This blog post is dedicated to all the amazing people who encouraged and supported me throughout this process. And to all you awesome people out there pursuing your dreams and crushing your goals- KEEP GOING!! Whatever you are chasing after- it's worth it. YOU are worth it.
Near the end of last year, I was approached by my manager who proposed the opportunity to go back to school for something I would have NEVER seen myself doing: Phlebotomy. She explained that she wanted me, along with a few of my co-workers, to go back to school to become certified phlebotomists so that we can draw labs for our kids up in clinic (instead of sending them to our outpatient lab). And our clinic was going to pay for all of our schooling. Me? Go back to school? Yeah right. I told myself that I was done with school and never going back. I couldn't afford it and I couldn't handle it while working full-time hours. The idea of school had been lost on me for a while now. And now I'm being asked to go back? And to poke people and draw blood? I'd probably faint. So many doubtful thoughts flooded my mind at once. I immediately declined the idea of that in my head, but my manager wanted me to think about it for a few days.
I couldn't help but think about my mom the entire time I wrestled with this decision. My mom always pushed me to be in school and to earn a degree. As long as I was in school doing something, she was happy. Even when I changed my major probably 8 times, she was happy to help me make adjustments. I've always hated myself for not giving her that. For not finishing school and having nothing to show from the years that I was in school (besides a hefty student loan debt). I was happy with where I was in life and I was happy with my job. But if my mom was here, she literally would have smacked me on the head and told me to just do it. And then I thought how incredible it was to be given this opportunity in the first place. Not many employers will encourage you to go back to school and pay for it. And this would give me the opportunity to advance my skills and develop my career further than I had imagined. I would be stupid to turn down something so special, regardless of how scared I was. I needed to do this and prove to myself that I was capable of doing this. So, I said yes.
School began in January and took place every Tuesday and Thursday after work from 5:30pm-9:30pm. The first few weeks were rough. It was intense and it was extremely tiresome (I've never been so grateful for my Spark!). I'm so lucky that I had my co-workers with me, because they truly are like family to me. We pushed each other to stay awake, to study, and helped each other with our homework. When it came time to start practicing our pokes, I was a hot mess. I was so nervous and shaky. And I cried. Yup, immediately after poking my co-worker for the first time, I cried because I thought I did horrible and thought that I hurt her. But guess what? I didn't give up. Instead, after a lot of motivation from my professor and my girls, I kept learning and practicing. I absorbed all the feedback and I got over my nerves. I'm actually really great at what I do now and I owe it all to the amazing girls who stuck with me and to my professor, Mr. P.
Mr. P was unlike any professor I've ever encountered. As a Phlebotomist at Froedtert Hospital, Mr. P was extremely knowledgeable and had experienced so many obstacles in his life already. He was funny, relatable, and encouraging. And he was dedicated to our successes. He taught us to keep moving forward, no matter what life faces you with. So on our last day of class, we decided to do something special for him. We collected some useful gifts (fun syringe pens & highlighters, a wrist tube holder, and gum) along with some gag gifts (items that went along with some inside jokes or stories he had told us about) and homemade cake. It was so refreshing to celebrate the end of class and to have one day full of laughs and free of stress before the exam.
Last Thursday was the big day. Our national certification exam that would determine whether or not we got to walk out of the door with our certifications. Once we all started taking the exam, you could just taste the tension in the air. We were all worried because the exam turned out to be a lot harder than we had anticipated. I was the first one to finish. When I hit the submit button, I swear I was about to vomit. I felt so sick and when the screen took me back to my home page, I started to panic. I clicked on the results tab and saw the one word that mattered: PASS.
I quickly got up, excused myself, and ran to the bathroom. I did it? I passed? It's finally over? I couldn't believe it!! A few months ago I wouldn't have known about additives in tubes, sizes of needles, or order of draw. But here I am, a CERTIFIED PHLEBOTOMIST!! I was so happy and relieved. The next hour, I watched as one by one my co-workers finished and passed their exams. It was such an amazing feeling to celebrate knowing that each and every one of us PASSED. There were happy tears and a whole lot of squeals of excitement!
I called my friends and family the minute I walked out the door. How crazy is it that I actually went back to school and a few months later walked out the door a Certified Phlebotomist? I will never get tired of saying that! And of course, I had to celebrate with some ice cream and some selfies.
I want to thank a few special people who made this possible:
1. My manager, Teri for creating this opportunity and supporting all of us through it all. You did all of the research and organized every part of this process for us. It wasn't easy to bring your idea to life, but you pursued it and saw it through to the end. Thank you so much for pushing me to do better and for believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself.
2. Lauren, our Executive Director of the MACC Fund Center Service Line. Thank you for providing this opportunity to us and for investing in our education. I will always be grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for our clinic.
3. My amazing co-workers and friends: Ann, Steph, Cassie & Brandi. We did it!! And we did it together. I am so incredibly proud of all of us! I love you, ladies.
4. My friends and family for supporting me and encouraging me every day. I love you all. Thank you!
You guys, never give up on yourself. Never count yourself out. Never think that you aren't worth it or that you can't do it. Because YOU CAN. If you want something, go out, do the work, and get it. I'm so happy I pushed myself. And you will be too.
Sincerely,
Alanna CNA, CPT
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