phlebotomy anyone?

[cotinara]

hey i was just wondering if anyone here got a certification in phlebotomy? was wondering what it was like and if you got a job after it all. just wanted to know cause i am signing up for classes in the summer and wanted some info b/c i am not too sure 😕 . so if you have info share. thanks

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[cotinara]

i am not sure i even spelled it right 😛

 

[rbfiji13]

I got certified to do phlebotomy after I got a job in the ER. All I had to do was follow a phlebotomist around a few days and demonstrate that I wouldn't kill anyone and that was that.

 

[sdnstud]

I got my phlebotomy certificate about a year ago. Now, I am doing blood draws at a public health lab. I think the demand for phlebotomist is pretty high (at least in my area). The pay is low, at about $15 an hour.

You should definitely consider signing up for your class. Being a phlebotomist is quite an experience. Many incoming first year medical students do not feel comfortable poking a needle in someone's arm. With a phlebotomy background, you'll be more prepared than these students.

 

[Stitch626]

I'm ASCP certified. I know you need to be certified to practice in CA, but I think that's the only state that requires it as of now (Supposedly this was enacted b/c a phlebotomist in CA was reusing butterflies to save money 😱 ). I went through a 2 month summer program (including a 120 hr clinical) and subsequently got a job. It's a decent short-term job. You meet a lot of patients and will learn how to talk to people so as to qualm their fears (of needles, blood, or both). Good overall experience and you'll pick up a thing or too about blood tests (Hgb A1C, GTT, PTT, CMP, especially). Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Pose]

Funny, I was just talking to my mom about this. I'm thinking of looking into either phlebotomy, or as a pharm tech for both experience and maybe a little extra cash. I've had trouble finding phlebotomy courses here in Massachusetts (Salem-Boston), but I did find one pharm tech program near by. I haven't a clue of how academically challenging either certification is, or how long, so if anyone could give me an idea, you'd be my friend.

 

[mikey1294]

I heard that you can just goto a hospital and they will train you. Is it true and if so do you have to be 17 cause thats what someone told me on another forum. Anybody know of a high school student doing this?

 

[criminallyinane]

I heard that you can just goto a hospital and they will train you. Is it true and if so do you have to be 17 cause thats what someone told me on another forum. Anybody know of a high school student doing this?

You have to be 18, I imagine. Maybe 17, but definitely no younger. You don't need to be certified to get a job in most places, because they'll train you at the job.

 

[Pyroclast]

I was trained by the hospital that hired me. They had me doing venous sticks on my own in about 2 weeks, and arterial sticks about a month after I was hired. About half the phlebotomist staff had learned on the job and about half had gotten trained and certified on their own. I asked one guy who had gotten certified first and was really good at doing sticks about the difference, and he said that the hospital eventually taught everything he'd learned in the course he paid for. I have no idea if you have to be a certain age to get the job. It probably varies between hospitals and states.

I think the experience helped a lot. It's very different from volunteering to have that higher level of responsibility and pressure in the hospital, and and it gives you lots of patient contact. I'm glad I did it before applying to med school.

 

[Trismegistus4]

Those of you who just got trained on the job with no prior experience--are you in a different area of the country from the Northeast? I'm in Philly, and I've looked on the job listing website of every hospital in the area I can think of, and they all require prior certification for phlebotomists.

 

[tigress]

Those of you who just got trained on the job with no prior experience--are you in a different area of the country from the Northeast? I'm in Philly, and I've looked on the job listing website of every hospital in the area I can think of, and they all require prior certification for phlebotomists.

I'm also in Philly. After the MCAT this weekend I'm going to call up every single hospital in the area and ask to speak to their phlebotomy departments until I can get a job. Somebody on the board gave me this advice, to talk directly to the people who hire phlebotomists. Don't call them all before I get around to it though! 😛

 

[stinkycheese]

I was trained by the hospital that hired me. They had me doing venous sticks on my own in about 2 weeks, and arterial sticks about a month after I was hired.

I've never heard of a phlebotomist doing an arterial stick, let alone a month into training. That requires physician supervision.

 

[MollyMalone]

RNs can do arterial sticks. My hospital trains RTs to do sticks for ABGs. I will admit I've never heard of a phleb doing one, but in this day and age it wouldn't surprise me. It's really not rocket science.

 

[Stitch626]

I've never heard of a phlebotomist doing an arterial stick, let alone a month into training. That requires physician supervision.

