Anyone a phlebotomist

[jenrose66]

Not sure if I spelled that right

Anyway I was browsing the want ads and quest diagnostics is hiring in my area. They are holding an open house. Apparently there is paid on the job training...no medical background required.

It kind of blows my mind that you don't need medical background for this. The ad says they are more concerned about compassion and customer service.

I work in insurance claims...I'm definately compassionate and my customers regularly contact my supervisors to say what a great experience they've had with me...but I HATE insurance and am looking for something different.

I enjoy working face to face, and the sight of blood doesn't bother me. I'm wondering if I should give this a try.

 

[dakcp2001]

I used to be a Phlebotomist, I also had on the job training. I loved it, but I worked with blood donors, who are like the nicest people ever.

It can be stressful, because people get really nervous, but the upside is that people are very polite if they know you will be sticking a needle in them! I would def give it a try, it is a good skill to have and you can take it with you if you decide to leave after learning.

 

[AshleyW]

Not sure if I spelled that right

Anyway I was browsing the want ads and quest diagnostics is hiring in my area. They are holding an open house. Apparently there is paid on the job training...no medical background required.

It kind of blows my mind that you don't need medical background for this. The ad says they are more concerned about compassion and customer service.

I work in insurance claims...I'm definately compassionate and my customers regularly contact my supervisors to say what a great experience they've had with me...but I HATE insurance and am looking for something different.

I enjoy working face to face, and the sight of blood doesn't bother me. I'm wondering if I should give this a try.

They don't need any type of certification? That's odd to me. I'm in the nursing program at school right now, and some of the girls I'm in class with are phlebotomists. They've said that the hospitals and clinics around here won't hire you unless you've taken a phlebotomy course (60 hours lecture, 80 hours clinical) and also get certified as an RPT. But.. if they're willing to do on the job training and will pay decently, I'd say go for it. My friends seem to like it, and it's a good "gateway" job to learning about healthcare. The only downside, and I'm sure it depends on where you work, but the girls I know are ALWAYS running all over the hospital and very busy, which can make for some really long days.

 

[dakcp2001]

My job certified us as on the job training. It took about 2 months to get "certified", because of the number of practice hours required. They started us with one month of classroom classes and we practiced on each other then we had someone follow us around for a month watching us.

 

[jenrose66]

My job certified us as on the job training. It took about 2 months to get "certified", because of the number of practice hours required. They started us with one month of classroom classes and we practiced on each other then we had someone follow us around for a month watching us.

Oh no...I don't know how I'd feel about one of my classmates practicing on me, but I guess you have to learn somehow. Did they at least do any tests on your blood...you know check cholesterol levels or anything like that?

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

My mom works as a microbiologist and at one time I thought about taking a part time job as a phlebotomist at her hospital. She works with a lot of phlebotomists.

The reason not as much training is required is because basically you are just sticking the people. The lab handles the actual testing (that is my mom's job), so this is something that can be easily taught in intensive on the job training.

 

[jwhtewolfd]

Not to brag (well, maybe a little), but it always amazes me when people tell their horror stories of being poked and jabbed in multiple places for blood draws and IVC placements. I can pull blood from a two pound kitten and get an IVC into a seizuring cat. And my small patients are rarely patient or cooperative. It's not a terribly difficult skill to master, though you do need a steady hand, spatial skills and a bit of confidence. I say go for it. If you have the apptitude for it, you'll make a lot of nervous people quite happy with a smooth and painless stick.

 

[honugirl]

Phlebotomy is a whole lot more than just sticking people, you actually need to know about the tests. I'm constantly having to educate my phlebotomists on how to do my tests correctly, one is to be drawn in a chilled purple top tube, spun immediately after draw and put on ice immediately after that to freeze for transport. You'd be surprised how many don't know that and how hard it is to convince them that's the right way to do it! Even after I've printed off their protocol from their website... It's a lot of having to know which tube for which type of draw, not to mention acid in this container for this test, no acid for this test. One wrong thing in a container can blow the whole test and in my case, I can't just repeat it if it gets messed up. If you like a challenge it's probably for you. I thought about being one once my health struggles are done just because of all the teaching I've already had to do as the patient! I would say it also helps to be very detail oriented.

I've done a lot of testing at Quest. They're OK. Usually it's 1-2 people working per draw center. They are a big organization with tons of draw stations across the country. All samples get sent to a few labs for processing. A friend of mine works for them and really likes it.

 

[powellrj]

My DS is a phlebotomist. He got his certificate in the army. They just "love" him when he or his wife is in the hospital. He knows when someone is not doing it right and has no qualms about telling them. He has talked about getting a part-time job doing it, but never has.

I agree its much more than just sticking people, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it or they would be sending home test kits from the doctors office if it didn't require a little skill and training.