Phlebotomy Plan

CPT practice question: Special Collections

Special CollectionsDifficulty 3/5

Why does blood alcohol collection require a specific skin preparation?

  1. AAn alcohol-based antiseptic interferes with the additive in the collection tube
  2. BAn alcohol-based antiseptic is not effective against skin flora at the draw site
  3. CAn alcohol-based antiseptic could contaminate the specimen and raise the result
  4. DAn alcohol-based antiseptic dries too slowly and delays the collection process
Show answer and rationale

Correct: C. Knowledge statement k85 gives skin preparation for blood alcohol its own entry precisely because the routine antiseptic is the contaminant. Blood alcohol work also requires chain of custody.

  • D — Drying time is a general technique concern and is not why the preparation differs here.
  • A — The interference is with the analyte being measured, not with the tube additive.
  • B — Alcohol antiseptics are effective; the problem is what they are made of, not their efficacy.

Concept being tested

12 of the 100 scored items. Blood culture collection including skin preparation, equipment, volume requirements and the order of draw for cultures; assisting with pediatric, geriatric, non-tunneled and tunneled line collections; metabolic screening for conditions such as PKU and galactosemia; blood donation phlebotomy and the donor standards; volume limits for at-risk patients; non-blood specimen collection; point-of-care testing; tolerance tests; blood alcohol collection and its skin preparation; and drug screening. — 12% of the exam. Study guide for Special Collections.

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Primary references

  1. NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) — Test Plan for the CPT Exam — National Healthcareer Association (NHA) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
Last reviewed: 2026-10-07Reviewed by: Maria Torres, CPT, RMA (AMT), Clinical laboratory educator & venipuncture safety reviewHow we verify facts