|
This is the first in a series of profiles by Jeremy Castillo spotlighting unusual and interesting jobs around the Moscow area.
 Tausha Winn, University of Idaho student and phlebotomist at Bio-Medics in Moscow,prepares donor Kevin Case with iodine scrub. Jeremy Castillo/Argonaut
This is a scene at BioMedics on Jackson Street. But unlike many other
University of Idaho students you'll see on the donor floor, selling
plasma for $30 per liter, Winn, as junior, works full-time.
Her main duty is supervising the donor floor, ensuring patient flow is
as steady and smooth as possible. But Winn is certified in the donation
center's three aspects: reception, phlebotomy, and plasma processing.
This makes her a "floater," she said, someone who can work at any area.
January 22 marks Winn's anniversary at BioMedics. She started selling
plasma in September 2006 and got the ball rolling on working there soon
after.
"(That was) in the works because of my resume since (that) October,"
Winn said. "They just waited until they needed the staffing."
Winn said her job experience, which includes a two-year stint at K-Mart
during high school and a summer at a Christian day camp, piqued
BioMedics' interest.
 Winn prepares the venopuncture on Case. Jeremy Castillo/Argonaut
A comedy movie, "The Whole Ten Yards," plays on the television as Tausha Winn makes small talk with a patient and sets up medical equipment.
This is a scene at BioMedics on Jackson Street. But unlike many other University of Idaho students you'll see on the donor floor, selling plasma for $30 per liter, Winn, as junior, works full-time.
Her main duty is supervising the donor floor, ensuring patient flow is as steady and smooth as possible. But Winn is certified in the donation center's three aspects: reception, phlebotomy, and plasma processing. This makes her a "floater," she said, someone who can work at any area.
January 22 marks Winn's anniversary at BioMedics. She started selling plasma in September 2006 and got the ball rolling on working there soon after.
"(That was) in the works because of my resume since (that) October," Winn said. "They just waited until they needed the staffing."
Winn said her job experience, which includes a two-year stint at K-Mart during high school and a summer at a Christian day camp, piqued BioMedics' interest.
Phlebotomy is Winn's first medical job, one she hopes will lead to more. Winn started college as a vocal education major but, after some soul searching, decided nursing was her calling.
"I realized I wouldn't make as much money," Winn said. "And it's hard to have a family when you're a teacher. It isn't all about the money but it helps."
Her plans are to finish her degree in Seattle, where she plans to move after her boyfriend Brandon graduates. For now, she's getting the hands-on training she needs for nursing.
"There's loads of reading before we can ever touch the machine," Winn said, referring to two thick white binders full of information on operating procedure. "Then we have to do 25 setups and 25 takedowns."
Her training was very hands-on, no practice sticks on a plastic dummy or piece of fruit. Winn was grateful for the crash course, though it caused some initial apprehension
"If you never stuck a needle in a person before, it's pretty intense," she said.
Winn remembers her first venopuncture pretty well.
"I put it off as long as possible," she said. "I was ready for it two or three days before but I kept making excuses: 'Oh, this vein is too deep' or 'This one is too hard.'
"Then my supervisor just made me do it and I was shaking like crazy. I don't actually remember sticking in the needle. I feel so sorry for that poor guy."
But like any skill, performing venopunctures got easier with repetition and time. Winn said she shed her initial nervousness the first week. She's even trained a handful of new phlebotomists, who felt the same jitters as she did that first time."
"There's always going to be some apprehension, you're always going to be scared," Winn said. "There's no way to prepare, fully prepare, someone to stick a needle in another human being."
The only apprehension she faces now is from patients scared of being stuck by someone so young.
"They find out I'm only 20 years old and my experience level immediately goes down," Winn said. "But I'm one of the senior phlebotomists. I've been here a couple months longer than the person who's been here the longest. All I can say is if they want a different phlebotomist, then fine, but I ask them to just give me a chance."
Ray Peterson, manager at BioMedics, said Winn has been a model employee.
"She pays attention to details," Peterson said. "She's excited to be here when she's here and goes the extra mile. She even acts as a supervisor when she's the senior person on the floor. ... I can't recall receiving a complaint about her from a donor.”
But Winn doesn’t always look at her job through rose-colored glasses, staying honest about its low points.
“People pass out and hit their heads. Some people are afraid of needles. Some people throw up or have seizures,” Winn said. “If a donor sees another donor reaction, we just assure them that things are okay, that they ate properly and drank enough fluids.”
Despite the downswings of donating, Winn still sells plasma herself, as the extra $240 a month supplements her wages, and is grateful for the experience phlebotomy affords her.
“Most people get their first experience in clinics so it’s amazing to (work here),” Winn said. “I’d hate to go to school to learn about nursing and flip hamburgers or work some job that has nothing to do with the rest of my life.”
 Add as favorites (67) | Views: 1118
|
