kelzie Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 My main source of HCE is as a medical technologist, however I have a couple hundred hours of phlebotomy from a few years ago (some were as part of a lab internship, some was paid as an additional part-time job). I am looking into applying for phlebotomy positions to boost my PCE hours if I don't get in this cycle, but most require a phlebotomy certification. According to ASCP, I am eligible to take the examination and become PBT (ASCP) certified due to already being MLT certified. My question is: has anyone taken this exam? If so, do you have a recommendation for study materials? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsman89 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 MLT(ASCP) here. I thought that MLT and MT trumped a Phlebotomist cert? As an MLT I can do phlebotomy and it was included in my training program. Not sure I understand your post completely, but cant you just do phlebotomy at your current job assuming you are working as an MLT right now? If you cant do that I am sure you can find a phlebotomy job as an MLT no questions, although you might get some odd looks due to the major pay difference. Hope that helped. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mich.harris109 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Current MLS. I have been working for 1 year in the blood bank (my first year out of school) before finding that MLS doesn't count as HCE in Texas. I recently became a scribe (significant pay cut) and am getting ready to move back in with my parents as a result. I was told that they don't look as fondly on phlebotomy as they do scribe or MA, which is why I switched. Have yall heard this as well? It would be a lot more financially feasible to work as a phlebotomist... The other thing is, thanks for bringing up the hours done during phlebotomy training, I hadn't considered this... But how did you calculate? I had to do 100 sticks to be certified, is there a way I can estimate how long was spent in each patient's room/time spent in training? Thanks for this post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 MLT(ASCP) here. I thought that MLT and MT trumped a Phlebotomist cert? As an MLT I can do phlebotomy and it was included in my training program. Not sure I understand your post completely, but cant you just do phlebotomy at your current job assuming you are working as an MLT right now? If you cant do that I am sure you can find a phlebotomy job as an MLT no questions, although you might get some odd looks due to the major pay difference. Hope that helped. Greg Some states are super crazy about certifications and actually require the phleb cert (all politics, no common sense). As an MT, my only PCE was phlebotomy and I had no problems getting interviews/acceptances. Granted I didn't have any other shortcomings/red flags in my app so your results may vary. If a school out and out won't take MT or phleb as HCE then yea, you've got to find something else but otherwise, MT is absolutely HCE (just not PCE). Know how to sell yourself and the skills/knowledge you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelzie Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 corpsman89: Sorry for not providing a little more clarification. My current position is in a molecular genetics laboratory and therefore does not allow for any direct patient contact. I've been looking at job postings within the hospital system I am in (I'd like to stay with this system) and although there are a couple MLT positions in the surrounding areas that have phlebotomy listed as a job duty, there are very few, most are not full time, and they are even further from my significant other than I currently am (If push comes to shove I may end up going for one of these positions anyways). There are more phlebotomy positions listed in the job openings than MLT. The phlebotomy positions list PBT (ASCP) as one of the options for qualifications. A couple of the postings listed MLT as acceptable if you obtain PBT (ASCP) within a certain time frame. mich.harris109: The financial feasibility is the main reason I am pursuing phlebotomy rather than something else. I would prefer to go the route of CNA, but all the programs nearby are full time for a few weeks and it is not a possibility to get that much time off from work without quitting and I really want to stay within my current health system - coming back as a CNA right after quitting would probably not be looked at too fondly. My phlebotomy training was done as part of a laboratory internship as well as a part-time job I took on in the outpatient phlebotomy lab in addition to the internship. I spoke with the professor in charge of the internship to ask for her approximation of hours (we did rounds every morning and spent the first 2 weeks of the internship solely dedicated to phlebotomy). For the part-time position I was able to look at my paystubs. If you were paid during your training, you could probably look at the hours like that. If not, I would contact whoever was in charge of the training to ask for their best approximation of how many hours it was - this was you don't accidentally over estimate. MT2PA: Thank you for your words of encouragement! I was looking at phlebotomy job postings through my employer and the qualifications required list PBT (ASCP) as acceptable. A couple postings allow MLT with PBT within a certain time frame. I would assume this means that PBT (ASCP) is acceptable for certification within my state. The rest of my application is pretty strong in terms of grades (3.88 cGPA, 3.92 sGPA, 321 combined GRE). One short coming is that I don't have many volunteer hours - I neglected to actually document the volunteer activities I did during college. I've been struggling to find time to volunteer over the past 1.5 years from working full time as