Here at Incept, we like to make sure that our blood donors know how much we appreciate their commitment to helping their communities by
donating blood.
Sometimes, however, we overlook the people who make a difference every day. Phlebotomists are a vital part of any hospital or blood center. They’re the ones who not only draw the blood but care for donors after they’ve donated and make sure that the blood is safely stored until it can be sent to the hospital.
It’s not an easy job! Phlebotomists need to be able to stand the sight of blood and needles – two things that scare most people. They also need good people skills to help their patients feel comfortable and relaxed. A phlebotomist has to keep a level head in tricky situations. If a donor doesn’t feel well, their phlebotomist needs to take charge of the situation and be compassionate. It’s a tough job but one that really makes a difference.
I have the privilege to be able to speak with a lot of donors on a daily basis, as a blood donor recruiter. Oftentimes, I get asked about the things one needs to do to become a phlebotomist. While I myself am not a phlebotomist, I know several people who are and have looked into some of the requirements.
A lot of colleges offer two-year programs in phlebotomy that include both lecture classes and lab classes. You’ll study anatomy and physiology, blood drawing procedures, patient care and other things to help you get ready for your career. After passing your classes and earning your certification, you’ll be certified for three years. You’ll need to keep up with your studies, though, to renew your certification every three years. Once you get the hang of it, however, you should do just fine.
Becoming a phlebotomist is a great way to help patients and your community. You get to work one-on-one with blood donors and have the ability to make their blood donation experience a positive one! So if you don’t mind needles and want a career that will let you help a wide variety of people, take a look at phlebotomy. It’s a profession where gentle hands and a caring heart are always needed!
Photo Credits:
Map of the two earthquakes to hit Japan in less than a month
Like many people watching the news and looking at photos of the second earthquake to hit Japan in less than a month, my first reaction was simple: How can I help?
After a quick glance at my bank account I knew that I didn’t have any money to send. Luckily, I had some hygiene kits in my closet that I had assembled for Church World Service. I promptly packaged them and mailed them off. However, it also occurred to me that the victims in Japan might need blood as well!
The Japanese people are rallying to help out the victims. In Tokyo, 2,284 people donated at the Red Cross back on March 13th. Nationally, there are twice as many people donating blood than normal. Here in the United States, the Red Cross reports that Japan hasn’t issued any requests for foreign blood donations. However, the Red Cross is ready and able to help at any time.
Before and after of the first earthquake from March 11th.
Although the Japanese have enough blood right now to cover their needs, donors can only give blood every so often. If they need foreign blood tomorrow, next week or next month, we have to help! That means donating blood right now!
It takes 24-48 hours for a blood donation to be tested, processed and prepared for transfusion. The blood you donate today might be ready just in time when Japan calls for it!
Red blood cells can be stored for 42 days and plasma can be stored for 12 months. The red cells or plasma you give could go to help the people in Japan within the next year!
So if you’re like me, and you’re not sure what to do to help, you can always donate blood! Even if your donation doesn’t get sent overseas, it could certainly be used to help one of your own friends or family. Every pint of blood helps! Contact your local Red Cross, and schedule a donation today!
What are you doing to help Japan?
Photo Credits:
Friendly Forecast Blog http://blog.friendlyforecast.com/japan-march-2011-earthquake-tsunami-pictures-video/
The Sacramento Bee http://www.sacbee.com/2011/03/16/3480412/japan-six-days-after-the-quake.html
ZDNet http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/after-hours/2011/03/14/google-satellite-images-show-japan-earthquake-damage-40092116/
The next time you’re struggling to make small talk with a phlebotomist at a blood center, you can bring up the following trivia: Did you know that the very first donor who gave blood to a human being was…
…a sheep?
Jean-Baptiste Denys
It was 1697 when Jean-Baptiste Denys, a French doctor, gave twelve ounces of sheep’s blood to a boy. The transfusion occurred after the 15-year-old was bled with leeches twenty times. Even though the animal and the human weren’t the same species, let alone the same blood type, the kid survived. Denys’ second transfusion of an adult was a success, as well. Experts believe that neither had an allergic reaction because so little blood was transfused. But after Denys’ third and fourth patients died following transfusions of sheep and calf blood, experiments with animal blood transfusions were outlawed. About two hundred years passed before transfusions were deemed safe again, when the different blood types were discovered.
Denys, however, had much more luck than Pope Innocent VIII’s physicians. In 1492, long before doctors figured out that blood could only be transferred intravenously, the blood of three 10-year-old boys was dumped into mouth of the dying Pope. The blood didn’t help. The pope died, and so did the kids.
