For those who have worked as Phlebotomists/EKG/Lab Techs...can you answer some questions for me?

[V781]

I understand that some of you have held, or currently hold, these positions before pursuing medical school. Could you state the position you worked as and answer some of these questions I have about the job?

*Could you describe your job duties?
*Do you work at a large, medium or small medical facility? What is the benefit of this size facility?
*What qualifications do you have to have for this job?
*What do you enjoy about this job? What do you not enjoy?
*Would you recommend this position? Why/not?
*Could you describe what you remember of your first day in the medical facility (in this position)?
*Would you describe the position as fast-paced or a little more relaxed?
*Is there much room for job growth/moving up in the field?
*How did you decide to pursue this position? Did you have other career ideas in mind at the time?
*Do you work as a team or more frequently alone?
*How often do you get vacations and do you work on holidays?

Thanks.

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[wholeheartedly]

By lab tech do you mean research lab tech or clinical (aka diagnostic) lab tech?

 

[V781]

By lab tech do you mean research lab tech or clinical (aka diagnostic) lab tech?

Hi. Clinical lab tech would be great.

 

[phentanyl]

Those are some rather pointed questions...not really sure what you are looking for. But here it goes:

I previously worked as microbiology technologist

*Could you describe your job duties? Essentially, I was responsible for isolating pathogens from patient specimens, performing a myriad of tests to identify the agent, and performing antimicrobial sensitivity testing where warranted. I worked mainly in the subsections of bacteriology and parasitology.
*Do you work at a large, medium or small medical facility? What is the benefit of this size facility? Large...very large. Usually large facilities have better equipment, the ability to perform more sophisticated tests, and provide better opportunities for professional growth and advancement
*What qualifications do you have to have for this job? I hold a graduate degree in the field, but may not be necessary for most positions. I am licenced and certified as a medical technologist and microbiology technologist by the ASCP. Qualifications depend on the particular state and institution.
*What do you enjoy about this job? What do you not enjoy? I enjoyed working with my hands, fast paced environment, and being an integral part of the health care team...though often under-appreciated
*Would you recommend this position? Why/not? Can't say. Much depends on your particular interests
*Could you describe what you remember of your first day in the medical facility (in this position)? I won't be getting out of here on time.
*Would you describe the position as fast-paced or a little more relaxed? Fast...very fast. Pace usually reflects the size of the institution.
*Is there much room for job growth/moving up in the field? Job growth is highly dependent on your technical skill, education level, and who you know. You can obtain a supervisory role based on the aforementioned factors. Managerial positions often require advanced degrees.
*How did you decide to pursue this position? Did you have other career ideas in mind at the time? I had extensive experience with microbiology and wanted to apply it to health care. I did not enjoy research microbiology.
*Do you work as a team or more frequently alone? You work alone at your workstation with your own equipment and you are given certain tasks that you (and usually you alone) are responsible for accomplishing for that shift. However, you are part of the clinical pathology team and are usually surrounded by your workmates.
*How often do you get vacations and do you work on holidays? Everyone gets vacation. Vacation schedule and holiday rotation depends on your particular institution and is usually related to seniority.

 

[V781]

Those are some rather pointed questions...not really sure what you are looking for. But here it goes:

I previously worked as microbiology technologist

Thanks for answering some of my questions. I'm in an intro to health careers class and we are to ask questions of health professionals.

 

[EcoR1]

