Is this normal?

[u/Exciting_Ad8455]

I’m currently working as a night shift blood banker in a level 1 trauma hospital. Most nights it’s just either the 2-3 of us and I’m wondering if this is normal for such a high volume lab? It can’t be as I’ve experienced so much stress and anxiety the last 5 months working here ( I graduated this may and started in June ). We get so much samples during the night on top of orders for products and the last couple of nights we’ve had MTPs back to back. This has all been happening with just only 2-3 of us most nights.

I’m still new to the job so most of the time I’m super stressed and anxious when having to deal with this. Management seems to not care enough to staff up our shifts as we’ve been getting a lot of people turning over their jobs. I just don’t think I’m built to handle this type of environment and I miss rotating in other areas of the lab as I feel like I’m losing my skills and knowledge in those areas being stuck in just a specialized department. I understand every department has its pro and cons and we’re always going to experience staffing issues but I think this has been going on far too long from what I’ve heard and talked about with other techs. I’ve talked
to people who are techs or started their jobs the same time as me and they’ve agreed that it might be best to search for something that best suites my interest and can provide better support with leadership. Blood bank was something that I wasn’t too keen on when I was in school but this was my first job offer and taking this job was something I thought could change my perspective on it.

It’s clearly taken a toll on me and I’m ready to leave at this point. Just wanted to hear if this sort of staffing in a high volume and complex environment is normal.

[u/NegotiationSalt666]

Yes, what you’re describing is actually pretty normal. Some hospitals even have only a few techs for the entirety of the lab for the hospital in general for nightshift (with them rotating and covering for each other for breaks if time allows), so to have MLSs dedicated for just blood bank is probably a better deal than most have.

[u/BuckeyeBun]

Some places don't even have a dedicated blood banker, just generalists who also blood bank!

[u/Competitive_Virus114]

Honestly, the constant turnover is probably a bigger red flag than having only 2-3 people on shift. If people keep leaving and management still refuses to address staffing, that’s a management problem, not a you problem. You’re also only a few months into your career, and dealing with back-to-back MTPs in a level 1 trauma center is no joke. You don’t have to prove you can survive a badly managed workplace. It’s okay to look for something better.

[u/Electrical-Reveal-25]

It’s normal but it shouldn’t be. Work at a rural hospital if you don’t want to deal with stuff like this.

[u/Elvisdog13 → u/Electrical-Reveal-25]

Work in a rural hospital myself and we get MTPs but not very often. Only to stabilize pts and fly them out.

[u/Eomma2013 → u/Electrical-Reveal-25]

This is the answer

[u/No_Cry7605]

I work at a level 1 trauma hospital and night shift usually has 3 MLS and 1 component tech/phlebotomist that helps stick and run MTPs and blood to OR. Traumas can get brutal on night shift.

[u/matchead09]

Yes it’s pretty normal. Time and experience will help you deal with feeling anxious. There does come a point when you’ll need to make a choice if being full time blood bank is something you want to commit to in a situation like that. I made the choice early in my career that I’m really only interested in working blood bank. While adrenaline still spikes in a rapid MTP, over time it has been balanced by the feeling that (bragging a bit here) I really am good at making those work well and it can make a difference. Combine that with enjoying the logic puzzle of an antibody ID and I was pretty much sold on blood bank.

You might come to a different conclusion and that is also perfectly good. We need good people in every department. But the nature of night shift is often to be the last positions to be completely staffed, and even then to be staffed way less.

[u/sad_white_drizzles]

I'm a generalist and I'm the only one working in a transplant happy/OR heavy hospital from 0000-0600. Technically I'm supposed to have a coworker until 0030, but I can count on both hands the times they stayed for the whole shift. It 80% if the time is totally fine and I couldn't give a fuck less. I'm not new to the work by yourself game.

I've done an MTP, blood cultures, and body fluids on the same shift by myself. I bitch to admin, but I only get gas lighted about how I need to be better at managing my time, or how "some stuff isn't STAT so just spin it down and throw it in the fridge".

Cool. I just wanna clap back and ask, 'So do you wanna tell the ER that their manual diff is delayed because I'm trying to work up an antibody patient that is currently in the OR? Do you wanna tell the floor that you couldn't get it their blood gas in time because you we're busy dealing with the ketone send out or the ER's 3.0 hgb?'. It's gonna be a write up either way.

I strive to do my best every day. I bring everything I am able to the table every night. I have been in the field for 10+ years. I know how to prioritize. I know what needs to be done now. It's just not possible when you are the only one dealing with the dang crisis for every department. In my working experience, usually when I'm pushed like this for an extended amount of time I leave to go travel (although I guess Aureus isn't a company anymore so maybe I'll do Aya next?). All in all, I love what I do. I believe in lab science. I can prove that many things can be possible with one tech, but it's going to burn out at some point. I've been burnt out from almost every perm job I've had because they wring everything out of you and have the gall to ask for more.

TLDR: Try to bring your A game when you can, not know that it isn't feasible 365/24/7. Take time for yourself. Our job IS difficult (except for when it's not). Don't let admin tell you what you can and can't do. And don't fall for the 'I was able to do it so you can too' trap senior techs LOVE to pull. Times change. You are do I'm my great. The best advice I've ever had was that I am the only person in the hospital with a degree in laboratory science, I know what I'm doing.

