Keeping Healthy: Behind the Needle
By: Elsa Gillis
Updated: May 10, 2012
"A lot of people really have anxiety when it comes to having their blood drawn," sames James Wood.
Mr. Wood, however, is not one of those people. In fact he's the opposite. He's a phlebotomist. His job description revolves around drawing important blood samples - that's where he says his psychology degree comes in handy.
"You've got to sense it and then help defuse it, take their mind off what you're doing while you're doing it. It's kind of a magic trick. You occupy their mind, say watch this hand over here not that hand and before you know it, you're done."
Wood says he enjoys helping patients overcome their fears and part of the job is having a sense of humor. "They might have the white coat syndrome, they get big eyes and then they start running."
"My job is to take something -- that every time you go to a doctor and they hand you a slip for blood work, and my job is to make that so that you don't even think about it anymore. It's just another little process of your health care." Wood says it's satisfying to be good at something that's an important piece of the health care field.
Above all his goal every day is to get good quality samples, in a very accurate and standardized way-- often in a short window of opportunity.
"Everything that is really important to an emergency situation we do right here," says Wood, "being a part of the bassett network has really done immense things for this place. As far as being able to keep up with new instrumentation, new methods of doing things, using their expertise with their training that they have. It's just nice to be part of that. It really is. "
Surrounded by a workplace full of caregivers, this phlebotomist has a passion for his profession.
Mr. Wood, however, is not one of those people. In fact he's the opposite. He's a phlebotomist. His job description revolves around drawing important blood samples - that's where he says his psychology degree comes in handy.
"You've got to sense it and then help defuse it, take their mind off what you're doing while you're doing it. It's kind of a magic trick. You occupy their mind, say watch this hand over here not that hand and before you know it, you're done."
Wood says he enjoys helping patients overcome their fears and part of the job is having a sense of humor. "They might have the white coat syndrome, they get big eyes and then they start running."
"My job is to take something -- that every time you go to a doctor and they hand you a slip for blood work, and my job is to make that so that you don't even think about it anymore. It's just another little process of your health care." Wood says it's satisfying to be good at something that's an important piece of the health care field.
Above all his goal every day is to get good quality samples, in a very accurate and standardized way-- often in a short window of opportunity.
"Everything that is really important to an emergency situation we do right here," says Wood, "being a part of the bassett network has really done immense things for this place. As far as being able to keep up with new instrumentation, new methods of doing things, using their expertise with their training that they have. It's just nice to be part of that. It really is. "
Surrounded by a workplace full of caregivers, this phlebotomist has a passion for his profession.
