Work as a tech in a real medical lab. See if phlebotomist could be a career for you.
Overview
- Essential Question: How can I expand my knowledge of medical lab technology and explore whether or not I am suited for a career as a medical lab technician?
- Areas of study: Technology
- Type and amount of credit earned: 1 elective credit
- Community partner: Volunteer coordinator at local hospital
Competencies
- Acquiring information – determine the central idea, gather evidence from diverse sources, integrate information.
- Analyzing information – evaluate a primary source, compare and contrast elements, analyze and make a decision.
- Connecting information – interpret chronological events, connect them to broader themes, connect to current events.
- Communicating information – write responses, particpate in collaborative discussions, present information.
See the detailed ELO description for the full text of these competencies.
Student activities
- Complete volunteer training at the hospital.
- Complete a minimum of 60 hours volunteering in the hospital medical lab.
- Become CPR-certified.
- Complete activities and research at the lab. Some examples are:
- Shadowing a lab technician in order to understand a typical day
- Observing the process of taking a blood sample
- Setting the patient at ease
- Finding a vein
- Inserting the needle
- Collecting the sample in a test tube
- Observing how blood and urine are tested in the lab
- Complete at least two online medical lab technology classes offered by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Get prior approval from the ELO Coordinator before beginning the courses. The student chose to complete online courses in Microscopic Blood Examination and The Components of Blood.
- Keep track of your hours and reflections in a logbook and take pictures of your volunteer activities for your presentation.
Assessment
The student made a presentation to the ELO Committee describing what he had learned and how he met the competencies of the course. ELOs at our high school are graded pass/fail.
More information
The community partner set up this ELO under the auspices of the hospital’s volunteer program. The student was required to complete volunteer training and become CPR certified. He was able to rotate his ELO experience beyond the medical lab and observe technicians in the Emergency Room and on patient floors.
This ELO helped the student decide that a career as a phlebotomist was the right one for him. He loved working in a small hospital where he was a member of a team that appreciated his desire to learn and who had the time to spend mentoring him. He had a busy sports schedule throughout the school year, but he was able to complete his ELO hours at the hospital over the summer and during vacation.
This ELO was submitted by Lou Yelgin, School-to-Career Counselor at Hillsboro-Deering High School. Email for more information
