Phlebotomy
the surgical opening or puncture of a vein in order to withdraw blood, to introduce a fluid, or (historically) when letting blood.
Following the announcement that a select few “key” workers are receiving a pay rise, which includes judiciaries, dentists and teachers who have been mostly isolated, whilst a large number of staff who were at most risk working on the front line haven’t been included for the planned pay rise, I felt it important to give a voice to the part of the NHS that is often forgotten and who have also been left off of the pay rise list. Phlebotomists.
I don’t blame people for forgetting about phlebotomists. After all, a lot of people don’t like them because they hate having their blood taken. They often work in the background, disappearing just as fast as they appeared (ironically sounding a lot like a vampire). However, throughout the whole of this pandemic, people have seemingly mentioned everyone except phlebotomists and occasionally lab staff. It goes from doctors and nurses, to cleaners, healthcare assistants and porters, or to the staff working in shops. There are so few articles and social media posts that simply acknowledge and remind the public of, not only phlebotomists, but other staff who are integral to the NHS.
This article isn’t being written to have a tantrum, another “what about.. (insert key worker here)” type of post, because frankly, they drive me mad. What I want this article to be about is raising awareness to the public of the role of phlebotomists and their work during the pandemic within the NHS. If more people remember and mention us, the more likely we are to be remembered by our councils and our government. Then the more likely we are to receive better pay and better working conditions.
What I want this article to be about is raising awareness to the public of the role of phlebotomists and their work during the pandemic within the NHS.
Currently, NHS phlebotomists are paid the same as cleaners in the UK, except they require a number of months of training and tests before they can become certified. Their job also entails more responsibility and risk in general, regardless of the pandemic, in that they could cause injury to a patient or delay any treatment or surgery that’s planned if they make a mistake. They also have to remember many hundreds of tests and the order of draw, whilst working quickly and efficiently. This means that it’s a semi-skilled job role being paid the same as an unskilled one.
Phlebotomists take blood samples from hundreds of patients, collectively, every single day in hospitals and doctors surgeries. That means entering the intensive care and COVID wards, taking blood from COVID positive patients so the doctors can more accurately monitor the patients. Despite what the public may believe, many nurses and doctors usually do very little to no blood work and will often refer blood tests to phlebotomists, as they are often better skilled at phlebotomy. That's not a judgy statement either, phlebotomists simply and obviously have more practice!
it’s a semi-skilled job role being paid the same as an unskilled one.
A lot of phlebotomists have gotten sick from COVID and a few have died from it. Many staff have also fainted, including phlebotomists, in the heat of wearing so many layers of plastic PPE, within hospitals that are already sweltering hot all year round. Phlebotomists have shared in the stress, sadness and grief of seeing patients they've met, dying from COVID and it has taken an emotional toll on many.
Additionally, the workload for phlebotomists, which has always been high, has steadily returned back to normal. They now have to perform COVID antibody tests for staff, increasing their work load further.
In short, phlebotomists have direct patient contact and they have been working on COVID wards, wearing the same PPE that doctors and nurses wear, throughout the pandemic. They have to break the 2 metre rule for almost every single patient on one ward, further increasing their risk. This also applies to doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, physiotherapists and cleaners who all regularly work on wards, but only one of those is getting a pay rise.
Of course, phlebotomists aren’t medical professionals and they're limited in the duties they can perform, but they are one cog amongst many that are powering the NHS.
So next time you see mention of key workers, don’t forget the phlebotomists!
But what do you think? Should every key worker be given a pay rise or only those who were on the front line? Do you think it’s right that only a select few NHS staff are receiving a pay rise, whilst many thousands who have been integral during the pandemic working on the frontline, aren't receiving a pay rise?
What Girls & Guys Said
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Your just one of a million who think they should be considered for a pay raise. Everybody has a reason why they should be paid more. If you think you are under paid, remember, you chose your line of work. If you really want more pay consider a new job. The one you have will never offer anything more than cost of living increases that are less the actual increased living costs.
Okay but that's ignoring the issue, we're giving pay raises to people in careers affected by covid-19 because of the risk they're taking, which means talking about which jobs get the pay raise is valid. If you dont think phlebotomists face enough risk to warrant it then that's fine in my opinion, but don't go spouting off that bullshit, "get a different job then" doesn't affect that we're in a crisis and many peoples jobs just became far more risky than normal.
The risk is quite real. Fact is your to easy to replace. That means pay increase even during a pandemic is unlikely. Hospitals all over the country are laying off workers. Right now simple store clerks have a better chance at a pay raise than you do. I know it's not right but that's the way it is.
A pay rise during a pandemic isn't unlikely because, if you read the article, it's stated that a select few are receiving just that. There are doctors who have more decorum, who want all of the staff they work with to receive the same pay rise for working in the same environment. This myTake was fuelled by the pay rise situation, but 90% of my intention was to get across how we get forgotten in these situations even though we're very present and maybe inform some people of the job.
@devilman666 Thanks for your support. You can't post a myTake nowadays without receiving ignorant comments.
I'm happy with my pay too, I don't care whether I get one or not. It would just be nice to be involved in the conversations around NHS staff during this, to simply be acknowledged.
@not329446 I disagree, if their risk increases their pay should too, if my boss expected me to start doing the job of a lumber mill planer for minimum wage then I'd laugh in her face, and if someone asked me to work minimum wage in America rn it would be the same thing, though with that said I have better options, where as most Americans who work minimum wage have no other options. I understand lack of pay raises in my area here in Canada because the risk didn't increase much (I'm working minimum wage rn working at a resteraunt, I'm not getting hazard pay), especially in my local region, but America is basically one big hotspot right now.
@mytake owner NHS, so you're from Britain? I think hospital staff should be acknowledged but I don't know if all hospital staff deserve hazard pay rn. They already get paid for the risks they need to take on a daily basis. With that said they should get paid extra for overtime they are putting in and they should be paid extra if they are forced to distance from their family due to their job, but like I said before, working with people who have dangerous diseases is kind of just part of the job. Also, just so you don't get confused by what I mean, I think we can debate whether or not they were getting paid fairly before the pandemic, I just think this shouldn't be something they need extra pay for when it's part of the job description.
have if you ever run out of work you can go shoot heroin addicts and teach the the right was to use a needle
We will never run out of work.
Okay? What's the point exactly?
If you read it, you'd know the point.