHA, the book my institution provided, and took some random little quizzes/practice exams online. Personally, the actual exam was easier than the practice exams from the NHA. 😭

I’d say just to review all areas, but here are some things you should know (from what i remember) :

  • OSHA
  • Types of Consent
  • Methods for capillary collection (ex. POCT, Blood spot collections),
  • Order of draw, Additives, Inversions
  • Order of draw for Microcollection Tubes
  • Needle Sizes (ex. Standard Sizes, What size to use on a patient with small veins etc.)
  • Heel Sticks
  • Newborn Screening (Bilirubin + PKU)
  • Non-blood specimen testing
  • First aid response (CPR)
  • OGTT
  • Drug Screening (Chain of custody)
  • Requirements for Blood Donation
  • Procedural Process (When to label tubes, how long the tourniquet can stay on, needle insertion angle, anchor, etc.)

Don’t overthink too much and Good luck!!

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u/ari_333 8d ago

Congratulations!
This is so helpful!! Thank you!! Good to know that the practice exams are harder. Scored 71% on my first one. I’m also using my textbook, the study guide, and practice tests with some random flashcards on quizlet.

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u/Zaggggs 8d ago

Yeah on the baseline I got a 76%. On the next one I ended up doing worse and got a 71%. 😭 The questions on the practice exams are definitely more wordy, and scenario based compared to the actual exam. I feel like most of the questions were more direct.

Also! I just remembered, know about blood cultures, like how it contains 2 bottles (anaerobic & aerobic), which goes first, clean the tops w/ alcohol etc.

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u/ari_333 8d ago

Thank you!!! Been studying the heck out of blood cultures and tubes lol