*I am currently a generalist lead medical technologist at a small hospital, although I previously worked at a very large hospital in microbiology. As a generalist I do a little bit of everything: blood bank, hematology, serology, chemistry, coagulation, and microbiology. Being the lead tech means that once all the supervisors leave for the day its my responsibility to keep everything running smoothly.
*There are pros and cons to both large and small hospitals. In a small hospital you get to know everyone very quickly. I know everyone in the emergency department and it definitely helps with communication. But in a small facility you end up sending out more of the complex or time consuming tests. When I worked in micro at the larger facility we did AFB and PCR testing. Now, I send those tests to a reference lab.
*I got a Bachelors of Science in Medical Technology.
*I enjoy the hands-on work and the critical thinking required to do the job well. I also enjoy helping patients, but unfortunately you don't get a lot of patient interaction in the lab unless you're a phlebotomist, and even then you're sticking them with needles. Not many people thank you for that kind of work.
*Would I recommend it? It depends on what your goals are. I was an undeclared major up until the end on my sophomore year of college. I wanted to do something science related, but didn't know if I wanted to go into research or clinical work. I never really knew anyone that worked in healthcare up until that point, so if I didn't like working in a hospital I could work in a reference or research lab. I think it was a good choice for what I was looking for at the time, but now I want to move on to bigger and better things. I'd recommend it maybe as a stepping stone or to decide on which direction you want to go in, but not as a life long career.
*First day working in my current lead tech position I was just trying to figure out the new computer system. First day of working as a tech was a lot of reading procedure manuals and shadowing/training. They tend to not just throw you into the thick of it. They want to know you are competent.
*It really depends on what section of the lab you are working in. Working in blood bank at a trauma center can get crazy fast. Even at my little hospital I once had to crossmatch around 20 units of blood, thaw 8 FFP and get 4 units of platelets ready for a patient in the OR. I would have to say microbiology is the slowest area of the lab. You generally get to see what your workload for the day is and plan accordingly, but sometimes you're still rushing to get things done.
*Its definitely possible to advance your career, although at a certain point you stop doing the hands-on work and start doing managerial/office work. So if your goal is to be a manager or hospital administrator, then this is a good job to have while you're working on those other degrees you need, like a masters.
*I kind of stumbled upon it. I wanted a job in the sciences, preferably biology, but knew I wouldn't really get a job with just a biology degree. I was an undecided major and I heard from my advisor there was an open house for the medical technology department. I went and they explained the courses and what you can pursue after you graduate and I just kind of said to myself "this sounds good" and chose that.
*Most of the work is done alone, but you still need to communicate with your coworkers and other departments. Since I'm the lead tech my job is a bit more team oriented, since I need to ensure everyone is doing their part and I need to solve any problems that arise.
*I work every other holiday and 1-2 weekends a month.

 

[dorothyntoto]

Lets see...
I have worked as a clinical lab tech and a phleb. I have worked for a diagnostic lab as well as a hospital lab. I also did bench research.
Lab tech: run samples on instruments post results in the computer... some labs require you know phlebotomy in order to get a job so you can draw the blood in your lab yourself. Some places it's different. You are frequently **** on, but get a lot of patient exposure, and gain a lot of understanding of lab tests and what docs run and why. You stay until all the samples are run, you may or may not work weekends or holidays, it depends on your job. The diagnostic lab I worked in was 24/7/365, as was the hospital, but clinics frequently are M-F 8-5. It's hard to explain the minute duties, it's fast paced, people can be grumpy, but you can learn a lot. If your ultimate plan is MD/DO then I would recommend it for a year or two, if you're thinking about this as a career, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Ol'Lady]

I'm also a med tech. I work at a diagnostic lab.
I never see patients.
First day was good since i had great trainers.

It is very fast paced and demanding. And the bigger the reference lab, the more specialized you would become, meaning you work in one area.

I agree with all the above posters as far as advancement.

Though there are traveling med tech opportunities that can be enjoyable and financially rewarding while you are trying to gain experience.

If this is a stepping stone to med school, you probably want to work at a smaller hospital where you may possibly get more patient interaction (basically phlebotomy, bone marrow smears when they do a tap, maybe blood gases during surgery) and experience as a generalist.

 

[KyleV]

I'm currently in med tech school right now getting my bachelor of science. To you med techs who are saying this isn't a career field, why not?

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

I'm currently in med tech school right now getting my bachelor of science. To you med techs who are saying this isn't a career field, why not?

I think being a Medical Technologist is definitely a great career field. Maybe some people have the grass is greener syndrome. I'm a Medical Technologist for the federal government (I won't say where exactly but there are VA hospitals, National Institute of Health, Indian Health Service, State Department if you want to work in a U.S. Embassy, and Army, Navy, and Air force Hospitals around the World). You get a Pension, 5% match on TSP (equivalent to 401k) and a lot of times they pay back your student loans. You get all these benefits plus can easily make a salary of 75k+ with a little overtime, you also get a lot of time off. The ladder to leadership positions is the same as in any field. It's not that easy to move up quickly but you will definitely get the chance if you show initiative and when people retire. I've never regretted my choice to go into this field. It's taught me a lot about diagnostics and how physicians order specific tests to rule out certain disease states and what those tests mean (its not really a part of my job to learn this but I do it for my own leaning and I find it interesting). I'm currently studying to get certification for Specialist in Blood Banking. This will help me move up quickly as a blood bank supervisor making 85-100k in case medical school doesn't work out. I also have interests in computer science and IT and could easily segue into a Laboratory Information Systems Manager at some point with similar salary range (85-100k). The lab manager, highest on the totam pole in the hospital lab makes 95-120k. Then there are regional managers that are even higher up (only in federal government and large hospital systems) but yea probably goes up to 140k. If you are a go getter being a medical technologist is a great career choice!

