EKG&Phlebotomy premed applicationn

[mmleik]

Are EKG and phlebotomy courses/certificates useful for pre-med students and how they look on your applications? How are they perceived by the deans of admission? I am currently lacking clinical experiences and I am looking to strengthen this part of my application. I mean I am in a mentoring in medicine program which include a clinical exposure program when I work in the emergency department. I am also shadow the director/chief of vascular& interventional radiology at NYU. Did few hours with a pediatrician and I am also trying to do the EKG and phlebotomy thing. Are these enough or should I try and pursue a new thing like EMT. I am a junior and I am hoping to applying at the end of the spring semester/early summer. So, I don't have time to try new things. Your advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[sector9]

Are EKG and phlebotomy courses/certificates useful for pre-med students and how they look on your applications? How are they perceived by the deans of admission? I am currently lacking clinical experiences and I am looking to strengthen this part of my application. I mean I am in a mentoring in medicine program which include a clinical exposure program when I work in the emergency department. I am also shadow the director/chief of vascular& interventional radiology at NYU. Did few hours with a pediatrician and I am also trying to do the EKG and phlebotomy thing. Are these enough or should I try and pursue a new thing like EMT. I am a junior and I am hoping to applying at the end of the spring semester/early summer. So, I don't have time to try new things. Your advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

What are you planning to do with the certifications?

The certifications themselves are useless to list.

 

[mybubbles627]

Are EKG and phlebotomy courses/certificates useful for pre-med students and how they look on your applications? How are they perceived by the deans of admission? I am currently lacking clinical experiences and I am looking to strengthen this part of my application. I mean I am in a mentoring in medicine program which include a clinical exposure program when I work in the emergency department. I am also shadow the director/chief of vascular& interventional radiology at NYU. Did few hours with a pediatrician and I am also trying to do the EKG and phlebotomy thing. Are these enough or should I try and pursue a new thing like EMT. I am a junior and I am hoping to applying at the end of the spring semester/early summer. So, I don't have time to try new things. Your advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

There is no right or wrong when it comes to experience. Medical experience is always a good thing. I currently work as a a mobile examiner for a company where I take medical histories, perform EKGs, draw blood, take blood pressure, etc and then send it off the samples for life insurance purposes. I love my job. I get to work on my bedside manner interacting with a wide array of people, practice handling stressful situations when clients are scared of needles or even faint from draws. Also, it was a focus of discussion when I interviewed. Don't expect to get a phlebotomy certificate in a couple days. You have to take classes and different states have different requirements. Personally, I think it is a great experience especially if you can apply your phlebotomy skills through work or volunteering. I don't know how beneficial it would be just to have a certificate with no experience to back it up. Feel free to message me if you have anymore questions about the topic or want more information about what I do.

 

[EBTrailRunner]

I can't comment on being certified as an EKG specialist, but I know that phlebotomy is a poor avenue to take for clinical exposure. I can almost guarantee you you'll have difficulty finding a job after being certified as most positions require at least a year's paid experience. Plus, I don't see how EKG/phlebotomy/EMT is at all impressive. I imagine thousands of applicants have one of those certifications listed on their applications. If you're primary interest is in gaining clinical experience, continue shadowing and/or volunteering at a local hospital rather than potentially spending a few thousand dollars for a certification that will likely not serve you well. Simply do what interests you and focus on quality over quantity.

 

[willen101383]

I can't comment on being certified as an EKG specialist, but I know that phlebotomy is a poor avenue to take for clinical exposure. I can almost guarantee you you'll have difficulty finding a job after being certified as most positions require at least a year's paid experience. Plus, I don't see how EKG/phlebotomy/EMT is at all impressive. I imagine thousands of applicants have one of those certifications listed on their applications. If you're primary interest is in gaining clinical experience, continue shadowing and/or volunteering at a local hospital rather than potentially spending a few thousand dollars for a certification that will likely not serve you well. Simply do what interests you and focus on quality over quantity.

