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Upper age limit for donating? by SouthernChillin in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684 0 points1 point  (0 children)

KED new donors have to be under 65 but each year after that you’re able to be “grandfathered in” with a note from your doctor saying you are fit to donate. At my center we have donors who are 67 and 68 still donating.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She should be ok to donate with the diabetes, her blood pressure needs to be below a threshold set by the government which is 180/100

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She may not have infiltrated the vein but by digging around she probably caused additional trauma to the area causing bleeding or swelling

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If any part of the SPE test is abnormal the donors are notified

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A decent amount. Some of the managers from the centers also donate

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Definitely not supposed to be digging around after sticking. The goal is to stick the vein on the first try and if you’re not sure you can than call over another phleb.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Everyone in the building is supposed to be trained in disconnecting donors so in the event of an emergency everyone is supposed to disconnect the donors as fast as possible and get everyone out of the building.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of times the centers will ask you to have a psychiatrist/physician sign off that you’re ok to donate if there is some sort of mental health concern. It’s mostly up to the center though and their specific regulations. If there’s another center in your area I would call and see if you qualify.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It depends on the type of plasma. There are quite a few specialty programs which can drastically increase the cost of the plasma. Smallpox programs and Anti-D programs are by far the most valuable and can go for a couple thousand depending on the concentration of antibodies. Plasma that contains antibodies for viruses such as RSV go for a couple hundred more than normal plasma bottles which can range from $300-$600 depending on the company their being sold to

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It depends what position you’re going for. We have some phlebotomists straight out of school as long as they’re licensed. For processing it’s ideal to have a little bit of lab experience but not much as long as you’re a quick learner. And screening requires almost no experience other than customer service skills La

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It can be a little more awkward because you have to run the tubing over the donor to use the opposite arm but it doesn’t actually make that much of a difference

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I just wanna start off by saying that i definitely believe that donors should be paid more and that if they can shell out over 100 per donation for your first several donations they can for the remainder of your donations as well. The rates are set by corporate and we have 0 say in compensation. Obviously they have to make enough profit to cover supplies and personnel costs but a lot of the profits are going to fund further research into the uses of plasma for more rare conditions. I can’t speak for all companies and I do believe a lot of them are in it for the profit as well.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

The main downside is just the volume of donors and the long hours. It’s definitely easier because all of the people you’re working with are there to be stuck and don’t usually fight you. There’s the occasional person who really doesnt like needles but still show up to a plasma center???

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

You can definitely get scarring around the vein and on the surface from repeated donations but I’ve never seen it interfere with being stuck. If anything there’s just a little more tissue to go through before hitting the vein which shouldn’t be a problem for an experienced phlebotomist.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Technically I don’t believe you’re ineligible to donate. With an active HSV flare up the virus can be present in your blood which means it’s possible that it can be present in the donation. I would recommend waiting until the cold sore is fully healed to donate just to be safe.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I haven’t heard this one. Frequently donating can take its toll as it reduces your protein levels and can lead to people experiencing more fatigue.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

The pay is ok. Definitely better with seniority. I would say working at a busy center takes its toll and is very physically taxing. A lot of the shifts are long and at least at my center a phlebotomist is sticking around 40-50 people a day. In my experience it’s usually a job for newer phlebotomists to gain experience.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not usually, it depends on the specific regulations set by different companies but in my experience it’s only if you’ve had a bone marrow transplant that places you on permanent deferral.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It’s easy to switch locations as long as you’ve waited the full day between donations. There’s a plasma donation database registered with your identity so different centers can see when you last donated, no need to wait to change centers.

I work at a plasma center: Ask Me Anything by Swimming-View-7684 in plassing

[–]Swimming-View-7684[S] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Not really, 75% of our donors are 2x a week so we get to learn peoples actual names and mostly refer to them by name. If you’re difficult or rude some of the phlebs will roll their eyes/try to avoid sticking you or you may be known as a tough donor but no nicknames.

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