A high-quality phlebotomy certification program will require proof of performance of a certain number of venipuncture and capillary puncture blood draws on people. This is important to ensure that the phlebotomist has practical experience in performing these procedures on actual patients. However, some programs may also include training on dummy arms/hands before moving on to live patients. It is unlikely that a high-quality program would only have online instruction, as hands-on practice is necessary for proper training. Additionally, observation of blood draws may be helpful but is not sufficient for certification on its own.