How others feel

I do not like to get blood drawn, but would I like to draw it????? I don't know. It might be a job like many others...you just get used to it....

I used to work at the hospital and though I wasn't a lab tech, I can imagine how difficult their job is because of the struggles I saw that lab techs sometimes faced. The worst were the times that they would have to get blood from a patient that was combative. Of course, in a certain sense this is a customer service type of job and that meant that you almost always had to put on a happy face no matter what and I don't know that I would be able to do it.

hi savypat, i really appreciate lab technicians for this, you know i am really scared of blood, when i go for blood donating or any such purpose then i squeeze my eyes but lab technicians make me comfort, and really i can't do that job all day long

Hi pat, It is their profession. The became accustomed to it. If you had that job you would do the same like the lab techs.

This was the case with me when I was in the hospital with Pancreatitis. A blood sample everyday, twice. I named the lab technician "Mr. Dracula" and for some reason he was offended! Some people are humor less!

I'm not really sure if I can last the day doing just that.

I think the technicians appreciate you trying to talk to them, and I believe that most of them do their very best to put the patient at ease and avoid hurting them when they are taking the blood. They have a great deal of empathy, I think. I had to have a certain test done, not a blood draw, but something more complicated, and it did not go well. In fact, it took multiple attempts and still did not turn out right, with four hours of trying. The people performing the test, and even the doctor, were in tears by the time it was over. It was supposed to take only moments,with local anesthesia, but in the end I had to come back for a second time, and it still was difficult and did not work well. I appreciate the heart that they put into it.

i like to chat with the people that work in the lab too (although i dont go that often) but i guess you would get used to doing that. i work in an office as a receptionist. some days are really crazy busy and others are not so much.

I don't think I would like to jab people all day. I have been on the receiving end of that for so long that I don't think I could put others through the pain I have been through. I used to have some good veins so it was easy to get blood from me if they went to the right place. Lately, people have had trouble getting me. Fortunately, while I was in the hospital this last time, they put a port in so that they don't have to stick me every time they need blood. They did this so they could do the chemotherapy easier. Since my last round of cancer (7 years ago), my veins have gotten a lot harder to stick. I don't want to wish my veins on anyone and I usually warn the technician that I am a hard stick. The last one that did me said she found a really juicy vein, but when she stuck me, she couldn't get blood. Oh well... By the way, I did train as a lab tech and I spent two days doing nothing but blood draws and I hated every minute of it. Fortunately, I was able to change my externship to doing EKGs which was more in keeping with what I wanted to do, although I never was able to get a job doing that and now I can't remember how to do it any more. Oh well...

Some people like that kind of stuff! And thank goodness for people like that!! Thank goodness for courageous people to want to be doctors and nurses!!!

"million types of works only for stomach(food)", yes it is real what ever the job we are doing it is for our family only. And we must feel "job satisfaction" also.

You do have to have the courage to see blood and understanding that some can be sensitive. So as long as the person enjoys their job, I don't think they think abut too much of the technique outside of simply doing the job.

Blood draw is always something that I am afraid of. Guess those people who do the job really get their nerves. I could never do that. when I was young, my mother once wanted me to be a doctor, and at that time, I certainly tell her that I am not the type of person to do things like that. :)

I had a similar epiphany while getting my haircut a couple of years ago. I observed a rather unusual exchange between the hairdressers at a local salon, and a man who had stopped in briefly to do some kind of job for them. After the man left, I just had to ask about it. Apparently he had been hired to come in, and sharpen their scissors. Certainly I can understand why scissors would need sharpening, but I had never heard of such a job. It's truly interesting how varied peoples lives are! As for the lab tech, I would imagine that taking blood would be especially taxing if many of your patients were pediatric, or anxious. There are also patients with difficult veins. For example, a dehydrated patient might be a difficult stick. For the average patient though, I would imagine it to be a little more like working at a coffee shop. Short conversations with new and fascinating people while servicing each customer! :)

Hard? Just because I would faint every time I went to do it?

I agree! I don't know what I would do if I had to draw blood all day. It can be a very nerve-wrecking jobs. But then again when you think about it, not all jobs are meant for everyone. The people who draw blood, might quite frankly, love their jobs, and what they do. Someones got to do it! You know?