James Blundell
Finally, the first human-to-human blood transfusion occurred in 1818. A woman’s husband gave her blood after she hemorrhaged during childbirth. Dr. James Blundell perfected transfusion after experimenting with dogs.
What other interesting facts about early blood transfusions do you know of?
Photo Credits:
I’ve been here at Incept for nearly a year, and in that time I’ve learned a lot about blood, blood centers and donating blood.
Sure, I’d been a donor long before I started working here, but there are a lot of interesting things that go on behind the scenes that the everyday donor doesn’t get to see. One of the first things I learned on the job is that there’s more than one way to give blood.
Whole blood donations are the most common type of blood donation. All of the parts of the blood are collected and given to the patient. This type of donation takes about an hour, if you count the time it takes to fill out the paperwork, get a mini physical and answer a few painless health-related questions. The actual donation itself usually only takes about 10-15 minuets and is much easier than you might think.
You must be in good health that day and, in most states, you need to weigh at least 110 lbs. if you’re over the age of 17 (120 lbs. if you’re 16 and have a parent’s permission). A pint of blood is collected, which the body replenishes in about 56 days (or eight weeks). If you’re able to, donating every two months is a great thing to do. Not only are you helping someone in need, but you’ll be getting regular mini-checkups from the blood center!
- Apheresis
The apheresis machine may look scary, but it's not nearly as difficult as you might think!
The second type of donation can actually be broken down into three separate parts. With an apheresis donation, the blood is collected by a machine which breaks it down into separate components. An apheresis donation does tend to take a little longer, but it is a huge help. By using the apheresis machine, the phlebotomists are able to collect either red blood cells, plasma or platelets. Each part of the blood has its own use:
1.) Red Blood Cells - An apheresis donation, where the red blood cells are collected, is called a double red cell donation or an ALYX donation. With this donation, twice the number of red cells are collected from the donor in one donation, and the plasma and platelets are returned to the body. It’s just as safe as a whole blood donation, but usually you should wait about 16 weeks before donating again. Another difference is that a saline solution is also added to help the donor feel more comfortable and better hydrated after the donation. The machine needs a smaller needle than the one that’s used for other types of blood donations, so that’s a comfort for a lot of donors who aren’t as comfortable with needles. In most states, donors need to be at least 5′1″ tall and 130 lbs. or more for males or 5′5″ and 150 lbs. for females. Donating double red cells is very important, since they are the component used most often in emergency room situations.
2.) Plasma - Plasma donations are just as important as double reds, but help in many different ways. Patients who have severe burns, animal bites or have gone into shock are often in need of plasma to help them recover. Like with a double red cell donation, plasma is collected by an apheresis machine, while the other components of the blood are given back to the donor. It takes about 20 million liters of plasma a year worldwide to help patients who are in need of plasma transfusions. You should weigh at least 110 lbs. if you’re over the age of 17 (again, 120 lbs. if you’re 16 and have a parent’s permission). Plasma can be donated twice a week, as long as you’re feeling well enough to do it.
3.) Platelets - The third component collected via an apheresis donation is platelets. Platelets are the part of the blood that helps it clot and seal wounds. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and people getting organ transplants need a lot of platelets to help them recover. You can donate platelets every two weeks and, like plasma donors, you need to be at least 110 lbs. to donate platelets in most cases.
There are a lot of ways you can help out someone in need. After all, only about 5% of the people able to donate actually do. So why not stop on by and donate? You’ll be glad you did.
Photo Credit:
http://homeworkteam71.wikispaces.com/Science+with+Mr.+Mullett
http://joinjerry2010.blogspot.com/2010/06/magic-apheresis-machine.html
http://www.virtuousplanet.com/bbdesigns/c00000000228
When I speak with blood donors, as a Conversational Marketing Expert for Incept, some of them ask if they can sell their plasma instead of donating it.
It’s understandable -especially considering the current economy – that people would rather get money for their time instead of simply donating. It’s a source of quick cash; you can give plasma as often as twice a week, if you’re healthy enough; and depending on where you donate, you can get an average of $120 – $240 per month.
And plasma is certainly needed in the medical field. There are over 400 for-profit plasma collection centers in the United States. Scientists and pharmaceutical companies use the collections to experiment with protein therapies.
But consider this: donations are in shorter supply than for-profit plasma. While plasma is being sold, people are in hospitals waiting for the donations. It’s important to come up with new medicines but not at the expense of current patients. What’s more important: helping to save up to three lives with a blood donation or buying that new DVD?
Do you know anyone whose life was saved by a plasma donation?
Photo Credit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8059247.stm
Jeff Wein - Conversational Marketing Expert!