In Tx only respiratory therapists can do arterial sticks. Or at least that's how it's supposed to be.

 

[riceman04]

hey i was just wondering if anyone here got a certification in phlebotomy? was wondering what it was like and if you got a job after it all. just wanted to know cause i am signing up for classes in the summer and wanted some info b/c i am not too sure 😕 . so if you have info share. thanks

I applied for a phlebotomy program at Cedar Sinai out here in Los Angeles and got rejected b/c they said that since I was going to become a physician they did not want to spend money on me to get me trained. I still want to get that experience, though.

 

[JakeHarley]

I got the certificate and worked my way through college as a phlebotomist. It was a great job for a student, and I got to work all over the hospital, from the child-birth center to the ER. I even got to be on the team that showed up whenever a patient coded (the drawback to this was occasionally having to draw arterial blood from a patient with almost no pulse while a doctor and a bunch of nurses were breathing down my neck...very stressful for me.) Very great experience/exposure to health care, way better than anything I could have got through stocking shelves as a volunteer.

 

[Ambs]

I got my certificate at my present job.. they just trained me. I had previous medical experience, so I was hired based on that... But I do a lot more at my current job, and anything I didn't know (which was a lot), they taught me. I like phlebotomy, except when the patients are VERY old, VERY thin, have lots of scar tissue, have VERY wrinkly skin, and are on coumadin.

 

[phleebie]

I know you need to be certified to practice in CA, but I think that's the only state that requires it as of now (Supposedly this was enacted b/c a phlebotomist in CA was reusing butterflies to save money 😱 ).

yeah, i heard about this--the phlebotomist was caught reusing the same butterfly for multiple blood draws (just rinsed it with water after each patient). that's terrible.

I do want to put in my two cents on this topic--I have been working as a phlebotomist this past year (hence the "phleebie" moniker) and will start med school in the fall--I think it has been about 9 months since I started.

I didnt take a class or get certified beforehand. Instead I was "trained on the job" (which basically consisted of doing 40 sticks) and then I was on my own. Those first few weeks were rough, man. Drawing blood from young, relatively healthy patients is a piece of cake, but unfortunately the majority of patients that I see every day are either elderly, dehydrated, obese, or a combination of the three. I'd say at this point, though, I've become pretty comfortable drawing blood from any patient, but it took a while, and it's just something that can only come through repetition.

I dont know. I've heard that every phlebotomist either loves or hates their job--there's no middle ground. As for myself, I must admit that I'm not too fond of the job, and here's why:

-It is true that you get plenty of patient contact, but it's not an ideal situation. Aside from small talk, here's the extent of every conversation:
"Hello, Mrs. Smith. My name is XXX and I am here from the lab to collect a blood sample from you. May I see your wristband please?"
"AGAIN?!! Haven't you people taken enough blood from me?!!"
"I'm sorry Mrs. Smith but your doctor has ordered for us to check your XXX levels. I'm terribly sorry but they're doctor's orders."
(Patient reluctantly exposes arm that is covered with bruises, bandages and hematomas) "Alright, but you only get one shot at it and you have to use a butterfly needle."
"OK Mrs. Smith. No problem. Can you make a fist for me....."

And that's pretty much it (there are variations but basically similar encounters). The problem is, a phlebotomist has no active role in taking care of the patient. We provide one service (blood collection for lab testing) and then we're out the door--most of the time, I dont even know what the patient is in the hospital for (mainly due to HIPPAA).

My ultimate goal is to get to a position where I can help these patients feel better. Instead, I am relegated to causing discomfort to these people who are already sick and suffering. Sure, I realize that by collecting blood samples (with hopefully minimal discomfort), I am directly providing powerful diagnostic tools to the physicians. But is that the only reward/consolation?

There's something about habitually inflicting pain on other individuals that affect's one psyche. I can't quite explain it, but after a day of repeatedly poking people with needles, I always feel like a more cynical, perverse version of myself. Of course, nurses do their fair share of needlework (starting IV's and all) but it doesn't even compare to the sheer volume of sticks a phlebotomist must perform.

I don't know why I'm venting so much (sorry for the long post btw) but I just feel like I have to tell prospective "vampires" my side of the story. Not to completely bash my job though--I've had plenty of great experiences and I've learned a lot about the field of medicine from this job. And nothing makes my day brighter than a patient telling me that he/she felt no pain during the stick.