Not true bro no offense. I was a phleb for 3 years undergrad and worked as a blood bank technologist for 5 years after i got my licensure in that (and still did phlebotomy). Hell, I still draw plenty of blood if I work per diem bc I love getting out of the lab and BSing with the patients. Its most likely one of the BEST avenues for clinical exposure. Of course it depends what sort of hospital you are working in. If you are working in a large academic center where phlebs are pretty locked down in terms of what they get to see/ where they get to go in the hospital it wont be great. But in smaller community hospitals where you get to know attendings you will get SICK clinical experience. Furthermore you learn a TON just working in the lab. There is so much stuff I know from my time as a phleb/blood bank MT that has been a massive help in med school. I only shadowed a few docs back in the day, but what I saw/did/learned doing that crap didnt even scratch the surface of what I saw/learned/did as a phleb and clinical lab technologist.


OP dont bother getting a cert in either. Try to find a smaller hospital that will give you on the job training in phlebotomy. I never took a course and I am a better stick than anyone I know and spent time on IV teams in multiple hospitals because of this skill....which will carry through to rotations and practice. Do you know how good you look when you roll up in there and draw an "impossible" patient?

As for the EKG stuff...totally worthless. Most of the EKG monitor techs are "GED getters" who just sit there reading a book. Not really impressive.

 

[Aaron151]

Not true bro no offense. I was a phleb for 3 years undergrad and worked as a blood bank technologist for 5 years after i got my licensure in that (and still did phlebotomy). Hell, I still draw plenty of blood if I work per diem bc I love getting out of the lab and BSing with the patients. Its most likely one of the BEST avenues for clinical exposure. Of course it depends what sort of hospital you are working in. If you are working in a large academic center where phlebs are pretty locked down in terms of what they get to see/ where they get to go in the hospital it wont be great. But in smaller community hospitals where you get to know attendings you will get SICK clinical experience. Furthermore you learn a TON just working in the lab. There is so much stuff I know from my time as a phleb/blood bank MT that has been a massive help in med school. I only shadowed a few docs back in the day, but what I saw/did/learned doing that crap didnt even scratch the surface of what I saw/learned/did as a phleb and clinical lab technologist.


OP dont bother getting a cert in either. Try to find a smaller hospital that will give you on the job training in phlebotomy. I never took a course and I am a better stick than anyone I know and spent time on IV teams in multiple hospitals because of this skill....which will carry through to rotations and practice. Do you know how good you look when you roll up in there and draw an "impossible" patient?

As for the EKG stuff...totally worthless. Most of the EKG monitor techs are "GED getters" who just sit there reading a book. Not really impressive.

Same here, I have been a phlebotomist now for 3 years and I LOVE IT! I have learned so much from the lab techs I do not even know where to begin. But like you said, I work in a regional hospital that is considered small and we have a lot of free range. We get to build relationships with the patients, doctors, nurses, radiology, everyone. I feel like this type of clinical experience has made me choose medicine. I never got a certification, I was trained at the hospital, but I can draw very difficult patients and I am also good at ABGs. I am also a nursing student and I have learned more in the lab than I have in school. Just my two cents.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I concur, getting training as a phleb is helpful. It isn't hard to get a job as a new phleb in a big hospital, and you get plenty of training and clinical experience...

OP, as long as you USE the certs they're helpful, if you don't use them, they are just words on paper

 

[willen101383]

Same here, I have been a phlebotomist now for 3 years and I LOVE IT! I have learned so much from the lab techs I do not even know where to begin. But like you said, I work in a regional hospital that is considered small and we have a lot of free range. We get to build relationships with the patients, doctors, nurses, radiology, everyone. I feel like this type of clinical experience has made me choose medicine. I never got a certification, I was trained at the hospital, but I can draw very difficult patients and I am also good at ABGs. I am also a nursing student and I have learned more in the lab than I have in school. Just my two cents.

We med techs are wise old folks lol. Youd be shocked at how little full blown attendings known about blood bank.

And I wonder why this "phlebotomy is bad clinical experience" thing keeps popping up on here. I know people read something without any experience and repeat it, but its simply not true at all.