Phlebotomy/Lab Assistant

[MicrobeHunter]

I'm starting college in fall and moving soon, so I was looking into phlebotomy or laboratory assistant training instead of waitressing for three months and then leaving. My sister suggested that I should get training as a phlebotomist or lab assist. b/c it's relevant to what I want to go into (bacteriology/virology), and makes more money than waitressing. I was wondering where to look for short (less than six months) courses on either of these. I've found them, but not in my area. Any suggestions?
(I've already called the local Red Cross chapters and some of the hospitals, and the local Blood Bank)

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[RasputinDO]

Being a lab asst. is not a bad idea and it probably will make you a little more money and be more consistent hours. If you're interested in Bacteriology/Virology I would suggest looking at a local hospital to see if they're hiring lab assts. and be sure to tell them your interested in getting into micro, so they will hopefully have you doing some planting of organisms and maybe even some gram stains (although they won't let you read them). Otherwise you'll mostly be doing specimen processing and drawing blood regardless it is a good way to get your foot in the door and you never know you may find something else you like. I'm a Med Tech. in a lab right now so I do all of these things. Good luck

Josh

P.S. Someone will be moving this post soon I'm sure....

 

[Kalel]

I would definitely look for a good research project to do while you are in college. Many labs will take in students under work-study programs (you should definitely apply for work-study because it makes it easier for the lab to "pay you" because the government actually pays you as opposed to grant money being used to pay you) and have them do scut work at first and give them a real project to do later on. You can ask around to find a lab that would be willing to take you in for that. The best way to find a good lab is to e-mail a lot of professors who have labs and ask them if they are looking for a student and have an interesting research project for you. Research will always be on your CV too, and it will help you when it comes time to apply for residency and your fellowship, especially if you manage to get published during college. That being said, don't let research interfere with your undergrad grades too. During college, the semester I stopped working in the lab so much, I saw a slight increase in my grades, and I used to think that working in the lab wasn't effecting my grades at all but I guess that it was slightly. If your grades or MCAT aren't good enough, then med schools won't accept you and your research experience won't matter. Phlebotomy jobs may be *slightly* useful to have on your CV when applying for med school as a way of showing clinical exposure, but after that, they become meaningless. Research is better then phlebotomy too, you can obtain your clinical exposure by doing other things.

 

[La Fiera]

Hi,
I used to be a lab assistant in a hospital (I'm now a med student). I think for what you want to do the job would be great, although I remember doing a lot of paperwork.
The most important think I wanted to say was that at most hospitals, you dont need an actual lisence to be a phlebotomist. They will train you on the job. (and pay you for it.) I got my job by going into the hospital and speaking directly to the lab manager, who pretty much hired me on the spot. You really don't need to go through school to get the degree. I don't even think you would get paid that much more. Most of the other lab assistants were also hired with no experience but a desire to work in the medical field.
The cool thing about working in the lab was getting to switch around all over the place. I really liked doing micro- plating specimins etc.
Good luck!

 

[Willie B]

MicrobeHunter,

It is true that you don't need to attend a formal program to become a phlebotomist or lab assistant. I would suggest that you call the same places that you tried before (local blood bank, Red Cross, and hospitals) and see if they have any openings for these positions. They may have openings on an as needed basis but, you would be in a perfect position if something became available later.