As such, I would still recommend any pre-med student to consider phlebotomy if they are serious about their career path because there is much one can learn from it. But please, buyer beware...


p.s. Is this a bad sign that I'm not particularly fond of my current job in the field of medicine? (btw, my goal is to be a family doc.)

 

[JakeHarley]

I hear where you are coming from, certain aspects of the work can be really challenging with seemingly little reward, and absolutely you have no input into the healing process in an obvious way. On the other hand, it is not only as a phlebotomist that you will be asking patients to submit to things they may not be thrilled about, and I'd argue that sticking people in the hospital is a great way to start gaining the skills needed to approach patients with less than desirable requests as a doc.

Another way to look at it is this: Patients are going to have to have their blood drawn by SOMEBODY, and they can benefit from the empathetic and caring manner you chose to use/develop, or they can experience it negatively through the robotic "doctor's orders" approach. In that sense, you do have some power to do good for patients.

Otherwise, I'd have to agree that a lot of times blood draws on inpatients can be really tough...I used to dread spending the first half of my shift drawing blood from old folks in our "gero-psych" unit...not only were their veins impossible to locate, but plenty of times I've had a seemingly passive, non-communicative patient take a swing at me as I stand over them! 😱

yeah, i heard about this--the phlebotomist was caught reusing the same butterfly for multiple blood draws (just rinsed it with water after each patient). that's terrible.

I do want to put in my two cents on this topic--I have been working as a phlebotomist this past year (hence the "phleebie" moniker) and will start med school in the fall--I think it has been about 9 months since I started.

I didnt take a class or get certified beforehand. Instead I was "trained on the job" (which basically consisted of doing 40 sticks) and then I was on my own. Those first few weeks were rough, man. Drawing blood from young, relatively healthy patients is a piece of cake, but unfortunately the majority of patients that I see every day are either elderly, dehydrated, obese, or a combination of the three. I'd say at this point, though, I've become pretty comfortable drawing blood from any patient, but it took a while, and it's just something that can only come through repetition.

I dont know. I've heard that every phlebotomist either loves or hates their job--there's no middle ground. As for myself, I must admit that I'm not too fond of the job, and here's why:

-It is true that you get plenty of patient contact, but it's not an ideal situation. Aside from small talk, here's the extent of every conversation:
"Hello, Mrs. Smith. My name is XXX and I am here from the lab to collect a blood sample from you. May I see your wristband please?"
"AGAIN?!! Haven't you people taken enough blood from me?!!"
"I'm sorry Mrs. Smith but your doctor has ordered for us to check your XXX levels. I'm terribly sorry but they're doctor's orders."
(Patient reluctantly exposes arm that is covered with bruises, bandages and hematomas) "Alright, but you only get one shot at it and you have to use a butterfly needle."
"OK Mrs. Smith. No problem. Can you make a fist for me....."

And that's pretty much it (there are variations but basically similar encounters). The problem is, a phlebotomist has no active role in taking care of the patient. We provide one service (blood collection for lab testing) and then we're out the door--most of the time, I dont even know what the patient is in the hospital for (mainly due to HIPPAA).

My ultimate goal is to get to a position where I can help these patients feel better. Instead, I am relegated to causing discomfort to these people who are already sick and suffering. Sure, I realize that by collecting blood samples (with hopefully minimal discomfort), I am directly providing powerful diagnostic tools to the physicians. But is that the only reward/consolation?

There's something about habitually inflicting pain on other individuals that affect's one psyche. I can't quite explain it, but after a day of repeatedly poking people with needles, I always feel like a more cynical, perverse version of myself. Of course, nurses do their fair share of needlework (starting IV's and all) but it doesn't even compare to the sheer volume of sticks a phlebotomist must perform.

I don't know why I'm venting so much (sorry for the long post btw) but I just feel like I have to tell prospective "vampires" my side of the story. Not to completely bash my job though--I've had plenty of great experiences and I've learned a lot about the field of medicine from this job. And nothing makes my day brighter than a patient telling me that he/she felt no pain during the stick.

As such, I would still recommend any pre-med student to consider phlebotomy if they are serious about their career path because there is much one can learn from it. But please, buyer beware...


p.s. Is this a bad sign that I'm not particularly fond of my current job in the field of medicine? (btw, my goal is to be a family doc.)

