What is a better career choice?

Question

I am in the madical field and will like to know which is better , becoming a nursing assistant or a phlebotomist.

Answer 1

That depends... A nursing assistant is involved with hands on patient care, and that means bathing people, cleaning vomit, stool and urine. It is a job that requires patience and compassion But some NA jobs are better, such as home care NA where you are assigned to go into people's homes and assist them with activities to maintain independent living (ie: showering,changing bed linens and sometimes laundry and small meals).

A phlebotomist simply draws blood all day. It can be boring, but if the NA job description doesn't fit, than maybe this will be better. There are home visit phlebotimists, which let you set your own schedual and pay per patient. If doing the same thing repeatedly doesn't bother you, than this could be a good choice. It is an art as much as a skill though and will require patience and perseverence.

Medical billing is a hot job lately, though not patient centered. It is office work for someone with a health care background and an apttude for business.

You could get a job in any of those fields, they are all in demand. I would make one suggestion though: If you decide that the NA description is best for you, maybe you should think about attending an LPN school. The work is similar, but more involved and the pay is better, plus plenty of job opportunities and it is easy to climb the career ladder if you make more money and learn the trade.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I would rather be a nurse.

There is a shortage of phlebotomists in my area, and in several other areas. There will always be a demand for their skills. I go to a major hospital every few months and the hospital has a room with 6 phlebotomists working full time; the demand was so great they had to increase the staff to 8. If you can stand drawing blood from a new person every 10 minutes then the job won't be bad. The crew acts as a gang and seem to joke around and enjoy each other's company. I have also seen a phlebotomist having to make rounds. They carry their blood kit and run all around the hospital meeting patients and drawing their blood.

But, while phlebotomists have a career path that can move on to a job that requires a technical school degree, the field is pretty limited. For most of your career you will only draw blood. Other people will do the lab work and testing.

An assistant nurse has a wide open career path. You can specialize in any field or remain a general nurse. It is also a good path to nursing school or becoming a doctor.

As an assistant nurse you will be doing the dirty work. Changing sheets and bedpans, fetch and carry duties, and the like. A full-fledged nurse is a valuable person and often is a shift leader. The assistants do the scut work, but the janitorial department should handle mopping the floors and any stuck toilets. I can guarantee that you won't be doing the same thing all day long your job will vary and there is a promotion track that can make your job better.

As a phlebotomist all you will ever do is draw blood. The career field can lead to better things, and different jobs, but for most of your career you will be the vampire who draws blood. Unlike a nurse's assistant you won't have time to spend with the patients, and no patient will like to see you. Little kids will be afraid of you and cry, many adults have a strong distaste or even fear of the needle so they won’t want you to visit them. You will spend 10-15 minutes with a patient doing one thing time after time after time after time.

I look at a phlebotomist as technician, just like the person that develops the x-ray film. They don’t get to take the x-rays, and they don’t know what they mean, they don’t know what happens to the x-rays plates when they are developed, or what happens to the patients afterwards; they can be replaced by a machine. It will be a long time before a machine or robot can replace a phlebotomist, but it is only a matter of time. It is a repetitive task similar to working on a medical assembly line. I can’t stand the idea of doing the exact same thing every day, and I wouldn’t want a job were my customers all hated to see me.

An assistant nurse will be unglamorous, but you will work with patients, and most of them won’t try to run away from you. You will also be able to follow the doctors and nurses around and watch them work and learn more about what they are doing. If you want your career to go higher then the career track of a phlebotomist is just too narrow and short. If you want experience as a nurse then being a phlebotomist won’t give you that experience. Your job will be more like the guy who can only change oil and tires. He isn’t as skilled as the mechanic and very limited. But, at least he can watch other mechanics at work and learn a little. Of course he won’t be assisting the mechanic, he will just be changing oil and tires all day long.

Have a career track that has several stages where that you can work in, learn things that can help you move up in the field and don’t do the same thing every single day with people hating you for just doing your job; be a NURSE.

After writing this I know why there will always be a demand for people who can draw blood, few people will want to do just that every single day.

Answer 3

It's a difficult question to answer because it isn't about the profession. It's about YOU and how well you'd fit into the profession. Nurses are in high demand and the demand is just getting greater (not enough new nurses and baby boomer nurses retiring). So, it's an excellent field to get into, marketwise. And, healthcare is an industry not greatly affected by the economy. I truly think nursing is a calling. You have to be a giver and a nurterer because the job is so demanding and the working conditions are tough. But, if it is your calling, somehow, you won't mind. Nursing is a high burnout profession. However, there are so many opportunities for nursing that aren't in a hospital or even a clinical setting. There's telephonic nursing, utilization review--I've even recruited for client management/sales positions where they prefer nurses. If you burn out on the hospital (12 hour shifts, staffing issues, nasty MD's), there are still great opportunities for nurses. Ultimately, nursing will either fill you with purpose and joy or drain you of your spirit. You have to decide who you are and which it will do for you. I'm not a nurse, I'm a healthcare recruiter.

Answer 4

I don't know where you are, but I talked to a young lady who completed a phlebotmy course and got certified back in June and NOBODY will hire anyone without prior experience. She said that three of her classmates who she is still in touch with said the same thing. No commercial labs. No hospitals. Maybe a doctor's office would hire her if anyone was looking, but with insurance companies refusing to pay the costs of in-office testing, many MD's have discontinued this service.

Nursing assistant is not as clean, but at least you could get work. I know a few who started as a nursing assistant and then became LPN's and then RN's. It's a career track. I don't think this exists in phlebotomy either.

Answer 5

You are speaking of apples and oranges. The two careers you mention are decidedly different.

A Nursing Assistant is basically a nurses' aide. A phlebotomist is a person who draws blood either in a hospital or a lab setting.

You need training for each career.

Answer 6

Just guessing a phlebotomist...Probably pays more money...a nursing assistant see alot of gross, bad stuff....but if you like that>>>ok

Answer 7

Phlebotomist... and don't forget, insurance companies also need phlebotomists when they go out to gather samples for writing personal health policies.

Answer 8

depends on what you love, I think its fun to draw blood and give shots, being a nurses assistant you get to do all the stuff the nurse doesnt want to do. you are really the only one that can decide that for yourself I think they pay about the same if doing phlebotomy in the Hospital. Hope that helps good luck.

Answer 9

Go with what you like best, regardless of the money.

For example, I'm majoring in education and would like to become a Kindergarten teacher in Japan or Ireland (or I guess I could settle for here/America). I know my paycheck won't support much, but it is what I REALLY want to do.

Answer 10

A doctor is the best I think,I want to be a singer but I know it's going to be tough I'm just tired of being broke.