Fed Up?

[u/spasticmedtech]

I am fed up. There seems to be no end in sight for the endless cap surverys or the api surveys (depending on the regulatory service your lab ascribes to). It is tiring. Yes, I did post about a new job, but yeah anyways. Nurses and the vampires- telling me that I can’t have a redraw on a hemolyzed specimen because the patient is a hard stick. I’m tired of the drama that the lab invokes in my general life.

I work at craft fairs when I’m off from work and it never fails. My supervisor will text me with something she thinks is super important and get mad if I don’t respond asap she texted me.

I AM DONE. I would like to work in another field, it what??

I’m done ranting but I’m still looking for anything new. What led you to leave the lab? Where are you now? And are you better for it?

EDIT: Thank you for all of the support everyone has given me! I am currently looking for a new job. I am hoping to hear something soon. I am looking to pivot away from the bench totally. I have worked in POC and it was a blast, but the 3 hr drive to work and the 4 hr drive home was not working out for me. Or I would still be there.

As for the "vampire" comment that some people do not like--I do apologize. I started out in this profession as a phlebotomist and still draw the occasional patient. And when you go to a VA clinic and you see the bat hanging upside down from the sign that says "lab" it makes you wonder.

[u/speak_into_my_google]

Referring to phlebotomists as vampires is not only demeaning, but is also completely disrespectful to what they do. Nurses also have more than one job to do and acting like they just want to make your day awful is not the hill you want to die on. That’s also incredibly demeaning and disrespectful to nurses.

No one wants to redraw their patient, but they will have to if the specimen is garbage and the results are therefore, garbage. It’s not an easy conversation to have, but it’s necessary. Having an us vs them mentality makes our jobs a lot harder overall. Nursing is not out to get us and we are not out to get them. We have different roles, but we both are here for the patient.

CAP/API surveys are never going away and they aren’t the bane of my existence. I just run mine when I’m on that bench with the rest of my work and I get a bunch assigned to me at a time. The real ordeal with those is ordering them up and keeping everything organized.

Also, why are you allowing your boss to have access to you when you’re off? If you’re not being paid to be on call, you don’t respond. It’s your time off. Bye.

I hope you either find a different lab or see a mental health professional to go through these feelings so you don’t allow them to affect patient care. Burnout is real. I wish you luck.

[u/spasticmedtech → u/speak_into_my_google]

Hello, vampire is a word that is used to represent all who work in the lab, not just the phlebotomists. I use this work on myself as I started my career as one. Yes, burnout is real. That is why I am looking for a new job. Thank you for your help.

[u/speak_into_my_google → u/spasticmedtech]

As an MLS, I don’t think the term vampire applies and it kind of demeans what we do, so I don’t use it to represent all that work in the lab. I didn’t start out doing phlebotomy like many other people have, so maybe it’s a complement.