 

[phleebie]

Another way to look at it is this: Patients are going to have to have their blood drawn by SOMEBODY, and they can benefit from the empathetic and caring manner you chose to use/develop, or they can experience it negatively through the robotic "doctor's orders" approach. In that sense, you do have some power to do good for patients.

true. very, very true. the way you act from the moment who walk through that door (as well as your way of wording things) definitely determines how a patient feels towards you/in general.

 

[ZAZA67401]

You might want to try applying for a job at a blood bank like the red cross, where you draw blood to used for blood transfusions, cancer patients, etc. I think they usually have paid training. Just a thought, I had a friend do that. Also do you think it would be better to take an EMT class or phelobtomy? What sort of job can you get as an EMT compared to phelobtomy? If anyone has any advice that would be most excellente!

 

[LabMonster]

Phlebotomy is a good way to get experience with minimal training. Some hospitals will train on the job, but usually that training will not carry to another institution. Large metropolitan hospitals/HC systems usually want certification.

I would call different institutions and find out if they train on the job - only makes sense to save you time and money!

From my experience (I work at a rural community hospital & a suburban specialty hospital that is part of a large system) the smaller, rural places will train on the job and bigger metro systems require certification.

Hey, having more letters after your name is always cool! 👍

LabMonster MT (ASCP)

 

[sunnyjohn]

I went to a class every Saturday for 2 months, then I had to do 120 hours of clinical. This was in Dallas at a community college. It was neat because I got CEU's and certificate from the college. I was even able to take the test and get ASCP certified.

I tend to go all out when I do stuff!!!


Now-a-days it is hard to get on-the-job hospital training in the hopsital in Dallas. Alot of the folks who have been at it a while did the OJT route.

 

[mshheaddoc]

tigress and Trismegistus4 - I am in south jersey and I'm trying to get a job as well. Let me know how it works out. I think I'm going to stay east of teh river though, seems the university hospitals aren't as friendly and I applied to a few positions on this side of the river as it seems you don't need much experience. Some even say "working towards a biological degree" for a lab position. I'm going for them 😀

 

[Pyroclast]

I've never heard of a phlebotomist doing an arterial stick, let alone a month into training. That requires physician supervision.

Not where I worked. Usually they waited until you'd been working for six months or so before training you to do arterial sticks, but they wanted me to work the night shift with only one other person and no supervision, so I got "fast-tracked." In fact, I can remember a few occasions during the night when I got extremely busy and the ER docs complained about how long it took me to get to them, rather than draw an ABG themselves. Everyone I worked with learned to draw ABGs after awhile, and the only job requirement was a high school diploma. Though they were also training the respiratory therapists to do arterial sticks when I left. The best part was having to learn all the bad things that could happen, like arteriospasm, then being told that there wasn't much we could do to avoid them.

I probably should have mentioned that the job can be pretty unpleasant. Most patients hate you because you cause them pain every time you walk in the door, and you get very little respect from, well, everyone else in the hospital. But I still think it's a great job to get as an untrained pre-med for the experience. Oh yeah, and the enormous risk of accidental needle stick that comes with doing dozens of sticks a day, every day. And the crushing damage done to your psyche from inflicting so much pain. But it builds character.

 

[Pose]

I'm having no luck finding anywhere to get certified, and no one is offering jobs on websites, or classifieds. Should I just call the hospitals and ask to speak to the lab, or phlebotomy department and ask if they're hiring? Or if they require certification?

 

[Stitch626]

I probably should have mentioned that the job can be pretty unpleasant. Most patients hate you because you cause them pain every time you walk in the door, and you get very little respect from, well, everyone else in the hospital. But I still think it's a great job to get as an untrained pre-med for the experience. Oh yeah, and the enormous risk of accidental needle stick that comes with doing dozens of sticks a day, every day. And the crushing damage done to your psyche from inflicting so much pain. But it builds character.

I can see how this would be very true working in a hospital environment. Patients are in the hospital for a reason (so typically they feel like crap and are in a bad mood) and I'm not surprised that they wouldn't welcome a phleb's presence. Let me make a suggestion for those starting a career in phlebotomy: work in a clinic / doctor's office. I worked at a private clinic and the job turned out well for several reasons.

1. People come in to get their blood drawn voluntarily. Sure, their doctor ordered the tests, but they are free to leave at any time (preferrably not while they are getting drawn) or they can choose not to show up at all. For this reason, you are less likely to see combative & needle-phobic patients. When you do encounter a difficult patient, just explain that the tests are for their own good and their doctor will not further treat them/refill their medication until they get drawn. Voila! The patients usually become amazingly compliant.

