Phlebotomy in northern Cali...

[Pharmwannab]

Can anyone recommend a good, quick (meaning shortest time possible to become certified), and relatively inexpensive phlebotomy certification course in northern Cali? Also does anyone know how difficult it is to land a job? I'm hoping to be doing this all next year so I can gain some good clinical experience. Lastly I understand that there are phlebotomists who work more with people and those who work almost exclusively in a lab. Can someone explain this a bit better? Thanks!

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[thirdunity]

Can anyone recommend a good, quick (meaning shortest time possible to become certified), and relatively inexpensive phlebotomy certification course in northern Cali? Also does anyone know how difficult it is to land a job? I'm hoping to be doing this all next year so I can gain some good clinical experience. Lastly I understand that there are phlebotomists who work more with people and those who work almost exclusively in a lab. Can someone explain this a bit better? Thanks!

Advice from my own experience:

1) School I went to was Fast Response School of Health Care, in Berkeley. The program is about $2150, and is two weeks. I didn't pay anything. I got it funded via something called the Workforce Investment Act, because I'm a displaced professional from another line of work. I went to this school despite the reasons not to (read below) because I didn't have to pay anything.

2) Many places do not hire entry-level, and many places - MuirLabs and Kaiser, for example - only hire entry-level phlebotomists that have come through specific schools with which they have contracts. Do your homework about this before you go to a school. I went to my school (in Berkeley) only to find out I couldn't even get an entry-level job in my small town (in East Contra Costa County) because I didn't go to Phlebotomy Plus or Health Career College.

3) At present, it can take up to about six months for you to actually get your license in the mail. There is a huge backlog.

4) It can take a couple months after your graduation from the program to get placed for an externship.

5) My understanding is that Red Cross hires entry level phlebotomists, but they are in Oakland, so this wasn't convenient for me.

If you live in Contra Costa County, and you can pay out of pocket, go to Phlebotomy Plus in Walnut Creek (where you can get into a job at MuirLabs right after graduating) or Health Career College in Concord (which works with Contra Costa Regional Health).

Apparently, there are ways you can get experience via volunteering at free clinics and the like, but I don't know much about this. If anyone knows, tell me?

 

[FutureDocDO]

Can anyone recommend a good, quick (meaning shortest time possible to become certified), and relatively inexpensive phlebotomy certification course in northern Cali? Also does anyone know how difficult it is to land a job? I'm hoping to be doing this all next year so I can gain some good clinical experience. Lastly I understand that there are phlebotomists who work more with people and those who work almost exclusively in a lab. Can someone explain this a bit better? Thanks!

I'm from the Midwest and my community college here offers a phlebotomy course (3 month long) for around $400. Maybe you can check with your local community college. You can work as a licensed phlebotomist in a clinic as well as a hospital. All phlebotomists work with people... I don't know what you meant exclusively in lab... your job is to draw blood FROM PEOPLE so you will definitely get the patient contact you want.

 

[clc8503]

I'm from the Midwest and my community college here offers a phlebotomy course (3 month long) for around $400. Maybe you can check with your local community college. You can work as a licensed phlebotomist in a clinic as well as a hospital. All phlebotomists work with people... I don't know what you meant exclusively in lab... your job is to draw blood FROM PEOPLE so you will definitely get the patient contact you want.

Phlebotomists do not work in the labs. Medical Technicians (2 year degree) and Medical Technologist (4 year degree) work in the labs. That being said, some hospitals allow the Medical technologists to draw blood from the patients if they are extremely busy, or if there is not a Phlebotomist on staff. This is possible because Med Techs take so many classes in hematology that they know a great deal about phlebotomy. I know when I took hematology and immunohematology, our labs consisted of phlebotomy techniques. Then, they take additional hematology courses during clinicals. I think the op is confusing Phlebotomists with Med Techs. However, I could be wrong. Some labs might let the Phlebotomist do very limited things in the lab, but I don't see how being Phlebotomist would give someone the educational background they would need to perform medical testing. -Just trying to clear up the confusion.

 

[FutureDocDO]

Phlebotomists do not work in the labs. Medical Technicians (2 year degree) and Medical Technologist (4 year degree) work in the labs. That being said, some hospitals allow the Medical technologists to draw blood from the patients if they are extremely busy, or if there is not a Phlebotomist on staff. This is possible because Med Techs take so many classes in hematology that they know a great deal about phlebotomy. I know when I took hematology and immunohematology, our labs consisted of phlebotomy techniques. Then, they take additional hematology courses during clinicals. I think the op is confusing Phlebotomists with Med Techs. However, I could be wrong. Some labs might let the Phlebotomist do very limited things in the lab, but I don't see how being Phlebotomist would give someone the educational background they would need to perform medical testing. -Just trying to clear up the confusion.

