Phlebotomy while I wait?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello All,

The wait list for the AD programs in my area are 2-3 years. I am still waiting to hear from 2 schools but am just getting really anxious. First a little background info on me.

I have a degree in Psychology and decided to return to school and do nuring something I've always wanted to do. The Human Service field really burnt me out and my heart wasnt into wanting to be a counselor anymore.

I got back into school and have been doing all the science pre-reqs. This may (2006) I will have completed all the A&Ps, chem, micro. I have applied to get into various AD programs and some accelerated BSN to MSN nursing programs. My gpa is good i think (overall 3.5) but it is very tough to get into a program. Especially because most of my classes need to be transferred and some schools just dont like that. My take on the whole situation is I do not want to take classes that I've already taken and did great in. I do not have the money or the time to retake english classes etc. I do not mind waiting to get into a program but i am thinking of doing a phlebotomy certification while i wait. It is only 1 semester and at least i would be working in a hospital while i am waiting for the nursing programs to open up.

Does anyone have any advice? I am losing with all this and just am trying to sort out my future plans.

~Belle~

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Are all of your LPN programs full as well? What about CNA? My advice would be to go with something that (even if it is from the ground up) would support you in your future career. A CNA would get you some floor time and then you could move to LPN or if you can do LPN right away and do a bridge program to RN. Did you check out any votech schools. The ones around me, have LPN programs that are 12 months, and no prereqs required. I am doing a LPN program starting this summer because it is viritually IMPOSSIBLE to get in anywhere without waiting what feels like a million years. I figure if I can't get into RN school then I could do an online LPN-RN thing.

One more thing. COlleges can be pretty accepting about transferring credits as long as they meet the general criteria. Don't let that discourage you!!!

You can do it!

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Hey,

First, if your living in California, don't even bother thinking about getting you Phlebotomy cert. I finished my phlebotomy in Dec, and I'm looking at up to eight months to get my license. :angryfire :D Not fun, i can garuntee you. ( Sorry my spelling is horrible!) I would advise you to go for your CNA so you can start working right away. Hope this helps you.

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My discouragment is aweful right now. I am completely frustrated. I will have to look into the LPN option but unfortunately I think they are full too. But thank you for the words of encouragement.

Belle

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I live in Massachusetts. Thanks for the advice. I didnt know about that. I'm going to look into how long it would take to get licensed. I just want to work in a hospital. I am in a dead end job right now and just want to move on somewhere.

Belle

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Specializes in heading for NICU.

I did Phlebotomy and I can say that I know the skills will give me a leg up on IVs starts...I know it's different but at least you get used to sticking patients, finding veins etc... The other benefit to Phlebotomy if you work in a hospital setting is you get to experience every department in the hospital so you can kind of get a feel for what area you might like to go into.

Also if you work in the hospital that you'd like to stay at, you already get to know everyone, plus they may pay for your nursing education. If you go the CNA or LPN route that is good too but you will probably be in only one area of the hospital and not get to see all aspects and meet everyone you'd meet as a Phleb.

AND I don't know how it is there but you can get your Phlebotomy cert. faster and start work quicker. And here the pay rate for Phlebs is more than a CNA but a little less than an LPN.

Good Luck!

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Hi Belle

I was in the exact same situation, have a BA in Psych was working in a dead end job and trying to get into a nursing program. I took all of my pre reqs and applied to direct entry MSN programs to no avail. I decided to take a phlebotomy course while I waited and applied to ASN programs. I have now been working as a phlebotomist for 6 months and love it and recently got accepted into an ASN program, in which they accepted all of my previous classes allowing me to take only my nursing classes with them. Don't get discouraged, I have been working at getting into a nursing program for four years and have finally made it in. I love my job as a phlebotomist though don't expect to make any money (I started at $11 per hour and that seems to be the going rate). I think working as a phlebotomist has gotten me more comfortable with working with patients one on one and has helped me to gain a little more confidence. Good luck to you in whatever you choose, but don't ever lose heart. You can achieve all that you desire with patience and hard work.

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How do i find out how long it would take to get licensed for phlebotomy? Should i just ask my school? Thanks for all the info. It really helped a lot especially because I seem to get the run around at my school. They keep telling me to do this Surgi tech track that i really dont want to.

Belle

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Wow thanks for all the great words. I'm getting so discouraged that Im finding it difficult to stay focused on A&P 2 and Micro right now. Thanks for the rate of salary. I didnt expect to be making much more anyways but better than restraining people all day and getting home bruised and battered.

~Belle

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Specializes in heading for NICU.

Dont know about there, but here Phlebotomy requires no liscense. You go to a tech school for the classes and then as soon as you are done you can start working right away. I was hired so fast I didn't even get to go to my little graduation at school. LOL I was hired on at the same hospital I did my clinicals at, which required you to stick at least 100 patients before you finished the program.

You can also get a national certification by taking an additional test but that doesn't stop you from working unless the rules are different in your state. When I went to phlebotomy school (13 yrs ago) it was a 3 month program, I went full time 8am to 3pm Mon-Fri. Now I dont think they are that long anymore...maybe 6 weeks now, at least in my area.

Find out what schools offer it and give them a call or visit their websites and find out all the details for your area before you make a final descision. Good luck.

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Specializes in Level III cardiac/telemetry.

Currently, only California requires the license for PBT's. Many states will get there eventually, so the best thing you can do is go with a program that will get you national certification (my preference is ASCP). I did a program last spring and took the certification test the week after graduation. Haven't worked as a PBT though, but the experience at the hospital during my internship is what made me decide to go on and do nursing instead of finishing my medical assistant program.

Goodluck, but do check on the LPN programs to see if you could do it faster. I'm starting one next month, and was the last one accepted for that class, even though they were saying it was full. So even if you're told the wait will be x amount of time, there's a possibility of it not taking so long. I'm continuing to finish my science prereqs so I can do the LPN-BSN. Can you not petition your school to accept previous work? For the BSN program I'm looking at I will have to petition the science classes because they are out of state, but they've already told me they will be accepted based on the catalog description.

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What part of Mass are you in? I am a Phleb in Mass now. I love it and it has helped alot. If you have questions maybe I can help.

Kare

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