2. Patients are usually not sick. Most come in for routine blood work. The implications of this are that veins are on average much easier to find (rarely is severe dehydration seen) and patients are in a MUCH more pleasant mood. They might even be friendly towards you!

3. You can actually strike up a decent medically-relevant conversation with people, especially if its not busy. You wouldn't believe how many people openly advertise their illnesses and want to discuss their problems with you(some people also find it sound to ask you to dispense medical advise -e.g. "Does this mole look okay?"). So far I've learned a lot about DVT, pregnancy (I know..pregnancy is not an illness), various mental disorders, and heart problems galore. At my clinic, we were allowed to tell the patients what tests they were getting drawn for and what the tests measure. It's something.

Phlebotomy is alright. I will admit that I lived in constant fear of contracting a blood-borne illness (I always wore gloves, but I usually had cuts on my hands/fingers). I always thought everything had traces of Hep B (which can survive in dried-up crusty blood for a couple weeks). But my thinking was irrational. You'll be okay .

 

[blessed1]

I heard that you can just goto a hospital and they will train you. Is it true and if so do you have to be 17 cause thats what someone told me on another forum. Anybody know of a high school student doing this?

Hi Mikey1294,

I am in the Laurel, Maryland area and here, most jobs ask for prior certification before they will hire you as a Phlebotomist. It seems that things have changed over the years though because one could get OTJ training in the past but not these days.

I am also planning to take the training course this summer at a local CC and they require the student to be at least 18yrs of age.


Good luck to you! 🙂

Blessed1

 

[sbp26]

true. very, very true. the way you act from the moment who walk through that door (as well as your way of wording things) definitely determines how a patient feels towards you/in general.

How do you all find these jobs???? I'm sure its not hotjobs or anything. I'm talking about the jobs that train you to become a phlebotomist

 

[Stitch626]

How do you all find these jobs???? I'm sure its not hotjobs or anything. I'm talking about the jobs that train you to become a phlebotomist

There has been a recent trend to require certification (or some kind of formal training program) and do away with OTJ training. This is a good thing for the health industry, trust me. In terms of finding a job w/o exp, wherever demand for phlebotomists is high & competition is low (rural areas), you are more likely to see OTJ training still offered.

 

[cotinara]

its awesome that so many of you got ceritified! i really would love doing the course at my local community college but it costs $435 to do it 😱 (don't ask me why thats what they said). But alot of you said you got training on the job, did you just call the blood center or administrative or even the volunteering offices to see if they would hire and train you. I really cannot wait to sign up for classes? thanks again to all who answered

 

[phleebie]

When you do encounter a difficult patient, just explain that their doctor will not further treat them/refill their medication until they get drawn.

This isn't necessarily true, and I wouldn't want to lie to patients. Patients reserve a right to refuse any procedure/treatment (and actually this makes for a good ethics debate as to when a doctor is morally obligated to force orders if a life is at stake but I won't get into that).

I've witnessed several instances where a blood test could not be done because the patient absolutely refused to be stuck with a needle. It's their right to exercise, and plenty of patients (mostly elderly ones) take full advantage of it.

But anyways, I would definitely prefer to work in a doctor's clinic. When I draw blood from outpatients, it's pretty much the same scenario (a lot more pleasant).

 

[phleebie]

How do you all find these jobs???? I'm sure its not hotjobs or anything. I'm talking about the jobs that train you to become a phlebotomist

I actually got my job through volunteer work in the hospital ER. One of the volunteer duties was to carry specimens to the lab, and on busy days I would make quite a few trips back and forth. Pretty soon I got to know some of the lab people, and one of them (although I didn't know it at the time) was the lab manager. She stopped me one day and asked if I wanted to try phlebotomy because she needed to fill a shift. I said sure why not, and that was that.

 

[jkherson]

Here in California, you HAVE to get certified through a course to get any phleb job in the state.

i got my license in 2002, the year before the new law (because of that cracked out phlebotomist who reused butterfy needles, giving people hep A, B AND C!!!) and I practiced phlebotomy for a full year.

It was definetely a GREAT job, with a lot of one-on-one contact. There is a company called "Portamedic" that hires housecall phlebotomists to do physicals for insurance companies --- i didnt get hired b/c i had to have experience.

i worked for a private lab for a year b/c i knew someone in the industry, and I jumped right in without breaking a sweat. Phlebotomy is easy, you just have to like what you are doing. people w/o veins are tricky, but there are tricks to get those veins nice and juicy.

