I used to work for a blood services company as a charge nurse at the blood drives; also, my husband used to be a phlebotomist with them...don't want to bad-mouth them, but I can definitely say their unethical practices were part of the reason both of us resigned! This kind of thing seems to run rampant within the organization. I think that most donors would be surprised to know exactly how things are run. I can't say anything more, but I will caution you to pay attention to your iron deficiency & would not recommend that you donate until your Hgb/Hct levels go up & stay up consistently for awhile. Please go by your MD test results & not what the blood services employees tell you! While my husband is a certified phlebotomist (as are a few others) & genuinely cared about the donors, you may not be aware that the majority of the "phlebotomists" hired by them are truck drivers, food service workers, etc. that were offered a good financial opportunity (they require ALOT of hours, but pay quite well in return) & took it. These employees are sent to classes for a month to learn how to take BPs, draw blood, test Hgb/Hct levels, & learn the computer system. After that, they are put out there in this job. Some of them are PHENOMENAL at what they do; others, not so much. I think it is a fantastic organization with wonderful intentions. I just simply do not agree with the practice of putting non-healthcare workers into a job where you should have a "healthcare" knowledge base. For example, they have been told what to do for a donor reaction, but have absolutely no idea what actually causes the reaction or WHY they are treating it the way they are instructed to do. And to my knowledge, the majority of donors simply do not know this. In my opinion, it is almost like the public is being given the impression of a entering a "healthcare" environment, but it is not so. I just could not feel right about that any longer, so I left. They likely pushed you to donate because the need for blood donors is so great, & the organization pushes the employees for high numbers. Sorry to have to say these things, but I think donors should be aware. I highly encourage you to continue giving based on the low availability of blood when really sick patients need it - you are doing a GREAT service! Just please take care of yourself first...
