Work/life balance of a Phlebotomist.
A Phlebotomist schedule can be problematic because the typical employer in the health field lacks the number of staff required to cover the hours needed. Creating a problem when it comes to balancing phlebotomy and life. Especially with the current global health issues we are all facing. Phlebotomy jobs require 24 hour coverage at times. We all need to be realistic with how many hours we can effectively work before it becomes unsafe for all involved. With most phlebotomy positions being paid hourly, it can be tempting to work as many hours as are offered to you. Take it from someone who has made the mistake before, limit yourself! You are only human. Phlebotomist need to rest and recharge. Make sure to give yourself adequate time to rest between work hours because it’s required in phlebotomy and life. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Once we get exhausted to a certain point, we become ineffective at our jobs, not to mention, unsafe! Accidents happen when we are exhausted and in phlebotomy we can’t affor to make those. Most times we are becoming ineffective prior to realizing it ourselves. A number of things can happen once we begin to become exhausted or burned out. Our attention to detail can diminish drastically the more worn out we become. As we all know, the laboratory science professions are all about the details, every step of the way. When we are exhausted any number of things can happen. You might miss a test that was ordered.
You might miss drawing a specific tube. You might forget to pour a sample off that requires special handling. You might forget to label a sample. NOT TO MENTION NEEDLE STICK ACCIDENTS! All bad and all can be avoided. There is no room for phlebotomy mistakes like these and could result in you losing your job or even death. It is important to take breaks and destress whenever the opportunity arises. This is a great way to make sure that we all are functioning effectively and safely in our positions. We are doing ourselves as well as the patients we serve a disservice when we are overworked and exhausted. Yes, it can be hard to pass up the extra overtime pay, but, I assure you, we are all more valuable to our employers, patients, and families when we are functioning at 100%. Balancing work is a required skill and responsibility in a phlebotomy and life.