-: [Male Phlebotomist] The thing I love most about my job
is interaction with patients.
It can always be a cliche, but it's true.
I enjoy, you get to know someone for five, 10 minutes
in the chair, you get to know how they're feeling,
you get to know kind of how their mood is at the moment.
Sometimes they tell you funny stories.
Sometimes you tell them funny stories.
And if they're not feeling well,
may perhaps your funny story or a weekend activity you did
can maybe lighten up their day
and then you just get to talking.
Sometimes a general lab appointment can take,
you know five to 10 minutes.
Sometimes it may take 15,
just because you're just conversating with your patient,
and it kind of lightens up their day,
and kind of brings a better mood on yourself
knowing that you helped your patient out.
Just more than just drawing your blood.
The biggest challenge, I would say,
would be, for in my field, would be children.
We draw children, as far as giving them,
it's called venipuncture, in the arm,
and/or we do bilibrubins which are for infant children,
which is a test that we do.
And we use it by taking a special device
and poking their heel to get blood.
And that can be challenging too,
because you have to deal with a crying patient sometimes.
And also the parents' reactions,
sometimes parents don't necessarily know what's going on.
We try to explain it to them before we do anything
so they have a little bit of some insence
of what's gonna happen, and that can be difficult too,
because we don't wanna promote harm on anyone.
We're just tryin' to do our best
to get the sample for the doctor
and get the child, or even adult patient, diagnosed.