Laurabird

Thank you! This is very helpful.

I've been offered a part-time (20 hours/week) job as an ER tech at a large hospital. I have (and plan to keep) a daytime job to make ends meet, but this will be my first hospital job. To what extent are staff able to indicate preferences about their schedule? For example, it doesn't matter much to me which days I work, but it would be much easier for me to take this job if I could consistently work the same days of the week most of the time. I'd be very willing to work extra weekends if that makes my request easier. Also, since there are casual staff who do the same work as I do, can I "give away" a shift to other staff now and then, or am I obligated to the 20 hours per week one way or another (either by working them or by using PTO)? I haven't been given an opportunity to talk with my actual supervisor about this, and have a feeling the HR person would give the "official" answer and not necessarily know the scheduling practices of the individual department. I don't want to be pushy about this, since I don't know what the culture is about scheduling in hospital jobs. On the other hand, I want to make sure I can really commit to doing this job without having to ask for unreasonable scheduling accommodation at either of my jobs. Can anyone give me some tips about this? Any info is helpful.

Maybe, maybe not. I am an EMT and I have several years of volunteer experience (a summer on a med/surg wing in high school, 1.5 years in spiritual care at a different hospital, 1.5 years and counting in the ED at a level 1 trauma center, and 6 months and counting as a volunteer event-based EMT for the Red Cross.) I've been applying for ER tech jobs for over a year at several different hospitals and haven't gotten an interview yet, but I keep trying. Good luck!

Like many people, I dislike having my blood drawn. I don't faint or become lightheaded, but the experience gives me the willies. I usually close my eyes when having my blood drawn and think pleasant thoughts. I am an EMT and want to improve my employability in hospital settings. I'm thinking about taking a phlebotomy class to see if I can get a job as a phlebotomist, operations tech, or ED Tech. But I don't want to waste the money if performing blood draws is going to make me uncomfortable enough that I make my patients nervous too. What are the chances that through training and practice, I'd become comfortable drawing blood on patients? Are phlebotomists just naturally people who don't mind having their blood drawn, or do they dislike it like everyone else, but get used to the idea of doing it on others? I do know that phlebotomy students often have to practice on each other once they've "graduated" from a training arm. I don't love the idea of that, but I figure I can tolerate some sticks for a few months until my training is over. Also, as an EMT, I haven't had problems dealing with trauma or blood in general, it's just the idea of having my blood drawn that I don't really like.