r/phlebotomy

My license is going to expire in December. Unfortunately, I haven’t been as lucky and found a job doing phlebotomy. However, I am currently in an MA program and I would like to keep my CPT1 license if possible. I just googled online on how to renew and if I’m understanding it correctly, I’d have to find someplace that can give me the CE credits that I need to renew and then pay the renewal fee?

Where exactly can I go to / how to find the CE courses that I need and that is approved? I’m in California.

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OSPHLD/LFS/Pages/Personnel-Renewal.aspx

I’m a relatively new phlebotomist working in a busy outpatient hospital lab, and I’ve been feeling really proud of my progress lately. I’m often alone from 12:30–5 and regularly draw 40+ patients a day. Recently I personally drew 54 of our lab’s 74 patients.
Today my supervisor told me she’d heard I’ve been having “a lot of misses” and needing help. I was surprised because that really doesn’t match my experience. At most I might need help with 1–2 patients in a day, and plenty of days I need none.
Apparently the feedback came from a phlebotomist who has helped me maybe four times total and has only watched me draw a couple times. She also told my supervisor I don’t tie my tourniquets tightly enough, which she’s never said to me directly.
My supervisor wants me to spend a week at another lab getting more dedicated drawing experience. I’m open to it, but honestly I feel a little hurt and demoralized. I’m already drawing all day across a huge range of patients and felt like I was getting pretty good at this.
Now I’m worried that every time I appropriately call for help after two misses, it’ll just reinforce this image that I’m struggling. Anyone else dealt with something like this as a newer phlebotomist?

I remember seeing on the offer letter that they provide health insurance starting day 1, but nobody has mentioned it yet, and I need to cancel my Medicaid no more than 30 days after starting a new job. I cannot be without health insurance due to medical reasons. Also, how about the scrub stipend? I feel so lost about anything related to benefits... I received an email with a couple of dates from HR for a welcome presentation, but it is mostly in Eastern time, and I am in CA so I would have to be in the meeting like 3 or 5am

I’m an Lpn that wants to transition to phlebotomy. My job is actually closing down and I took a phlebotomy class and fell in love. But now I can’t seem to get hired. I have applied to probably around 100 jobs by now. Hospitals, outpatient, plasma/blood donation, quest, labcorp, drug screening companies… I’ve gotten a few interviews but no offer. I’ve been trying for about a month. Is this normal? Or is it my Lpn license holding me back?

I’ve been working for a site that varies from 40-100 patients a day for about a month now and I feel absolutely miserable. I’ve had my license for a while but just recently got a job so I knew I wouldn’t be that great starting out, but I’m given no grace and no patience at this clinic. I work with a small team and they make me take on most of the work without properly teaching me things. If I don’t do something exactly the way they want me to after one observation (ie. accidentally navigating to the wrong website first when verifying insurance) they reprimand me in front of patients. When I’m drawing blood in the back, they talk loudly in the front about how I’m not a good phlebotomist, that I’m slow, or how they hate training me. They also threaten to transfer or fire me at every instance (I’ve been waiting for it tbh). I also get called names and get compared to the previous phlebotomist most days.

I’ve been wondering if I’m just taking it too personally. I understand my “mentor” is upset because they didn’t want to train anyone and the company sent me over, but I don’t think it warrants this type of disrespect towards me. What confuses me is that some hours of the day they’re cordial with me and make it seem like I’m allowed to be a beginner, and then they do a 360 and insult my whole being. I’ve only stuck it out this long because I need the income and I want to get into a professional health program one day, but I’m losing a lot of hope and love for healthcare because of this environment. The only bright side is that I now know how to verify pt insurance and I barely miss a vein now.

I keep seeing differing opinions from pressure from tourniquet or cuff, arterial vein hit, needle too slow, and needle bevel is in vein and out same time. Why do you think a blood spurts?

Also, when you all see a vein maybe blowing up, or a bubble start to form, what is your response? Do you all just stop and draw from there? Hold needle more downward? Or just remove needle? I have worked in hosptial before. I understand why to remove. I am simply curious why you stay or don't since it is different in hospital versus donor setting it seems.

I need these downvotes to help me figure out what is everyone's common census. I feel like i do not see enough informatione even in educational resources. simple curious post what yall think

Hi! I need a little bit of my own blood (around 10 ml) for a project and I was wondering what’s the best body part and way to do it. I know it cannot be totally risk-free as I’m not qualified to do this, but I hope to find out the way to keep risks at minimum. It doesn’t have to be venal blood, any kind of it can do

Im sorry if im being very paranoid. I get very nervous at blood tests so i start blabbing. The lady taking my blood draw first poked my right arm which started going numb cause blood just would come out fast. So she moved to the other arm. Ive never had it happen before , so i just asked if this was something I should mention to my doctor, and she said no. Then i cracked a stupid joke about how they shoukd employ mosquitos to help with the testing. She seemed ok with it and added that doing that would risk diseases. But now im worried i offended her. As tho i was implying a mosquito could do a better job. And then I mentioned the country that im from and its a counn try that doesnt get along with hers.

