My job has no meaning

[PHLEBOTOMIST_TO_RN]

I have been a Phlebotomist for many years and will be done with nursing school this fall, but I am getting to the end of my rope with what I do for a few reasons. I have worked many different types of facilities all over the U.S. both large and small and there is always one underlying thing I have noticed at each one of them and that is the nursing staff thinks the lab is "uneducated" and "unimportant." This is a strange thing considering most of the MT’s have a higher education then many of the RN’s on the floor yet get treated like high school drop outs. Yet time and time again I see and hear how the staff nurses treat and talk about the laboratory as if the hospital could survive without them...how arrogant is that? One place I worked took away the Labs shift differential to work extra shifts, but let the RN's and PT's keep theirs.... WHY? What do the higher ups think we do with all the specimens the nurses give us??? Are we not just as important? Just because they do not "touch" the p.t. directly does not mean that their job is unimportant, however, that is the general idea that comes across. So if they treat someone who has a masters or bachelors degree like that imagine how someone who "just draws blood" gets treated up there. There have been countless times where a nurse told me to my face that " your job is irrelevant" for no other reason then to be a *****. Funny how that is because when they stick a p.t. about 10 times to get a sample and fail who do they ultimately call? The lab of course to bail them out. I think this may be an America thing as I work with many people in my lab who are from all over the world, and a majority say that America is about the only place where the laboratory is not respected. In fact they themselves have been told they are on the level of the cooks and house keeping ( that is something else entirely just think of the hell that would happen if you did not have those people as well doing the work they do.) I know there are probably not many lab people on this forum, but I would like to get a view on this anyways. People think the RN field has a shortage just wait when there is a MT shortage, but no one talks about that.

As a personal note I think alot of this has to do with the fact many of the RN's are not familiar with the day to day operations of how the lab works. Many get the idea we just press buttons all day with out any thought. FAR from the truth.

[PHLEBOTOMIST_TO_RN]

this is an american hospital im talking about...never seen anything like it. So many big heads around it may float the hospital away.Cant wait to leave

[Selke]

I want to say that I have a huge amount of respect for phlebotomists, lab technicians, and anybody else who works in patient care (RTs, PTs, pharmacists, xray techs, &c &c). Thank you for being there and doing your job. I appreciate working where there are phebotomists to do lab draws; that's one less thing for me to do when I'm busy. I call the lab whenever I have a question about labs, what tube to use, and appreciate their helpfulness. We all need each other to care for patients. None of us RNs could do our jobs without you. If you guys have four year degrees, plus licensure or certification, then my hat's off to you for not being bogged down in nursing's multiple routes of entry. I agree with one of the other posters who suggested advertising or doing PR about what you do for the pts to increase your visibility.

[PHLEBOTOMIST_TO_RN]

we had a case once when i worked back east of a Phleb committing suicide because one of the nurses was harassing her so much and putting her down every day. Needless to say that nurse left the next day probably never to work again as a nurse again.This is an extreme case of course, but sometimes a toxic environment is deadly toxic..........I would be lying if I didnt admit one minor reason I went to nursing was to at least get in a field that is respected, and not looked down as scum.

[nuangel1, BSN, RN]

i have utmost respect for resp xray tech phlebotomists .i have never treated any with disrespect.i couldn't do my job without them .i work ed and we do 98% of our own phlebotomy .i have never been in a hospital where nurses were treated like gods dr's maybe nurses no way .but i am sorry for the way you have been treated stand up for yourself educate people so they do know what you do.

[HisHands, ASN, RN]

Maybe this is the way they do it up here in the sticks, but the phlebotomists I know all were hired in off the street (one in particular was an unprofessional manager of a gas station who got fired for telling customers to "f" off) with a two week phlebotomy course. Now, The only people I have no respect for are those that are rude or disrespectful to me. Otherwise, I don't care if you are in laundry, housekeeping, lab or the Administrator... I'm as sweet as pie. But, if you cop an attitude with me, you lose absolutely all respect from me.

[plumrn, BSN, RN]

We truly appreciate our lab staff, and I have personally never even thought of them as being anything but the professionals they are. I have never witnessed anyone downgrading another employee of our hospital, as you have described, and get away with it.

Most people would not let something like that slide by without saying something, writing up the offender, or something. NO ONE would talk to me like that, and not find out what a big mistake they just made.

It sounds like what others have said- an institutional problem you have there. Maybe you should look somewhere else to work. I promise you, that won't fly in most places.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

As someone who worked in blood bank operations prior to becoming a nurse, I can relate to some of what you're expressing. Burnout and lack of appreciation are common problems. Part of the issue for lab personnel is a widespread lack of understanding related to lab roles and education. We have similar issues in nursing, believe it or not.