GREAT experience, but it didn't help me get into med school ... yet ... i plan on applying earlier this year and backing it up with better grades in a post-bac.

feel free to msg me on AIM regarding the phlebotomy ... i'm too sleepy to write any more ...

Jonathan out ...

 

[phleebie]

people w/o veins are tricky, but there are tricks to get those veins nice and juicy.

you mind letting me in on some of these secrets? besides heel warmers and an extra tight tourniqet, what else can you do?

 

[peetey]

yeah, i heard about this--the phlebotomist was caught reusing the same butterfly for multiple blood draws (just rinsed it with water after each patient). that's terrible.

I do want to put in my two cents on this topic--I have been working as a phlebotomist this past year (hence the "phleebie" moniker) and will start med school in the fall--I think it has been about 9 months since I started.

I didnt take a class or get certified beforehand. Instead I was "trained on the job" (which basically consisted of doing 40 sticks) and then I was on my own. Those first few weeks were rough, man. Drawing blood from young, relatively healthy patients is a piece of cake, but unfortunately the majority of patients that I see every day are either elderly, dehydrated, obese, or a combination of the three. I'd say at this point, though, I've become pretty comfortable drawing blood from any patient, but it took a while, and it's just something that can only come through repetition.

I dont know. I've heard that every phlebotomist either loves or hates their job--there's no middle ground. As for myself, I must admit that I'm not too fond of the job, and here's why:

-It is true that you get plenty of patient contact, but it's not an ideal situation. Aside from small talk, here's the extent of every conversation:
"Hello, Mrs. Smith. My name is XXX and I am here from the lab to collect a blood sample from you. May I see your wristband please?"
"AGAIN?!! Haven't you people taken enough blood from me?!!"
"I'm sorry Mrs. Smith but your doctor has ordered for us to check your XXX levels. I'm terribly sorry but they're doctor's orders."
(Patient reluctantly exposes arm that is covered with bruises, bandages and hematomas) "Alright, but you only get one shot at it and you have to use a butterfly needle."
"OK Mrs. Smith. No problem. Can you make a fist for me....."

And that's pretty much it (there are variations but basically similar encounters). The problem is, a phlebotomist has no active role in taking care of the patient. We provide one service (blood collection for lab testing) and then we're out the door--most of the time, I dont even know what the patient is in the hospital for (mainly due to HIPPAA).

My ultimate goal is to get to a position where I can help these patients feel better. Instead, I am relegated to causing discomfort to these people who are already sick and suffering. Sure, I realize that by collecting blood samples (with hopefully minimal discomfort), I am directly providing powerful diagnostic tools to the physicians. But is that the only reward/consolation?

There's something about habitually inflicting pain on other individuals that affect's one psyche. I can't quite explain it, but after a day of repeatedly poking people with needles, I always feel like a more cynical, perverse version of myself. Of course, nurses do their fair share of needlework (starting IV's and all) but it doesn't even compare to the sheer volume of sticks a phlebotomist must perform.

I don't know why I'm venting so much (sorry for the long post btw) but I just feel like I have to tell prospective "vampires" my side of the story. Not to completely bash my job though--I've had plenty of great experiences and I've learned a lot about the field of medicine from this job. And nothing makes my day brighter than a patient telling me that he/she felt no pain during the stick.

As such, I would still recommend any pre-med student to consider phlebotomy if they are serious about their career path because there is much one can learn from it. But please, buyer beware...


p.s. Is this a bad sign that I'm not particularly fond of my current job in the field of medicine? (btw, my goal is to be a family doc.)

I can totally understand your pain. I was involved in an undergraduate program that initially allowed me to gain phlebotomy experience..........then I trained to become a clinical lab scientist. We had to get the minimum 100 sticks........but it sometimes seemed more harmful then helpful.
However, the dissatisfaction felt towards not being able to do more to help the patient is not a unhappiness with the field of medicine, but instead a sign of wanting the tools so one can provide the best help possible.
I know the feeling.....I have been there. 🙂

 

[jkherson]

you mind letting me in on some of these secrets? besides heel warmers and an extra tight tourniqet, what else can you do?