I am extremely paranoid. The results came back and they were quite normal so how possible is it that she could switch my blood out with someone else, something perfectly healthy if she didn't like me? Just to fuck up my test 😭 and leave me to a hanging diagnosis.

Again, forgive my paranoia. I just need someone here who works in this space to tell me how fucking unlikely and difficult it is for a phlebotomist to do that.

I finished my phleb course end of May and got my license in June. I have applied to likely 50+ jobs in my area and I haven’t gotten a single interview for any of them. I even have more experience than most new phlebs as I was a vet assistant for almost 2 years. I’m constantly seeing listings for LabCorp and Kaiser and Quest and I get the same rejection email 2 weeks after my application is sent in. I feel so hopeless and am beginning to regret spending that much money on classes, especially now since I had to leave my job and haven’t been able to find anything else. I’m lucky enough to have stable housing which I am very grateful for. I feel like I’m going insane.

Edit: thank you for the replies, I'm glad to know that at least I'm not the only one struggling in the job department. I'm starting nursing school next month (been enrolled since and am hopeful that will work out better for me and my phleb cert will give me a better chance at nursing jobs when I graduate. Thank you again!

Hi all! I have just begun my clinicals at the oncology lab section of a local hospital in my area. I have finished the classroom portion, received my certification, and am finishing up my clinicals which will take 4 weeks. I am in an area that is considered a "medical hub" as we have 3 major hospital systems, including a children's hospital. There are a good bit of phlebotomy job postings in the area, but I have a feeling there will be a large amount of people applying for only a few positions, based on the posts I have seen on Linkedin.

So. I came here to ask...does having clinicals give me a leg up in being hired? Does this count as "some" experience, as I have been drawing, charting, etc as a regular, working phlebotomist would? As a working mom, I want to ensure I will be able to secure a job after my clinicals within a timely manner (life is expensive out here). I went with a school that provided clinicals after, as I had a friend go with PTS who did not provide externships after and she has had an incredibly difficult time looking for work (she has been looking for an upwards of 4 months now and nothing). Just curious because I have been having really bad job anxiety, and I don't want to feel like I have put in 8 hours of a months long clinical experience for nothing. I do love this profession and have been really enjoying my time in clinicals as I received a great placement. Thanks all!!

Hello all!

Im a newly graduate as of June, I’ve been applying to every phleb job I see (when there is one, it’s very hard to find a phleb job in my area. Im in California) and I keep getting no response or just a straight up no. Every job i see so far is requiring 1 year minimum experience and I reply still just to test my luck.

I know it’s still kinda fresh but I feel like my license is going to waste, I’ve been keeping up with my books and going through my notes to keep my mind fresh the order of draw etc but I’m starting to feel discouraged.

Any advice on what I can do? I’ve also been trying to apply to medical receptionist (I have no certifications other than my CPT1) just to see if I can put my foot in the door and maybe someone will know someone and help me lol. Thanks all!

I just recently got my first phleb job at a hospital, its paying more than any other place around here. However the amount of work I'm doing is 3 peoples jobs. I got in to phlebotomy thinking it would give me a pay raise and stability but I'm still not making enough to live and I'm so stressed all the time on top of having a disability. I feel like I'm so stupid thinking this would solve everything. I dread going into work every day, but i need the money. I'm feeling hopeless.

My course only gives us 10 butterflies (which we can practice with but also need to save because we don't get more and need at least 2 for the practical), but I've used 6 of them already and have about a 50% success rate so far. I need to hold onto my 4 remaining butterflies so that I can restick if I miss any on the practical, but that means I can't practice at all with them until then. I've been trying to find some online, but the only human-grade butterflies I can find online are the ones that come with the whole fake arm kit (which my course doesn't use; we started sticking each other day 2 and practice that way). Are those worth buying for ~$100? I'm really nervous about missing my sticks on the practical and failing the course.

I have an interview tomorrow with BioLife and I’m very nervous. I don’t know what they’re gonna ask and I’m scared I won’t know how to answer their questions.

You think it’s possible to cram everything the NHA has in under 5 hours…

IM STUDYING RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO KNOW!

(california)

UPDATE: Nothing i studied came up…kinda..

I’m not gunna go into specifics but the questions were weird and really hard. There were some questions about order of draw and tube types but it was only like 10%

I’ll update you guys on my score UGHHH

UPDATE 2: I PASSED!!! honestly so surprised…

hey yall
i’m looking at a phlebotomy certification, but there’s only one thing stopping me. i have SEVERE emetephobia, and if people throw up while i’m working on them i will have a full blown panic attack and probably quit. so i guess my question is how often does it happen? i know people pass out and that’s no problem but i don’t want to spend the money on the certification if it happens frequently.

With the advancement of AI and at home kits like Rhythm, I feel like phlebotomists will slowly start to be phased out. This is what I wanted to do as a career and I feel like it’s being threatened. I see ads for kits that draw from the bicep Instead of a vein and I see blood drawing machines on tik tok and it irritates me. I understand the convenience but I finally landed a job and I feel like it’s in danger