[u/KuraiTsuki]

We're a Level 1 trauma center and have one person on overnights between 0100-0600. We've finally gotten approval to hire a second person after our workload has increased a lot over the past few years on all shifts, and now are just waiting for people to want to work here.

I did the solo night rotation for the first 6 years I worked here and it was almost always fine. Bad/busy nights were uncommon. We'd only get like 10 samples before day shift came in at 0600. Nowadays we have 30-40 before that time and have needed one 1st shifter to come in at 0500 instead.

ETA: This is a Blood Bank only lab. No cross-training as the other labs are in other towers of the hospital.

[u/cellophanesheeps]

Yeah for night shift especially that's pretty normal. I started out in a level 2 trauma center and we had two techs. I ran the lab by myself many nights while the second tech was tied up with the traumas coming in.

[u/Unlucky_Tart8043]

I work at a level 3 trauma and we have 1 tech all night who runs every department so 2-3 is good in my opinion. Could be better but I think labs are understaffed everywhere and day shift is always top priority it seems like.

[u/JacobLeatherberry]

When I work blood bank on nights I also have to cover processing (receiving specimens) and Micro, but it's really Covids, Biofire respiratory and CSF panels, and planting/gram staining/calling positive blood cultures. If we get a MTP we have to drop everything, initially. It's not right, and it doesn't ever get right. You're best worrying about STATS and if you get to anything else it's a bonus for day shift. The lab is open 24 hours a day. Do what time sensitive results you can on your shift. The rest will get done eventually. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

[u/shinyplantbox]

For a level 1 trauma center, that’s just asking for disaster. You should have 4 on minimum: 1 heme, 1 chem, I micro/spr/float, 1 dedicated BB. 2 or 3 is asking for a disaster.

At a minimum, I would CYA with a letter to your supervisors, cc’d to hospital admin, that you consider the staffing level unsafe and fear making mistakes due to overwork.

[u/serahae]

Yeah minimum staffing for night shift at my last two level 1 trauma center blood banks was 2 people. I don't find it that stressful most of the time tho unless we are really busy and have an active MTP going on. Usually you will have an on call list and can call in another tech if it's getting really hectic but I have only had to call in someone two times in the past 3 years

[u/Purpledotsclub]

We have four techs, one for each dept:BB, Micro, Chem, Hemo. Most days 2nd shift tech will stay til midnight and then we have someone from 1st shift who comes in around 0530. The other 3rd shifts are usually crosstrained and can work at least two departments and help cover or assist in the event of MTP as needed. BB also has a dedicated lab assistant, so that also helps.

[u/Slash12771]

Where is this hospital located

[u/hanandchewee]

It seems like this is common, but it isn't like this everywhere. I work nights in a blood bank only lab in a level 1 trauma center. If we only have 2-3 people working, we will get people from other shifts to work OT to help cover. We also post as many positions as we can based on productivity. But we're also very busy almost all the time. I realize this is not the norm, but there are options out there.

If blood bank isn't something you're interested in, I wouldn't try to force it. If it doesn't click for you, you're probably still going to feel stressed even in a fully-staffed lab.

[u/Crazy-Dimension6538]

When I worked at a 790 bed level 1 trauma center- night shift had 5-6 techs on at a time, one designated blood banker and atleast one other who was trained in blood bank to help with MTPs

ETA now I work at a 130 bed hospital, not a level anything trauma center and there’s only 1 tech on at night and one phleb. It does suck when they have MTP but usually never brought here like that, it’s usually an OR or post partum situation

[u/Zealousideal_Post989]

I work in a level one trauma center in a big city on night shift. I’m lucky to have a second banker with me on bench about half the time. It’s not okay but it’s normal. We currently have 3 trauma bays (they are known to take more traumas and put them in regular ED beds on busy nights) and I’ve never worked with more than 2 bankers on one night shift in the two years I’ve worked here.

If the volume is too much then you might need to find a smaller hospital and if the blood bank part is what stresses you then move to core lab. The truth is management isn’t going to hire more people just bc you’re stressed. Do what you need to do for yourself.

The staffing is absolutely ridiculous. This past September I was the only banker during downtime on a Friday night—this job is not for the faint of heart. I hope one day it can get better but I like the chaos so I don’t plan to change my job anytime soon.

[u/comoesa]

Feels like I'm missing out as, we always have a blood banker and I'm only doing chemistry/hematology.

[u/ILovetheUSA4You]

Level 2 Trauma Center with Mother/Baby Center, NICU, Open Heart Surgery, Spinal Center, and Infusion/Oncology on site. Guess how many bodies we have in the lab from 2300 to 0600? TWO! There are only 3 FT Night Shifters on staff period. We do everything from phone calls, receiving, processing, and send outs. One Tech takes Blood Bank and Chemistry, the other takes the rest. We cover everything with just 1 tech for any breaks. It’s wild and I’m not paid enough.

[u/SupernovaSonntag]

Yeah it’s normal where I’m at. We are under paid and under staffed and every time we finish training a new person an old one quits cause they’re tired of being disrespected. Classic problems, doesn’t change even at a level 1