 

[KyleV]

Excellent post. It seems like everyone here posting that is a med tech is saying how little interaction there is between yourself and your co-workers. Is that right? I've read on other forums (Indeed, Reddit) that this is highly variable based on the facility and what department you work in. Now, of course that makes sense, but is it for the most part you in your own world focused on your work and resulting things into the computer, perhaps calling the floor if you need something(etc)? And in general, is this field geared towards introverts? I myself am an "INTJ" but n=1, just wanted to see what trends there are in that regard.

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

Excellent post. It seems like everyone here posting that is a med tech is saying how little interaction there is between yourself and your co-workers. Is that right? I've read on other forums (Indeed, Reddit) that this is highly variable based on the facility and what department you work in. Now, of course that makes sense, but is it for the most part you in your own world focused on your work and resulting things into the computer, perhaps calling the floor if you need something(etc)? And in general, is this field geared towards introverts? I myself am an "INTJ" but n=1, just wanted to see what trends there are in that regard.

I'm an INTJ myself. I would say there is a fair amount of interaction with coworkers. It depends on the facility. If you work in a hospital setting you will definitely be interacting with a lot more people. Maybe in the big reference labs, there's less interaction since the workload is so high and you generally have normal patient population (you won't need to consult with colleagues as much for difficult cases). The sick patients would be in the hospital. Personally I wouldn't like to work in a reference lab.

 

[NavySheets]

I understand that some of you have held, or currently hold, these positions before pursuing medical school. Could you state the position you worked as and answer some of these questions I have about the job?

*Could you describe your job duties?
*Do you work at a large, medium or small medical facility? What is the benefit of this size facility?
*What qualifications do you have to have for this job?
*What do you enjoy about this job? What do you not enjoy?
*Would you recommend this position? Why/not?
*Could you describe what you remember of your first day in the medical facility (in this position)?
*Would you describe the position as fast-paced or a little more relaxed?
*Is there much room for job growth/moving up in the field?
*How did you decide to pursue this position? Did you have other career ideas in mind at the time?
*Do you work as a team or more frequently alone?
*How often do you get vacations and do you work on holidays?

Thanks.

I was a Corpsman and obtained my phlebotomist license while I was in. I don't use it anymore as I'm in the same boat as you. Take this information with a grain of salt as it is a military treatment facility.

1. Job Duties: Drawing blood and processing labs. I worked with vets, other military personnel, and dependents (wives, kids, etc). You have to have some type of customer service skills because people are trusting you to draw their blood. Not too mention, A LOT of people are scared of needles. Be prepared to deal with crying kids, whining adults, and in worse cases seizing diabetics (drew blood on a pregnant woman who was seizing and had to keep positive control to get the required bloodwork). We turned our specimens into a lab and the lab technician did his "magic." A lot of walking if you are busy.

2. Small medical facility. Smaller patient load, but since smaller facility = less personnel. If you get good at drawing blood (yes there are terrible phlebotomists) you will be relied upon more.

3. Military training, but we started an initiative to get corpsmen licensed. We went through AMT. Not sure if its still applicable this was years ago.

4. I enjoyed working with most patients, some patients have entitlement issues (military related). Have to be willing to get the job done, you don't want to hurt people but in many cases getting the blood is important. Be able to talk to people and reassure them YOU know what you are doing.

5. I would recommend it as a clinical experience, but don't forget your studies.

6. Job growth would be being a "Lead Tech" or supervisor. Military its petty officers, not sure how it works in civilian world.

7. Military training, so it was either be terrible at it and get bad evaluations or take it seriously and get promoted.

8. You are involved in the medical team, though most of the time you draw blood alone.

9. Military vacation 30 days of leave throughout the year. Holidays was based on needs (if you are deploying or deployed too bad), stateside if you wanted to go on vacation you submitted leave. This is military specific. Good workers got vacation on the days they wanted, bad workers got vacation when available.

