Phlebotomy

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I've been trying to get a job as a phlebotomist for the past few months because I remember being told that I was really good at drawing blood, by different people, when I was in a vet tech program a few years ago and I also feel like I was too. I know that I will be working with the public, but it sounds like they will mostly just be short interactions and informing people. I'm not exactly sure though since I've never had a job like that. Has anyone with autism ever had a job as a phlebotomist? What were most of the interactions like?

I have never been a phlebotomist but I have dealt with the public in long and short. Rather, I have worked in the food industry and doing some cold and warm calling. The cold calls were the best interaction because it meant that I could hang up if the person on the other end was nasty. The best thing to remember is to stay focused and calm, cool and collected. Some get squirrely around needles and blood. If they want to talk, it's best to talk about why you need their blood samples in a short and appropriate manner. After that, just walk away. You might also see about getting a weighted vest or getting a stress ball to squeeze and especially after you deal with some obnoxious people.

^ I haven't really thought about having to deal with obnoxious people while drawing blood. I work in retail now and use to work with customers so I know that they can be really obnoxious and disrespectful. I just thought most people might be less like that while getting their blood drawn and a little more anxious.

Trust me, if you're about to stick a needle in someone's arm they're going to exercise all of their self-control to make sure they don't piss YOU off. One of the perks of pricking people in the arm as a job.

^ Yeah, I guess that's true. They could try to get someone in trouble that way though if the needles don't bother them much.

I've not worked as a phlebotomist but I am a nurse. If you're the kind that goes around wards in a hospital then you can always hand the list back to the nurse if you can't deal with the overly anxious ones that will need time to talk through it all, as you're pretty much on a tight time scale to get that ward done. The ward phlebotomists in my hospital pretty much go to the patient, say 'can I take your blood test?' get it done quickly and move on. I love taking blood, it's very satisfying, one of my favourite things!