I used to work in the lab and one of my duties was to draw blood. MLT's didn't draw blood because they were more valuable in the lab than running around from floor to floor. It's all different depending what part of the country you're from. At the moment I'm working strictly as a phlebotomist...drawing around 40-50 patients a day. I'm not allowed to start IVs but one of the phlebomists I work with was allowed to at her other job. It all depends.

 

[mj1878]

Many hospitals have in-house training for phlebotomists; that's how I got my job. It was two weeks of class and two on the floor. Much better than paying $$ at a community college or something.

You won't be certified until you've been a phlebo for over a year, and then you have to take the exam written by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. The only advantage of being "certified" is that you get a small raise in pay. You'll still be just a phlebo.

 

[thirdunity]

Many hospitals have in-house training for phlebotomists; that's how I got my job. It was two weeks of class and two on the floor. Much better than paying $$ at a community college or something.

Depends upon where you live. In California, licensing is now mandatory. This means that most of the schools have jacked their prices WAY up (my program was $2150), some schools have long waiting lists (if you go to Kaiser School of Health Care, you will be waiting *months* to get in) and most places require that you already have a license. I haven't found one hospital or lab that trains people. In fact, many (such as MuirLabs) don't even hire entry-level except through school-specific internship programs, which leaves me wondering how to get my first job. Then, it may be specific to where I live. I live in a suburb, meaning most jobs are in the main city, and finding a job where I live is difficult to begin with.

 

[brezeeus]

I am a recent graduate of Phlebotomy plus in walnut creek. If you are looking for a good school then i would say go for this school. its a little on the pricey side around $2238 for 4 weeks of school. you spend 50% of the time in class in lecture and 50% in the lab. you have to perform over 100 sticks (using different methods and such) and have at least a 80% in the class to graduate. To pass the National test which you have to take in order to get your state license you have to only have 70% so they well prepare you for that. This course is very very fast paced and you have to be very self motivated. THEY WILL NOT HOLD YOUR HAND. They will not offer job placement but they will set you up with an externship or you can find your own. There is also another school in napa which is 6 saturdays called Boston Reed. however in that short amount i feel that people cant receive enough training. i have done an externship where boston reed students have been present and not to say that they are not good phlebotomists but they have to wait sometimes up to 6 months to get placed in an externship because some places will not take the students. As for the kaiser school of allied health sciences they take usually 27 students at a time and they use a lottery to choose the students so its not a first come basis. In the state of CA it can take up to 90 days to get you license not 6 months. On day 91 you can go and ask for you license. ( the facility is in Richmond) As for jobs in northern CA, they are hard to find. Not to say that there aren't any. A lot of jobs at hospitals such as Kaiser, Sutter or John Muir they want at least 2-5 years experience, i was advised to apply anywhere that had phlebotomist postions. Good luck to anyone who wants to get into this field its not easy. I love what i do, and im happy every day that i chose this to be my profession. But it is a very serious job, we take peoples lives in our hands one mistake and you could kill a patient. you have to very detailed orientated.

 

[Glitch1221]

Hey Pharmwannab,

I saw your thread and I had to respond. I recently took a phlebotomy course at Phlebotomy Unlimited in San Francisco. When I was shopping around I was looking for 4 things:

- An accelerated program
- That the school was within a reasonable proximity
- Strong relationships with hospitals and labs for externships
- Available payment plan

I realized that because I was looking for an accelerated program that the price would be a more than let's say a community college that teaches the course over a semester. The bill ended out coming to $1950 and I was able to spread the balance over 3 payments. The course was five weeks long and consisted of both lecture and lab. I attended class on weekends (6hrs sat&sun) but they also had weeknights and weekdays available. We were able to practice with both a fake arm and many real arms (classmates, instructors, friends, family and volunteers). I used to be deathly afraid of needles before I started the course. However, by the time I graduated from the program I was officially a licensed vampire.

This school also sets you up with an externship and prepares you for the national exam, a required part of the license. They gave me my first choice of hospital, CPMC, and by the end of my externship I was offered a job in the outpatient lab!

If you are near SF you should definitely check out Phlebotomy Unlimited. I give 'em 2 thumbs up

check out there website too

www.bama-phleb.com

Personally, I think phlebotomy is a great way to get paid well while experiencing patient care and hospital dynamics in a real world capacity...two birds with one stone

Good Luck,

G

 

[Glitch1221]

lesson #1

Read date of post before replying...I hope someone sees this and gets something out of it

 

[Despina]

Go with Fast Response in Berkeley. 2 weeks, 2 thousand dollars. They set you up with the National Exam, and you internship. Only problem with Cali is that the office in Richmond can be very backed up sometimes. They said they would have my license ready in 6-10 weeks and it took 8 MONTHS!!!! This might have been because I applied right at the time they were changing the laws over, so every phlebotomist in the state of California was trying to become certified. I only mention this, because phlebotomy may not be a good EC if you are planning on applying to Pharm School in the next 12 months, because you may not get your license in time to work in a hospital before you apply. Although, it's a great glide year job...