Do you think phlebotomy would help?

[InspiredByDrama]

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I am year or so away from applying to medical school and I'm getting nervous. My question is, my school offers a phlebotomy program which many people are telling me would be good for me to take if I plan on going to medical school, but I am unsure if it'll do any good or not. Could any and everyone who has an opinion on this help me figure out if it's worth my time or not?

Thank you,
InspiredByDrama

 

[relentless11]

Helpful as a med student, but probably plays a minor role in getting you into med school. My take is, you're going to be taught these skills anyway. What they can't really teach you are study skills to do well in their coursework or help you develop your personality and ability to deal with people. Therefore I would say being proficient in something like Spanish is better than phlebotomy. Kinda like the EMT thing too. Plenty of ways to distinguish yourself, and prepare for med school.

You will find learning to poke someone with a needle to draw blood is the easy part. Convincing the person in the appropirate manner is the hard part😉...especially one that might not speak english.

 

[LabMonster]

You will find learning to poke someone with a needle to draw blood is the easy part. Convincing the person in the appropirate manner is the hard part😉...especially one that might not speak english.

I agree. Dealing with people in a clinical setting is priceless. Needle wielding or not 😉

 

[Law2Doc]

I agree. Dealing with people in a clinical setting is priceless. Needle wielding or not 😉

I'm not sure you actually did agree with relentless's post. However, I agree with you. The goal is to get decent clinical experience working with patients. Being a phlebotomist at least puts you in regular contact with patients, which can be spun in a positive manner in your app. I would still do some volunteering or shadowing so you see the physicians at work as well, but wouldn't dismiss phlebotomy as a nice, paying, EC.

 

[InspiredByDrama]

I think if I took this phlebotomy course I would get hands on work with patients, bilingual and English speaking patients, I'm planning on attending school in California if I'm lucky so of course I'll be taking Spanish for the next few years to learn more of what I already know.

 

[mustangsally65]

This was my second unsuccessful year applying to med school. I started a one-semester phlebotomy course in January, and have been doing my clinical rotations now for about five weeks.

I think it has been very beneficial to me, but I didn't have a lot of clinical experience so it's been great to get out and actually interact with patients. I'm at a hospital where I go to draw from inpatients, ER patients, and residents of the adjacent long term care facility as well as regular outpatients who come in. I have a lot of interactions with nurses and doctors as well, and they all seem interested in helping students learn things.

I was afraid phlebotomy would be a stupid program to do, especailly when people questioned whether it would actually take a whole semester to get certified (they said it was so easy that why would it take that long), but I'm glad I've done it. I also applied and got accepted to the MLT program at the same community college for the next year (while I apply again) so I am kind of continuing on from phlebotomy.

PM me if you have any more questions, I'll be glad to help in any way I can. Good luck!

 

[LabMonster]

I also applied and got accepted to the MLT program

I've got some board review books if you want them (when the time comes.)

 

[Rael]

Phlebotomy is a skill scarcely used by physicians...most of the time you have ancillary staff to do these things...and they're better at it since they do it all the time.
Phlebotomy will in no way help you get into med school. Research (basic or clinical) would be a better use of your time to get into med school.