In your own post though, there are seemingly interchangeable references to phlebotomists and MT's, which further confuses the issue. The acronym MT usually refers to a medical technologist, a baccalaureate-educated lab employee who is almost never actually the phlebotomist. While many MT's have more education than many nurses, your issue seems to relate to the treatment of phlebotomists, not MT's.

I'm all for creating more harmonious relationships between providers. I just think that accuracy in our claims and a cooperative spirit are essential to achieving it.

[Bridget O'Malley]

Hard to believe you've been told countless times that your job is irrelevant and yet you haven't mentioned any attempt to counteract this harrassment. I sense a bit of projection here.

Like other nurses who have posted on this thread, I think highly of lab staff and could not do my job without the wonderful people who work in this field. Our ER staff sends thank you notes or sends e-mails to lab management nearly every time a phlebotomist or MT helps us out. Even if we didn't, I can't think of a single nurse who looks down on housekeeping, lab, etc. After all, we're all in this together.

I sincerely hope things improve for you.

[clemmm78, RN]

Wow! That is one amazing orientation. What a great, great, great idea.

Love it.

When I was hired as a new grad into my current hospital, my first week was spent in outrotation to every different department in the hospital. I spent a full day in lab learning how they do their work, they showed me the best practice for draws and sample collection. I was shown how the microbiologist processes samples and how all the different labs are run. I spent about an hour that day with the lab department head and he told me everything that he wanted me to know about his department. Now when I pick up the phone and ask for something stat, I can picture in my mind exactly what goes on from the time I put down the phone until my printer spits out a result. I find that it gave me far more respect for the lab, and I think that they respect us more for coming down and spending that time with them. (It was also pretty fun loading chems, and doing manual diffs, etc etc.)

In addition, I spent time with nutrition and the patient cafeteria, pharmacy, housekeeping, radiology, pastoral care, social services, and so on, and it wasn't just sitting around watching them work - to the greatest extent possible, I was to do their job. I even spent a half day with my new department head seeing everything that he does in a day.

Some of the nurses grumble about it being a waste of time, but I found it amazing, and it opened my eyes to how every department works together to provide total care to our patients. I just think that it should be expanded and have every new lab tech, housekeeper and kitchen aide running around after nurses for a day!

Seriously, what you have is a culture problem. There's a lack of institutional respect and I would bet that it's not just between lab and nurses. It probably pervades every relationship in your facility.

[clemmm78, RN]

Unfortunately, there are ignorant people in all professions. Look at your example the other day of one nurse who was trying to put down the person delivering trays, who turned out to be an RN.

Anyone who derides anyone else's job isn't worth my time of day. I never, ever criticize someone for working at McDonald's (I refuse to say "flipping burgers") because it's an honest job doing an honest wage. I always treated the housekeeping staff with as much respect as I treated the doctors and I never failed to help anyone in a "lower" job than me if they needed it and I had the time to help. Caf staff: Having trouble with the tray? Here, let me give you a hand. Phlebotemy staff: having trouble getting the pt to keep her arm still, here let me help.

My advice would be to take a good look at where the attitude is coming from. If they're treating you badly because "you're only a...." or "you only went to school as far as...." then they have issues and problems of their own that we can't solve.

[LydiaNN]

ok, there is absolutely no way you work in america!!! :lol2:

[color=#483d8b]they treat nurses like gods??? seriously? i wanna work there:nurse:

that's funny, those were my exact thoughts while reading the post that you quoted. nurses are treated like gods? boy howdy, sign me up!!!!

[imenid37]

I have had some issues w/ the lab in the past, in particular phlebotomy. Some of the phlebotomists are hired off the street. Many are pretty good at their job after having a lot of experience. I know they stick people who I could not get. However, they are here for the patients in the hospital, all of the patients. In our facility, the lab has it drilled into the furthest reaches of their brain that the ED is priority at all times. If they are calling, then our patients are either rushed or they are skipped until the ED patient is done. To top that, the lab person must be at the bedside when the blood is drawn. I can draw it w/ their iV start, but the lab must be right there. Well, if the ED is calling, then the phlebotomist will often tie the tourniquet on the other arm and poke away. It takes too long to wait for the nurse to collect the tubes. Really great for a patient who probably doesn't like getting stuck anyway. The phlebotomist will often say, "I can't wait for you, the ED needs me now." I had lab skip my patient's cbc prior to a stat c.section because the ED called. This is after I stopped the person in the hall and said come right in here please, we are taking the pt. to the OR ASAP. We have complained about this to lab ad nauseum. They do not want to give up control of obtaining blood specimens. I have heard nursing wants to "take this way from them." Honestly, I have enough to do, but I do want to look out fro my patients and make sure they are comfortable and their labs are done when they need to be. Personally, I'd like a few lab tubes on the floors when I need them AND I think the hospital should pony up w/ some cash and pay a phlebotomist just for the ED!