Today’s correspondent is

… trying to ascertain as a registered paramedic working in private practice, can I collect blood?

I work in an environment with a pathology collector who has educated me on procedure and demonstrated it. He is willing to provide further education and supervision.

My employer is not a RTO.

Can I independently practice this procedure?

I have discussed paramedics taking blood before, but in a different context – see Paramedics drawing blood for patients whilst ‘ramped’ (January 4, 2023).

There is no law that restricts taking blood to registered phlebotomists but as I said in my earlier post:

There is more to a blood test than simply taking blood.  A phlebotomist has to know how much blood to take for particular tests and which tube to put the blood in given that some carry additives for the various tests (see https://phlebotomygeeks.yolasite.com/resources/TUBEZ%20AND%20USES.pdf).  There must also be a process to get the blood to relevant laboratory for the necessary tests to be done. And it has to be recorded that the sample has been taken and the necessary paperwork completed to ensure that the sample is correctly identified, tested and the results accurately reported in the correct patient record.

There is no law that says a paramedic may, or may not take blood working in private practice. There is a law that says a paramedic must, amongst other things (Paramedicine Board, Code of Conduct, Principle 7):

… minimise risk by maintaining their professional capability through ongoing professional development and self-reflection and understanding and applying the principles of clinical governance, risk minimisation and management in practice.

A paramedic as a registered health professional has to determine for themselves whether they think they are competent to perform the task they are being asked to undertake. That may require them to consider whether demonstration by a pathology collector is sufficient or whether there are things they don’t know.  It would be at least prudent to look at the syllabus for the course HLT37215 Certificate III in Pathology Collection and consider whether what they have learned means they can do things such as ‘Identify and respond to clinical risks in pathology collection’, ‘Perform venous blood collections’ and ‘Apply basic principles and practices of infection prevention and control’.   If upon self-reflection a paramedic is satisfied that he she has the skills and understanding to undertake the task, understands the risks to the patient and how to mitigate those risks etc then he or she can perform that task. Just be careful that ‘what you don’t know you don’t know’ doesn’t come back to bite you!

Conclusion

In my earlier post I said:

In simple terms if a paramedic is asked to do something that is clinically indicated in the patient’s best interests and is within the paramedic’s skill including their skill set because they are also a registered RN, then I cannot see any legal issues in performing that task. It is consistent with both the paramedic’s and the hospital’s duty to act in the patient’s best interests.  But one should always stop and consider whether the task really is within their skill set taking into account not just the procedure but the context in which it is to be performed.

That is my answer here to.

This blog is a general discussion of legal principles only.  It is not legal advice. Do not rely on the information here to make decisions regarding your legal position or to make decisions that affect your legal rights or responsibilities. For advice on your particular circumstances always consult an admitted legal practitioner in your state or territory.