 

[Bookworm36]

I understand that some of you have held, or currently hold, these positions before pursuing medical school. Could you state the position you worked as and answer some of these questions I have about the job?
Thanks.

MLS (ASCP) and previously MLT(ASCP)
- diagnostic/clinical lab. microbiology, chemistry, urinalysis, coagulation, special hematology, hematology, specimen processing, phlebotomy, blood banking, immunology, serology, parasitology
-mostly medium sized 200-350 beds. Experience with <250 and >350 beds. I prefer the middle size because it is not slow and I get to rotate. >350 beds usually get hired for only one department
-see above. On the ASCP website it says what qualifications one needs to apply to take the certification exam http://www.ascp.org/certification
-Enjoy bloodbank, hematology and microbiology. I enjoy the analytical parts and how bb can be fast-paced during emergencies, but I have been doing this for a while. I don't really like specimen processing - mundane - but phlebotomists have great personalities so it makes up for it
-I would recommend this route. Its a very interesting job and much more useful for employment than the average liberal arts degree. Alot enjoy working in healthcare without direct contact with patients. Some transfer from nursing to MT because of that.
-My first day in a hospital? Great question! Nervous. I read over SOPs the whole day and had hospital orientation. I remember the radiation room where units are irradiated. I think I was freaked out a little by it. Lol
-Both. Employers like to put you where you feel most comfortable. I have been both incredibly bored at times and extremely busy at other times.
-There is growth, but one has to seek out opportunities. Positions for Lab Director, Lab Manager, Section Heads and Supervisors is the growth in this field. Teaching might also be an option. Labs are either in hospital or reference lab, and within these places there is always opportunity for growth. Some MTs stay MTs and are happy that way without the added responsibility.
-I was interested in the academic side and microbiology when I started. I was encouraged to explore this field due to my academic interest in it.
-Both. Usually off shifts I work independently. On shift it may be more of a team. Overall, I probably work more independently in the department but when someone goes on break, everyone covers everyone else, so it works out.
-Yes. I work holidays. Vacation depends on the company/hospital one works. It varies. usually beginners have less time off than others.

I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions and are interested in clinical lab, ask.

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

*Could you describe your job duties?
-Generalist, in every sense of the word

*Do you work at a large, medium or small medical facility? What is the benefit of this size facility?
-Both Large and Small

-Benefits: I can squeeze the small hospital for more money and get things done my way... Large facility paperwork ties everyones' hands... your boss has no real control. The large facility I don't waste as much time on paperwork, logging specimens in, just straight up tech work.

*What qualifications do you have to have for this job?
-AAS in Medical Lab Technology

*What do you enjoy about this job? What do you not enjoy?
-I enjoy the sense of being a scientist, I don't enjoy a nurse yelling at me because she messed up a order. What I dislike the most about my job is, the lab is thrown under the bus a lot (not written up but I'm not your co-worker on floor 8, I'm on floor 1, if you need something done... I don't know put in the order?)

*Would you recommend this position? Why/not?
-Recommend sure, it's not bad. Don't come in with a detective mindset or the need for gratification (you won't get any, when things are going right you hear nothing)

*Could you describe what you remember of your first day in the medical facility (in this position)?
-Had to draw blood at the smaller facility, first job..... bit of a shocker (I saw a trauma die) . Ace now.
The other stuff isn't significant, more first real job type of stuff.

*Would you describe the position as fast-paced or a little more relaxed?
-Both, if you slack you die. But there are slow times and you're not responsible for other stuff.

*Is there much room for job growth/moving up in the field?
-No, get a bachelors and maybe. Become a supervisor, etc. Get a masters in something and the administrative side opens up.

*How did you decide to pursue this position? Did you have other career ideas in mind at the time?
-I was told I could become a detective and help solve medical mysteries, I'm a sucker..... I am not Sherlock Holmes. At the small hospital I know more of what's going on though.

*Do you work as a team or more frequently alone?
-As a team, in a sense. You are responsible for your work. I've been alone and in charge of the entire lab (Micro and Blood Bank included), I've also been with a team but I run my department. If you want to work with a team, go day shift. But you'll have more complex (aka time consuming and will give you carpal tunnel syndrome) testing to perform.

*How often do you get vacations and do you work on holidays?
-Yes, I work holidays. I take 2-4 weeks off per summer.