Burnt out and done. Tired of being a "floating" phlebotomist with zero notice and terrible pay
I’ve been with my current lab company for a year and a half, and I’m officially at my breaking point.
For context, we all work solo stations. We aren't just drawing blood; we have to handle all the insurance eligibility and front-end paperwork ourselves. It’s a lot to manage alone, but I’ve made it work at my assigned site.
However, for the past month, my supervisor has been texting me almost every single morning—always last minute—telling me to go cover a different location because we’re "short-staffed." The location she sends me to is a nightmare. It’s chronically busy, disorganized, and completely overwhelming to handle solo.
The worst part? When I finally get back to my original location, the patients there are angry at me for not being around. I actually had a patient file a complaint because I wasn’t at my post. When I told my supervisor about the complaint, she just shrugged it off and said, "we're short on workers."
The pay is already bottom-tier, and with gas prices what they are right now, driving back and forth is eating my entire paycheck.
This morning was the final straw. She texted me last minute (again) to cover. I told her I was already on my way to my scheduled site. Her only response? "pls help ty."
I finally said no. I’m not doing it anymore. Between the lack of support, the constant stress of doing two jobs at once, and a supervisor who thinks a "pls help" text makes up for poor management, I’m ready to hand in my notice.
And I won't be surprised if she asks me to cover at another location again this week..
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of "solo station" burnout? How do you even handle the guilt of patients complaining when it’s literally not your fault you were reassigned. Should I put in my two weeks? I know its already difficult getting a job right now as it is...