Interview

1: I attended Jacksonville Community College in Jacksonville NC and graduated from my program in December of 2007! I worked as a phlebotomist for 2 years before completing my SCNA course and then I transitioned into the nursing side of the field. For those 2 years I worked mostly as an aide but did side work as a phlebotomy on my off time. :)

2: My very 1st position was at ORMC in Odessa. It was a simple job and I enjoyed working there, but Midland offered me a trauma phlebotomy position and paid more so I transferred hospitals. I didn’t last but 7 months in Midland because the work was strenuous and there was zero leadership. My supervisor had a family emergency my 1st week of work and never returned to train me, so the other phlebotomists left me to the lions per-se. Being that we had transitioned recently from NC back to Texas, we decided to live back home in Andrews, and I was hired at PRMC. Less pay, but way better working environment and very close to home. During that 1st year at PRMC, I learned a great deal from a few amazing, seasoned phlebotomists and they helped grow my passion towards the med field.

3: At first, I was a little sketchy and wasn’t sure if I could handle the pressures of working in the medical field, but after 2 years of experience i was ready for more so I entered an in-house program through PRCC (PRMC nursing home) and transferred onto the medical surgical unit as a SCNA and a Unit clerk. I absolutely loved working with patients and even saved a few people’s lives! By working both sides of the team i was able to get a better understanding of what the medical field was about and eventually decided to further pursue the clinical aspects of it. The clinical side is fascinating because not only do we get to look deeper into the cause and effect of disease and illness, but as a laboratory professional we get to play a HUGE roll in each patients care. Without the lab Dr’s have harder times depicting the cause of illness and disease.

4: There are many skills a phlebotomist or Tech needs to have to be successful in this field. Phlebotomy is so much more than just blood collection. You must have a good soul, an outstanding personality, impeccable organizational and time management skills and be able to trouble shoot opposition on the fly. A phlebotomist must also be able to work outside his/her comfort zone and know how to keep their cool in emergency situations. The phlebotomist must be in shape and quick of the mind.

5: First in phlebotomy must have patience. Not only with difficult patience but with himself as well. Not every day will be easy, not every day will be tasking, however if the phlebotomist is not able to adjust it can be taxing on their mental health. He/She must be compassionate and understanding. Must also be able to turn himself/herself into someone the patient can trust and rely on. Integrity and kindness are optimal! As a lab tech, you also must be dedicated and a great self-starter. Too many things need to get done within a day that people’s lives depend on so laziness is unacceptable. Something i look for in good employees is their capability to have initiative. Initiative is what saves lives. Had I not taken the initiative to bring up the fact that a patient was experiencing A-fib after a shower the nurses would have never known and he could have died! They had missed the symptoms several times and I took the time to document everything he was experiencing and spoke up about his symptoms.

6 and 7: Something I have noticed about many new phlebotomists, regardless of age is that they have no office skills. There were about 10 coworkers in my lab and only 3 knew how to fax, copy, email, or even type! May I add that none of them even had proper phone etiquette and were messy! These are skills that a phlebotomist will use regularly, so I suggest working on these skills now, practice typing properly and get fast. Also take a course or two in computer science. Learn to work with a few of the programs you may use later down the road.

8: Communication skills are very important in this field. You will encounter various types of people and many barriers can keep you from communicating efficiently. This miscommunication can lead to serious implications against the hospital so follow these rules to the T. Never disregard what a patient is saying. Always speak in the language they are most comfortable in speaking, if you cannot speak to them in their language find an interpreter. Never raise your voice have a callous face or use body language that is negative in any way. Learn to speak with a softer understanding tone to patients who are disgruntled and learn to be kindly stern when needed. Please learn the cultural differences for all people and always stay respectful. Of course, the patient isn’t always right, but maybe they are just misinformed or misinterpreted what they were told. Do not belittle them or it will add fire to the flame. Be understanding and controlled in all that you do.

9: The books in school teach you A LOT about what is expected of you, however the best knowledge you will obtain is that of which is learned on the job. Be open minded to new techniques that do not break procedure but stick to your guns if they do. Not every patient will be easy, learn from the experience as you go along so you can grow and succeed. Don’t be scared to ask for help and do not be scared to offer it. Although you may be new, you may have a skill or technique that a seasoned coworker may have never heard of. Try not to be too much of a Superman, somethings are out of our control and that’s ok. If things way heavy on your mind release those anxieties through your favorite outlet. Do not let it build up because then it will tear away at you. You will experience birth, death, pain, sadness, joy….. take them all in and learn to appreciate the life you have and how to build where the valleys are low.