What position is right for you?
Making sure that your qualifications match the job description and the employers needs is ultra important. Along with that, make sure the position fits your career needs as well. When it comes to our careers in Phlebotomy, there are multiple positions that you could be qualified to perform. Use keywords when doing your employment search. Of course you will search for phlebotomist, but you can also search for lab assistant, specimen collector, or pre-analytical lab representative, just to name a few. Using keywords to broaden your job search can produce an enormous number of opportunities that you would not always see if you are simply searching for phlebotomy.
Everyone needs a certain level of experience. If you are a new graduate, try not to get discouraged when searching for positions. This might be a good time to get into a role that will get you experience being in the lab and also help get a few sticks. This is something that can be available to you if you apply for a lab representative position. These are great positions to get in with an organization and expand your knowledge with ordering testing and dealing with specialized departments within the laboratory. You might also consider applying at a blood donation or plasma donation facility. These are great for just the shear number of patients that you will see on a daily basis. The draw back to these, in my opinion, is that you will see mainly clients with “good” veins. You likely will not get the variety with patient demographics either. Meaning, you will not see a wide age range and you will not see illness or other issues that could contribute to patients being more difficult to get blood from. It is important to have a full understanding of the job description and how your skills relate to it. With that being said, don’t pigeon hole yourself. Expand your search.