Phlebotomy license?

[saint1569]

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Would it be a good idea to get a phlebotomy license this summer? I just finished my first year of undergrad and so far I have some hospital volunteering under my belt.

I'm planning on taking a class or two in the summer and continue volunteering. I would like to shadow some doctors but I don't know how to go about doing that...😕

 

[mvenus929]

I have a phlebotomy certificate and work in a hospital full time doing it. I love it, because I get to see a whole bunch of different stuff. However, if you don't get a chance to do it full time, you might not enjoy it as much, because you'll be so focused on merely getting draws done. Ditto for working in an outpatient setting. The turn-over rate for phlebotomists is pretty high, though, so you could probably get a job fairly quickly.

As for shadowing, just look up some names on your local hospital's website (find a physician), and just start calling to see if you can shadow. Cold calling sucks, but it's one of the best ways to get what you want.

 

[Mattabet]

If you're just looking for application-padding, you probably don't want to go and try to get certified as a phlebotomist. If, on the other hand, you want a nice fall back in case you need to take some time off between undergrad and medical school, it might be worth looking into. You'll want to check with technical colleges in your area for the requisite classwork, and then I believe that getting certified is just a matter of doing some requisite number of supervised pokes, sticks, and draws. It would take a few months to get certified, but it might be nice to have that option if you want to take a couple years off down the line.

 

[phlebotomist]

You don't need to necessarily go to school to be a phlebotomist. There are some places out there who would train you on the job (hospitals, testing labs, plasma centers, etc.) It'd save you some money from schooling. That's just my advice and I've been doing phlebotomy work for a couple years w/o having to go through a program.

 

[Terpskins99]

Those of you guys with phlebotomy licenses... I highly advise shadowing an anesthesiologist. You will look like a rock-star and get a ridiculous recommendation letter. 😉