MCC Phlebotomy Essentials class celebrates completion
Phlebotomy Essentials class members include Yolanda Rush, Nakenya Spraggins, Alaina
Moore, Faith Guysayto, LaToya Seals, Staci Hillhouse, Ambre Rogers, Makayla Lewis,
Cianna Garner, and Sandy Copeland.
Ten Meridian Community College Phlebotomy Essentials Program students studied, drew, and collected blood samples for four months, and performed at least 100 successful sticks. Now, they're ready to prepare for their national certification examination.
Phlebotomy students Alaina Moore, Nakenya Spraggins, Makayla Lewis, Faith Guysayko, LaToya Seals, Ambre Rogers, Sandy Copeland, Yolonda Rush, Staci Hillhouse, and Cianna Garner were celebrated during a completion ceremony at the College's Workforce Development Center.
The students learned medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, blood collection techniques, and safety procedures during their studies, which also included 100 hours of clinical training. To offer this program, MCC partners with Baptist Anderson Regional Medical Center, Neshoba General, Ochsner Rush Health, and other healthcare facilities. The hospitals provide the clinical experience, and each student is assigned a location and a phlebotomist who mentors the students.
MCC Medical Laboratory Technology Program Clinical Education Coordinator and Instructor Krystal Holifield also is the Phlebotomy Essentials Program instructor. An alumna of MCC, Holifield has worked at the College for 12 years and maintained a medical laboratory position for over a decade.
Holifield admired the students and noted they underwent rigorous training with impressive results. "They made me proud,” she said, noting that some will be going to work and some will be coming to MCC again to further their education.
Student Makayla Lewis, who spoke to the audience, said the journey to becoming a phlebotomist wasn’t one she took alone, she credited her family and classmates. “We began as strangers but today we leave as a family,” she said addressing her cohort. “It’s more than drawing blood. It’s about being the calm in someone’s fears. It’s about respect, precision, and being connected,” she said.
“We worked too hard, sacrificed too much, and grown too far to stop now,” she added.
To learn more about the Phlebotomy Essentials Program, contact Mallory Hardy, MCC workforce project manager, at mallory.hardy@meridiancc.edu or 601.484.8653.