Post-Licensure Certification and Post-Licensure Course Providers

Welcome to the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) psychiatric technician Post-Licensure Certification and Post-Licensure Course Provider page.

Whether you are a psychiatric technician (PT) looking to gain an additional certification or hope to create a post-licensure provider program, this page is meant to make your goal easier. Psychiatric technicians are approved to train under the auspices of blood withdrawal following sections 2593 through 253.4 of the California Code of Regulations. This includes both the approval of the certification itself and programs to train for blood withdrawal. Qualifications for both are discussed below.

Helpful Links

• BreEZe – California’s central application for managing licenses.
• DCA License Search – California’s website for the tracking of public information on all licensees.
• Fee Schedule – The BVNPT’s webpage to track the fees associated with our applications and licenses.

Procedure for Blood Withdrawal Certification for Licensees

Blood withdrawal certification program

Step one:

Find a course using the Department of Consumer Affairs license search.

On the website linked above, you can look under the licensing heading psychiatric technician Blood Withdrawal Provider. Every program listed there is a program approved to teach blood withdrawal. You may use an advanced search to find out more details to fit your needs and availability.

Step two:

Reach out to the selected school and find out more about their program. You will want to know whether the courses will be telecast, time, location, whether they start your application with the Board or whether you are expected to do so yourself, and any other questions you feel are appropriate.

Step three:

Attend the course. Either you or the program will be starting an application for your post-licensure certification. Fees can be found on our fee schedule. Usually, providers handle this. If you are filing for your application, you will need to access BreEZe. On BreEZe, you will log in and under the heading “manage license information,” you will click on “Application for Post-Certification Licensure.”

Regardless of whether you submit the application, or your school does, we shall not be able to approve your application until we get documents from the provider to support training.

Blood withdrawal certification by verification

Certification by verification is quite a deal more complicated and difficult than attending a program. You won’t have the support of an established program to take care of the application or forms for you, you will have to find someone that is both qualified and willing to verify your training in accordance with California regulation, and you’ll have to remedy any error on your own. However, when everything goes smoothly, certification by verification can sometimes be a faster process. You will need to review every detail of the process before you begin to have a chance for a smooth process.

Step one:

Your first step is to apply for qualification with the BVNPT via BreEZe. You will log in. Under the heading, Manage License Information, you will find the application for your post-licensure certification. Fill out the application and pay the fee. We shall not begin processing any application without the fee being paid.

Step two:

You shall need to find a qualifying professional, as listed below. This is not as simple a task as one may hope. The qualifying professional must fulfill several requirements. First, they must be one of the following professions:

1. A physician or surgeon licensed by the Medical Board of California
2. A registered nurse licensed by the California Board of Registered Nursing
3. A clinical laboratory scientist licensed by the California Department of Health Services.

In addition, they must fulfill one of two criteria within the last five years: The qualifying professional shall need at least six months of experience performing blood or have experience teaching courses in intravenous therapy or blood withdrawals.

The qualifying professional shall need to verify that you are entirely trained and competent to perform blood withdrawals within the scope of the law. No professional is required by their license nor by their role as your supervisor to provide this verification.

Step three:

If the qualifying professional is willing to verify your capacity, you shall need to provide them with the form 56C-2. Once they have filled out the document, they shall mail the sealed original to the Board directly.

Step four:

You will need to access BreEZe. On BreEZe, you will log in and, under the heading “manage license information,” you will click on “Application for Post-Certification Licensure.” Your application will not begin processing until all fees are paid.

We shall not be able to approve your application until we obtain a properly completed 56C-2 form.

Conclusion

Once your certification has been approved, you can most easily confirm that your license has your certificate posted by going to the DCA license search and looking up your own license. Under license type look up “Psychiatric Technician,” add your license number, and then hit search. You will find your new certification after clicking the “more details” button.

Procedure for Approval as a Blood Withdrawal Certification Provider

The BVNPT is California’s authority regulating blood withdrawal certification providers for psychiatric technicians. If you wish to become a provider, the Board will need a complete application. Your application won’t be approved until the Board also approves your course program and your course instructors.

Application to become a blood withdrawal provider

The first step in becoming a provider is to file Form 56C-3 along with the application fee as posted within the fee schedule. On the top-right corner, you will see that your initial approval is only for two years–Afterward you must file for a two-year renewal. The document has room for you to publish your course program and course instructors; however, you may always attach more if the space provided is not enough.

Review

The Education team will review your program and in approximately four to six weeks you can expect to receive an initial response with any deficiencies or concerns tolling our ability to complete your application. Our team will work with you to strengthen your proposal as may be needed. Our team will focus on several areas outlined within the California Code of Regulations, such as:

Course Content

Under 16 CCR § 2593.2, each course shall be limited to 15 students per instructor for clinical experience, and it shall include at least sixteen hours in length, including 10 hours theory and 6 hours clinical experience, including at least 5 individually supervised venipunctures on live human subjects and at least 3 individually supervised capillary blood withdrawals on live human subjects.

The theory shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. The requirements contained in Section 4502.2 of the Code necessary for a psychiatric technician to perform blood withdrawal;
2. Psychological preparation of the patient;
3. Universal precautions for infection control;
4. Blood withdrawal;
5. Anatomy and physiology pertinent to peripheral venous blood withdrawal.
6. Specimen handling:
   1. Container and preservative selection;
   2. Amount of specimen required;
   3. Test requirements, including, but not limited to, acceptable time periods from specimen collection to laboratory processing, temperature requirements, and effect of container motion; and
   4. Patient and specimen container identification techniques.
7. Selection of appropriate equipment:
   1. Lancet;
   2. Syringe;
   3. Vacuum tube;
   4. Needle (The term “needle” does not include the equipment, methods and procedures used outside of peripheral venous blood withdrawal.); and
   5. Safety measures related to equipment.
8. Methods of blood withdrawal:
   1. Capillary blood withdrawal; and
   2. Venipuncture.
9. Withdrawal site:
   1. Selection;
   2. Preparation;
   3. Technique (including safety measures to protect patients and staff); and
   4. Post-procedure care.
10. Sterile technique.
11. Universal and standard precautions for infection control.
12. Possible complications.
13. Psychological preparation of the patient.

Blood withdrawal clinical experience must include:

1. Preparation of equipment for blood withdrawal;
2. Safety factors;
3. Choice of withdrawal site;
4. Choice of device for blood withdrawal;
5. Techniques of venipuncture;
6. Skin puncture practice must include instruction in:
   1. Preparation of site; and
   2. Preparation of equipment.
7. Universal precautions for infection control

Course Instructors

Any instructor for a post-licensure course needs to be approved by the Board. There are several legal requirements which will be relevant before the Education team can make an affirmative recommendation. These could be found in greater detail under 16 CCR § 2544.3. However, they are stated briefly below:

Any instructor must be of one of the following regulated professions:

1. A physician or surgeon licensed by the Medical Board of California
2. A registered nurse licensed by the California Board of Registered Nursing
3. A clinical laboratory scientist licensed by the California Department of Health Services.

In addition, within the last five years, an instructor must fulfill one of two qualifiers:

1. Has had a minimum of 6 months of experience, including blood withdrawal and/or starting and superimposing intravenous fluids in an “organized health care system”; or
2. Has had experience teaching courses in blood withdrawal and/or intravenous therapy.

Continuing Education

Some last notes about the creation of a blood withdrawal provider program. The provider shall need to renew their certification once every two years. Furthermore, if your program wishes to qualify to offer continuing education units for licensees, you shall need to apply as a continuing education course, as well.