$800 phlebotomy course worth it before I start BSN program?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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So I won't be starting nursing school until Fall 2014 at the earliest. I was thinking about taking a phlebotomy course and hopefully working as a phlebotomist while doing my ~2 year BSN program.

What are your opinions on this?

The extra money would be nice but my main reason for wanting to do this is to get experience and put it on my resume. The only job experience I have is working at a fast food restaurant in high school (3 years ago) for ONLY 3 months!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Get it for the money while in school. But, it's out of your scope as a nursing student until you learn how to draw blood, so you won't be able to use that knowledge.

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So I won't be starting nursing school until Fall 2014 at the earliest. I was thinking about taking a phlebotomy course and hopefully working as a phlebotomist while doing my ~2 year BSN program.

What are your opinions on this?

The extra money would be nice but my main reason for wanting to do this is to get experience and put it on my resume. The only job experience I have is working at a fast food restaurant in high school (3 years ago) for ONLY 3 months!

As a current nursing student and past phlebotomist, there are definite pros and cons to this. Obviously, the money is a pro, but you can earn money by working in other areas of the hospital, as well. Another pro is that phlebotomy experience definitely makes finding veins and placing IVs easier.

For the cons...I have gone back and forth on whether I might like to get another phlebotomy job while in school. I left the last phleb job a while before starting nursing school and also moved out of the area where I held that job. My personal concern is that at my old job as well as the hospital I do clinicals at, many times it seems that the rest of the hospital is perpetually frustrated with the lab. We would run short-staffed and multiple areas would need stat draws; no matter how polite and courteous I was in saying I would be there as soon as possible, the nurses on the floor would still end up very (completely understandably) frustrated. At my old job, I also found many times where I would be drawing blood on a difficult patient and a nurse would come in and ask, "why are you drawing that, it was supposed to have been discontinued?" and for whatever reason it had not been discontinued in the computer. This led to many if us phlebs at that job asking if certain labs were needed and nurses frustrated that we were asking if we need to do our job (though there were MANY times where I asked and the lab was ordered, but NOT needed). Basically, that's a lot if words to say that I am worried about burning bridges in the nursing areas if I work as a phleb.

I would recommend considering a CNA or tech position if you really want to get to know people and have an "in". Phlebotomists in big hospitals get VERY little exposure to nursing managers, unless it is BAD exposure. Best of luck in whatever you decide!

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Hey, thanks for your replies. SoonToBeNurse, is that how it is with a majority of hospitals?? It kind of sounds like a problem within the hospital you worked at.. Under-staffed and disorganized.

I don't think I would do CNA because from what I've heard, the work hours are not as flexible as being a phlebotomist. I saw a few phlebotomist job listings for weekends only, which would be ideal for me while going to school on weekdays. Also, being a CNA just sounds more strenuous, and with the added stress of school, that's something I do not want.

Could you give an estimate as to how much to average pay differential is between CNA and phlebotomist?

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

I had a different experience as the previous poster when I did phlebotomy. We worked well with the nurses. Often, we'd draw extra tubes because the docs would invariably forget to enter a particular lab in the computer. The extra tubes saved the patient an additional poke and the nurses were always grateful that we consulted with them before our draws.

I guess it just depends on the facility. I really enjoyed my phlebotomy experience, it was very positive. I wish there were openings for a lab tech right now so I could continue working while in school. Alas, our area is going through layoffs in healthcare, so jobs are far & few between right now.

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Hey, thanks for your replies. SoonToBeNurse, is that how it is with a majority of hospitals?? It kind of sounds like a problem within the hospital you worked at.. Under-staffed and disorganized.

I don't think I would do CNA because from what I've heard, the work hours are not as flexible as being a phlebotomist. I saw a few phlebotomist job listings for weekends only, which would be ideal for me while going to school on weekdays. Also, being a CNA just sounds more strenuous, and with the added stress of school, that's something I do not want.

Could you give an estimate as to how much to average pay differential is between CNA and phlebotomist?

I will be honest in saying that I don't know if it is that way at all hospitals. I know it was that way at the hospital I worked at and I know how frustrated I see the nurses get with the lab at the hospital where I am doing clinicals. These hospitals are in two completely different areas geographically.

