Phlebotomist

Her helping attitude without fear of seeing blood or people in distress led her first to a broad level of medical care, which she later narrowed to a specific expertise in drawing blood. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND

“AT” (fictional initials), one of two sisters, was born and raised in Brooklyn, one of the five borough units of New York City. Her mother was a homemaker while her father was a ‘longshoreman’ – responsible for loading and unloading cargo from ships, trucks and railcars. Also known as a dockworker, a longshoreman operates machinery and equipment, such as cranes and forklifts while sorting and organizing cargo for storage or transport. 

When a person grows up within a home with a sister and two hard-working adults: 

one adult primarily managing to keep all the rooms clean, gather and prepare the food, change the laundry, supervise any children (and pets) while the 

secondadult leaves home early to use physical strength and skills to perform heavy, tiring duties, 

it is understandable that AT would absorb her parents’ daily work ethic: show up every day and do you job well while helping others. 

EDUCATION

During high school, AT balanced socializing with studying her academic courses, soon realizing that she liked paying attention to the details required to succeed in math and science courses. Proceeding to a four-year or even a two-year college did not seem possibly affordable, so AT began to consider a wide range of other career options – hopefully something both interesting and paying well enough to support herself. 

EARLY INTEREST LEADS TO CAREER PATH IN MEDICAL SERVICES

As a ‘people person,’ AT naturally paid attention to others and tried to help them. Having seen ambulance workers in her neighborhood assisting sick and injured people, both children and adults, AT decided to pursue free, local training as an EMT – emergency medical technician. 

EMT CAREER PATH

An EMT is a trained medical professional who responds to emergencies and provides care to patients. 

Responsibilities include:

• Assess patients – evaluate their conditions and injuries to determine the priority of care
• Perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), administer epinephrine and splint or bandage wounds. 
• Transport patients to hospitals in ambulances
• Explain the situation to hospital staff and relay patient vital body information
• Fill out patient reports after providing care

Training includes:

• Basic anatomy, physiology and first aid.
• Learning responses to cardiac arrest, strokes and other emergencies
• Learning use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Learning infection control protocols
• Learning to use body mechanics to safely lift and move patients

Working conditions include:

• High pressure environments
• Emotional strain from dealing with traumatic situations
• Irregular hours 

Other EMT roles:

• Advanced EMTs, or EMT-Intermediaries, can perform more advanced medical procedures
• EMTs work closely with paramedics and other emergency medical personnel

EMT Education

A typical EMT training course is approximately 184 hours, including both classroom and practical lab scenarios. Upon completion of the course, an EMT candidate must pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician’s (NREMT) exam to be certified as an EMT

Paramedic difference – usually 1,200 to 1,800 hours of training.

CHALLENGE – DEALING WITH BLOOD AND PEOPLE IN DISTRESS

If the sight or thought of any of the following makes you weak or dizzy or sick to your stomach or very uncomfortable: 

• blood oozing from a person – regardless of whether they are in pain 
• a significantly injured person (for example: a car crash passenger slumped over the steering wheel, or a child thrown down by a speeding bicyclist or a worker struggling to extract his arm from a machine)

then probably no medical-oriented career is best for you – especially not phlebotomy, where daily job tasks may range from (a) gently pinching a nerve in the inside of an elbow to draw a small amount of blood into a small needle to (b) trying to calm a scared child afraid of seeing any size of approaching needle. 

CHALLENGE – BALANCING YOUNG MOM RESPONSIBILITIES

Raising a child or children while working full-time requires balancing important and conflicting responsibilities – common to every type of career. AT was no exception, accepting gracious offers of assistance from other family members when they were able, plus low-cost daycare until the children could be totally independent. 

MEDICAL ASSISTANT

Working as an EMT can be tiring both physically and mentally while often dealing with bloody, traumatic accident scenes and patients whose lives cannot be saved. After several years serving as an EMT, AT began to consider a calmer, less stressful way to help others – perhaps within an indoor setting such as a clinic or hospital. One broad category within the medical field is medical assistant.

A ‘medical assistant,’ also known as a ‘clinical assistant,’ or ‘healthcare assistant’ is an allied health professional who supports the work of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other health professionals, usually in a clinic setting. (This occupation should not be confused with physician assistants, who are licensed professionals trained to practice medicine and perform surgical procedures in collaboration with a physician.) 

After completing additional classroom and practical courses to expand her medical knowledge and skills, AT qualified as a medical assistant, working under the supervision of doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses in medical offices. Within these settings, AT noticed the gentle skills necessary to draw patients’ blood – in very small quantities – for blood testing purposes. In addition to the manual dexterity required, AT noticed how the phlebotomists who worked at a high skills level were especially appreciated by patients and the medical team, thus earning the opportunity to set their own working hours while having less broad responsibilities. 

Starting a career in the medical field as an EMT could be a stepping-stone toward broader training with less stress, better hours and pay but for some, the adrenaline rush of managing daily medical crises is a happy, long-term goal. 

SKILLS NEEDED FOR PHLEBOTOMY

In addition to an overall attitude of sincere care for the wellbeing of patients undergoing a medical procedure, those who draw patients’ blood must be adept at the following: 

• review medical orders to understand the scope of their assignment
• avoid unnecessary movements (e.g. involuntary body tremors)
• verify patient identification
• organize instruments and collection tubes for efficiency
• maintaining full range of motion for fingers
• continuing to sharpen skills to locate small veins
• awareness of different patient comfort levels to minimize distress

VARIED OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHLEBOTOMY EMPLOYMENT

Needing human blood for testing may be part of many different types of business, for example: hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, government agencies and law enforcement. Some situations would involve remaining in the same indoor office while others would require driving to wherever the person whose blood is to be gently drawn, is located. 

CAREER SATISFACTION

Having experienced many years of rushing to medical emergencies, AT is proud to have helped so many people through various traumas. Now as a medical professional working with a limited focus to assist with patient care, she takes great pleasure in being a highly respected member of a team approach, especially when called in to accomplish a ‘hard stick’ which no other phlebotomist was able to accomplish. 

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This career story was based on multiple sources including internet research (e.g. Wikipedia) and a personal interview with a female who opted – along with 99% of others similarly discussing their careers – to remain anonymous to preserve their privacy while sharing both the joys and the challenges of their career journeys.