PHLEBOTOMY ESSENTIALS: .

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Ruth McCall received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her medical technology certificate after a year’s internship at Saint Joseph’s School of Medical Technology in Phoenix, Arizona, and has worked or taught in the area of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Health Care Education since 1969. Ruth recently retired as Director of the Phlebotomy and Clinical Laboratory Assistant Programs after 18 years of teaching in the Health, Wellness and Public Safety Department at Central New Mexico (CNM) Community College (formerly TVI Community College). While at CNM Ruth proposed creation of the Clinical Laboratory Assistant Program, was instrumental in its development, and was responsible for it becoming one of the first programs at CNM offered entirely through distance education. Ruth participated with science instructors from a local high school in a program that introduced the students to health careers and was the first CNM phlebotomy instructor to teach phlebotomy to high school students through concurrent enrollment. She has lectured on phlebotomy at conferences throughout the United States, served as an expert witness in phlebotomy injury cases, and especially enjoyed participating in a medical technology exchange trip to China. Most recently Ruth had the privilege of being a member of the CLSI Working Group on Venipuncture charged with the 6th revision of the H3 Venipuncture Standard, and the CLSI Working Group on Skin Puncture charged with the 6th revision of the H4 Capillary Puncture Standard.

Ruth loves the outdoors. She enjoys hiking in the beautiful southwest and downhill skiing in the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. She has even tried her hand at paragliding. She has been married for over 40 years to her husband, John, and has two sons, Christopher and Scott. Christopher and his wife Tracy are parents of her fantastic grandchildren, Katie and Ryan.Cathee Tankersley recently retired as Faculty Emeritus after 27 years of teaching at Phoenix College in the Health Enhancement Department. She has worked or taught in the area of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Health Care Education since graduating from New Mexico State University in Medical Technology in 1964. Cathee has been active in many professional organizations since she became a medical technologist. She has served on many committees at the state and national level. While at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, she was the Director of the Medical Technology Program during her last two years at that facility. Her tenure at Phoenix College has been as Clinical Coordinator for the MLT Program, Director of the EKG and EEG Programs, and as the Phlebotomy Program Director from 1982 until 2006. While at PC, she established one of the first accredited phlebotomy programs in the United States. In 2000, she developed and directed the first and only college-based Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program in the United States.She served on the initial National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA) Phlebotomy Certification Committee as chair from 1983 to 1985. She was one of the original six members of the National Accrediting gency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) Approval Committee for Phlebotomy Programs in 1985. She went on to serve as the chair of that committee from 1993 to 1995. Since 1997 when she established her company, NuHealth Educators, LLC, she has been a health care educator and consultant for several organizations. She has served as an expert witness in the area of phlebotomy techniques and has lectured at numerous conferences across the United States. Cathee continues to teach part time at Phoenix College in healthcare education and the Law Enforcement Phlebotomy (LEP) program. She works with the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to maintain current curricular materials for law enforcement phlebotomy. Ruth and Cathee have collaborated for over 20 years on textbook writing and as presenters at natonal and state conferences.

Family is very important to Cathee. Her husband of 45 years, Earl; their  two children, Todd and Jaime; daughter-in-law, Chris; and two wonderful grandsons, Trevor and Connor, help her keep everything in perspective.