Phlebotomy hours can definitely be flexible and a weekend option sounds awesome if you are doing school during the week. I think it all depends on the lab manager. If you were to find one that is very student friendly, run with it:) I have just found that ultimately managers and supervisors have to staff their area as their primary concern, so if say several people have recently left and then someone goes out on medical leave while they are still hiring, you may be put on the schedule in a spot other than weekends. Granted, that is a situation that you would hope wouldn't happen often, but I am kind of a worrier, so those are concerns I have thought of for me personally getting any hospital job while in school.

Where I live, CNAs get paid less than phlebotomists by a few dollars an hour and you are correct, most of them do more physically demanding work than I did in lab. My CNA recommendation is just because, your boss when you are a CNA, is usually the same person that hires nurses, so you can definitely get to know people that could possibly hire you later!

Once again my suggestions are all just food for thought from a self-proclaimed worrier, so your area may have a small hospital where they are student-friendly with schedules and the lab and nurses love each other to pieces! Just giving you input on things I have thought of in my own personal considerations of a phleb job:)

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I had a different experience as the previous poster when I did phlebotomy. We worked well with the nurses. Often we'd draw extra tubes because the docs would invariably forget to enter a particular lab in the computer. The extra tubes saved the patient an additional poke and the nurses were always grateful that we consulted with them before our draws. [/quote']

I am glad the OP is getting more than one POV:) We tried to draw an extra tube or two as well and LOVED when we could add on without poking again. I will be honest, most of the nurses seemed grateful when we consulted before draws. The only reason I mentioned that possible nurse frustration is that I read a vent threads here on AN one time where a nurse said she didn't understand why lab always came to ask her if a lab was needed and several other nurses chimed in agreeing with that vent!

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

$800 is ridiculous.

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Hey, thanks for your replies. SoonToBeNurse, is that how it is with a majority of hospitals?? It kind of sounds like a problem within the hospital you worked at.. Under-staffed and disorganized.

I don't think I would do CNA because from what I've heard, the work hours are not as flexible as being a phlebotomist. I saw a few phlebotomist job listings for weekends only, which would be ideal for me while going to school on weekdays. Also, being a CNA just sounds more strenuous, and with the added stress of school, that's something I do not want.

Could you give an estimate as to how much to average pay differential is between CNA and phlebotomist?

My experience with being a CNA has been very positive. I believe being a CNA gives you better opportunities because you can work in a hospital, nursing home, home care...I've worked only weekends, midnights, days...I work in a hospital now part time so it's only 2 12 hour shifts a week....I love my job, the environment, and I love working so close with the nurses...you really get a feel for the job and the thinking that goes along with it...CNA and phlebotomist make about the same where I live...

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I too am a worrier. One thing that is holding me back from going through with the phlebotomy course is I'm worried I won't be able to find a job afterwards.. After looking through some phlebotomy job listings, most required (or at least preferred) 1 year working in a hospital/lab. How am I supposed to find a job after getting certified if I've got no experience? Seems like a catch 22.

How did yall go about landing your first CNA or phlebotomist jobs?

And yeah, $800 sounds expensive but it's actually a fair price. The program at my college offers 2 classroom courses and 1 clinical course for that much money. They also allow you to sit for the national certification exam after completion of the course. I'm not sure if only qualified people get to take it but that's what it says on the website.

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I found my first CNA job on Craigslist...it was a group home then I continued to move up from there....

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I too am a worrier. One thing that is holding me back from going through with the phlebotomy course is I'm worried I won't be able to find a job afterwards.. After looking through some phlebotomy job listings, most required (or at least preferred) 1 year working in a hospital/lab. How am I supposed to find a job after getting certified if I've got no experience? Seems like a catch 22.

How did yall go about landing your first CNA or phlebotomist jobs?

And yeah, $800 sounds expensive but it's actually a fair price. The program at my college offers 2 classroom courses and 1 clinical course for that much money. They also allow you to sit for the national certification exam after completion of the course. I'm not sure if only qualified people get to take it but that's what it says on the website.

Finding my first phlebotomy job was difficult; you are right, everywhere wants experience. I wish I could give solid advice on finding ANY healthcare job without experience, but I found my phleb job because I knew someone who got me in.

$800 sounds completely fair. My class had a classroom, lab, and clinical portion. When I took my class 6 years ago, it was around $800. I just looked and the same class is much higher now!

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