well as a part-time care assistant job and having a semi-long distance relationship-not an excuse, I am trying harder and harder to find volunteer opportunities that fit my schedule and I prioritize it over my bf, but still having difficulty. Due to my current position not having any patient contact, I only have about 250 hours of phlebotomy (about 100 paid, the rest as a student) and am coming close to the 100 hour mark for my part time care assistant job. However, I'm not sure if programs will really count my care assistant job as PCE - I went into it being told it was a PCA position, but it's far less hands-on than expected. I help out with an autistic teenager by bringing him to appointments, going on social outings to work on his social and budgeting skills, helping him with homework, and going to special olympics tournaments with him (full time supervision for a long weekend). Although it isn't what I had expected in terms of PCA-type care, I love the position and know that he's had a hard time getting steady assistants due to him living in a somewhat rural area (about 40 min from the nearest large town). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 I was a CPT1 ASCP PBT. The test was difficult and uses adapative testing. There was a book we used but I'll have to dig it up and find it. Our program had a 100% pass rate for 10 years in a row when I took it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 I'm and MLT but currently in a phlebotomy position with the VA and I don't not hold a phlebotomy certification. I would contact your HR or the department posting the job to see if you qualify for the position as an MT prior to paying and spending the time to get a phlebotomy certification. --EDIT-- Just read that MLT was acceptable but a phleb. cert would be needed within a year. What about using that time to get enough PCE experience without taking the certification. 40hrs/week = 2080hrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rondaben Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Kelzie, What part of the country are you in? I'm a MT(ASCP)...though i reckon they call us MLS now...and to a large degree i think your experience may depend on what schools you are applying to. Your med tech experience SHOULD count as HCE but not necessarily PCE unless you interacted with patients directly. I can see if you are in a stand alone molecular genetics lab so that makes it a bit more difficult. You can operate as a phlebotomist with an MLT certification. That is always an option. If you want to keep your income up I would suggest a few different situations... 1. Find a small Dr.'s office that has an in-house lab. Most of the time you will fly solo in those and do ALL of the collections as well as processing, limited testing, and getting things ready for sendout to a reference lab. Most of your day would count as PCE. In some states you can also be cross trained to do basic X-rays. 2. Most rural gigs are not going to have phlebotomists on the evening/night/weekends. Usually those are with a hospital. You COULD independent contract your way there if you wanted for more money or just come on as a PRN employee that can fit things into your current schedule. 3. #1 and #2 won't require you to have a phlebotomist cert. It would be a part of your regular job duties. RIght now you could probably find a gig in a small hospital anywhere you would like. There is a real shortage in most places--especially here in Texas. 4. One possible thing you could look into is working with insurance companies. They will pay you to collect pre-insurance health screens for their customers. You drive to them, collect the specimens and ship them off for testing. You shouldn't need a phlebotomist cert for that and you will get a reasonable amount of PCE with it. Document your hours! Good luck with your journey. You can do this. I've been a tech going on 25 years now and will be starting PA school this fall. Just keep plugging away at it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelzie Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 I'm in Minnesota. Almost all of the nearby hospitals and clinics are a part of the same healthcare system, with not many small Dr's offices and I haven't found any part-time openings at them. I have seen a couple job postings for MLT that include phlebotomy responsibilities, however these are "full-time" but not actually 40 hours per week and is also an hourly pay cut (with cost of living and trying to save for school, this would be a difficult option to take). I also have a two-year commitment to my current position and am not able to change to a different full time position until next January (without potentially burning some bridges), so switching my full-time job to MLT or phlebotomy would be a possibility for next year if I am not accepted this cycle. I am hoping that if I have the PBT (ASCP) certification, I may be able to apply to the few other hospital systems in the area for a part-time phlebotomist job, if any openings do pop up. I will look into the insurance company option to see if that is an option around here. Thanks for all your advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsman89 Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 Just apply anyways! Whether it says MLT acceptable or not, just apply. The worst that can happen is not getting a call. When you become a PA your going have to apply for NP positions that don't say "NP OR PA." So get used to it. You can't always find a clear cut path in the dirt, sometimes you just gotta make your own path. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluepillow Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 My MLS (ASCP) includes Phlebotomy so geting the PBT is redundant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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