I went pretty unorthodox one time to draw from the hand ... well, drawing from the hand is normal when you are dealing with the elderly (they all told me they are used to it, 70 percent flat out gave me their hands before I tried their arms. Thankfully, out of those, I drew almost ALL from their arms)

Most of the time, phlebotomists in the lab dont have the patience to wait for the vein.

anyway, I put the hand in warm (almost hot) water .. and the vein came right to the surface. When the hands/arms are warm, the vein comes to the surface to dissapate heat. I just left the hand in the water and swiped the skin with alcohol.

Painless, too!

 

[LabMonster]

you mind letting me in on some of these secrets? besides heel warmers and an extra tight tourniqet, what else can you do?

Use the force.

Besides that - always feel for a vein before you look - most people look then feel. BIG difference.

To improve circulation, elevate the bed and drop their arm below their heart - this usually works.

The type of tourniquet matters too - the best, are lengths of straight surgical tubing.

And if you get MD permission, you may draw from the lower extremeties - it's a bit more painful.

 

[phleebie]

I was kind of hoping for tips that I've never heard of, but thanks anyways guys!

 

[Stitch626]

This isn't necessarily true, and I wouldn't want to lie to patients. Patients reserve a right to refuse any procedure/treatment (and actually this makes for a good ethics debate as to when a doctor is morally obligated to force orders if a life is at stake but I won't get into that).

I've witnessed several instances where a blood test could not be done because the patient absolutely refused to be stuck with a needle. It's their right to exercise, and plenty of patients (mostly elderly ones) take full advantage of it.

But anyways, I would definitely prefer to work in a doctor's clinic. When I draw blood from outpatients, it's pretty much the same scenario (a lot more pleasant).

I love how you edited my quote to make me sound so unethical. The irony is abound! But I see your point. I should have instead said "When you do encounter a difficult patient, just explain that the tests are for their own good." I do not condone lying to patients, but I see no problems in stating factual information in order to encourage compliancy (and in some cases the patients do need their blood drawn in order to receive a refill - esp for blood thinners, statins, & anti-fungals). Let me also restate that in a clinic you do not see many non-compliant patients (except for kids and I'm guessing they alone are not entitled to refuse a blood test). The fact of the matter is that people that are that averse to having their blood drawn usually won't show up for their appt.

But really, I don't want to fight with a fellow phlebotomist. We agree on most fronts.

 

[Stitch626]

I was kind of hoping for tips that I've never heard of, but thanks anyways guys!

There's a couple things I can think of:

-use two tourniquets (one above and one below intended site)
-use blood pressure cuff; pump to 30-40 mm Hg (I would not recommend this for any kind of chemistry or metabolite panel though; for sure it would result in falsely elevated K+)
-fill a surgical glove with water and tie off the end; when needed, place in microwave for 5-10 seconds; you can use this as an alternative to running warm water ( great for areas not accessible to sink)
-slapping arm (I think this is a questionable practice but some use it)

 

[phleebie]

I love how you edited my quote to make me sound so unethical...But really, I don't want to fight with a fellow phlebotomist. We agree on most fronts.

yeah I did a little editing, but it's not like I changed your words--just left some things out . But, I have actually used the whole "it's for your own good" spiel on many occassions--the response I usually get is "leave me alone."

I think it is interesting how different the nature of our patients are. Like I stated earlier, some (if not most) of the patients I encounter are elderly people who were admitted into the hospital against their own will; so trying to convince them of a blood draw can be really difficult sometimes.

And you're right about inter-phleb fighting. Us vampires have to "stick" together!

 

[phleebie]

-use two tourniquets (one above and one below intended site)

now that's one I've never seen/heard of before, but does that cut off the blood circulation too harshly?

 

[tigress]

The blood pressure cuff just reminded me, and I have to share this. I gave blood last week, and the Red Cross woman was standing there really impatient and wanting my bag to fill up. It wasn't slow, it was just a normal pace, but she was very impatient. So she kept coming over and like crossing her arms and tapping her foot, and then jiggling the bag, and then she would tighten the cuff. She tightened the cuff 3 times! By the end I thought my arm would fall off. Thankfully the bag filled up before that happend 😛

 

[Stitch626]

And you're right about inter-phleb fighting. Us vampires have to "stick" together!

Don't you just love phlebotomy puns?

 

[Stitch626]

now that's one I've never seen/heard of before, but does that cut off the blood circulation too harshly?

Yeah it probably does. I guess just don't tie them as tight as you normally would.

 

[phleebie]

Don't you just love phlebotomy puns?

I do, but they're harder to find than a needle in a haystack....okay that was just terrible.