My Plasma Donation Center Experience
Plasma Donation Centers are a great way to gain experience before becoming an MLS or any other career in the medical field.
I originally obtained a job at a plasma donation center near me as a Medical Reception Technician, because I didn’t want to learn phlebotomy. I knew I would have to during the program but I had never been a big fan of needles. I thought it would be a good introduction to the field and it actually helped me with blood bank during the program.
My job consisted of screening candidates before they were sent to the back to donate. I would read them a set of questions and they would have to answer yes or no. These include:
Are you feeling healthy and well today?
Are you currently taking any antibiotics or any other medications?
If you are currently pregnant?
In the last eight weeks, you have donated, had a vaccination, or had contact with someone vaccinated for smallpox?
Questions about sexual contact, having a tattoo, piercing, transplant, or graft within the last 3 months, etc.
Along with the questionnaire I performed took vital signs (temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate) and performed finger sticks to check their hematocrit. All of this applies to the MLS career. Even customer service and answering phones, operating their computer system, and following their SOPs, as I now deal with nurses and doctors while following the hospitals' SOPs. I am very thankful for this experience and what it has taught me before entering into my MLS career.
The Benefits of Donating
Donating Blood or Plasma will save lives. Blood or plasma goes a long way in saving someone in a life-threatening condition, sustaining their life, or surviving emergency situations. Plasma transfusions are used to treat patients with liver failure, serious burns, or severe infections.
By donating plasma many places will compensate you, unlike most blood donations which are volunteer-based. And the process can even help your own body. Donating is known to reduce cholesterol in your blood and even elevate your mood. This process also allows you to get your vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and hematocrit) tested much more regularly than you would going to your doctor normally.