I have been with Incept for a few months now.
During this time, I have been working the phones as a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME). I have been able to learn a few things here and there about “conversational marketing,” as well as some of the DOs and DON’Ts of having conversations with our donors. Today, I want to touch on a good, productive, relationship-strengthening phone call (at least, in my eyes).
I want to start by saying that the verbal training, coaching sessions and the day-to-day conversations with different Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs), coaches, supervisors and all other staff have had a tremendously positive impact on the development of my own (and other CME’s) skills. On the other hand, I don’t think anything can prepare you like good, old- fashioned phone time with donors.
This is how I see it: I believe each individual phone call should be a self-taught lesson regarding what you should do and/or not do for the next phone call. You need to be able to to find your strengths and weaknesses and work on them from there.
The Structure of Your Phone Call:
- The beginning of your call – your open - must be strong. You must sound confident. You must paint the mental picture for the donor that you are the local representative from their local blood center.
- Identify with the donor, and let them know who you are (the center and your name). Naturally, be sure to let them know why you are calling. Always end the introduction with a simple, “How are you doing today?” (which seems to be the almost fool-proof conversational piece). Additionally, be sure to express sincerity with voice inflection!
- Quickly transition to your pointers, use promotions and definitely take advantage of the donor profile. The donor profile is a wellspring of information that you can use to personalize your conversation with that donor and that donor’s needs. You can inform them of how many times they’ve donated, thank them for the lives that they’ve already helped save and get a grip on where this donor usually donates, how frequently and the type of donor. All of this is essentially going to help you secure the appointment. The more familiar you seem, the smoother the call will flow. (On a personal note, using this information probably doubles my success rate for the close.)
- Follow this up by scheduling the most convenient time and place for donor. Then follow up with your confirmation. Lastly, close with a few moments dedicated to expressing your gratitude for them and their donation, the importance of their help and a reminder that they are helping to save a life - that’s a gift money can’t even buy!
To briefly summarize, a strong phone conversation requires:
- Confidence
- Sincerity
- Compassion
- Heart-felt Gratitude
How much compassion do you give after actively listening to your donor?
A few times a week, one of my fellow Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) at Incept will ask me, “Why are you off the phones so much?” I reply, “I work in the Social Media Department“. However, that leaves them wondering, “Ok, but what exactly do you do?”
Unfortunately, with our department at Incept being so new and also a work-in-progress, I can’t recite an official job description as an Internet Conversational Marketing Expert (iCME). Actually, this post is an attempt to answer that very question.
Here is a typical week in the life of an Internet Coversational Marketing Expert (iCME) at Incept:
Monday-ish: Every Monday (or sometimes Friday), we have a social media department staff meeting. We look at statistics, like how many people viewed the Incept Facebook page and who commented on what. We discuss the previous week’s goals and set new priorities for the upcoming week. We brainstorm about blog topics, poll questions, videos to shoot, etc. Sometimes we meet with our social media consultant, Nate Riggs, who teaches us how to use different social media tools and about new aggregator websites like Tap11.
Tuesday-ish: We receive our official task assignments for the week via email. For an hour of “engagement time,” we watch and comment on videos on the Facebook page, post to Incept’s wall, come up with questions for the trivia challenge (and try to answer one!), comment on news stories, photos, announcements and RSVP for various company events.
Wednesday-ish: We catch up on more engagement. We use HootSuite and Tap11 to tweet about Incept on Twitter about Incept, our recent blog posts, blood centers and to thank our new followers and follow more tweeple. We also discuss personal interests and hobbies. For instance, I tweet funny images and comics I find on StumbleUpon and post quotes about creative writing. We try to build up our influence, as measured by Klout.
Thursday-ish: Blog post writing time! We spend an hour or two typing up blog posts about Conversational Marketing, blood donation, social media and the company culture at Incept, among other topics. We post tags, find images, summarize the post with an excerpt and choose what category it will be filed under. After we’re satisfied with the draft, we submit it for review so that it’s ready for publishing.
Friday-ish: Time for videos and pictures! We record interviews with the highest performing Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) at Incept, shoot funny but informative skits, capture glimpses of company culture and take photos of our coworkers for the Facebook page. Everything is uploaded onto our computers and we edit the content ourselves. We can even add music and text!
Fellow Internet Conversational Marketing Experts (iCMEs) who are reading this post, what else do we do? Add to this list!
Interesting...
It’s cold and flu season again.
Currently, my nose has ceased to be able to smell any scent, my mouth has become drier than the Mojave and my head is pounding louder than the current Billboard top-ten list. Life is a wonderful thing, but being sick can make normal day-to-day activities uncomfortable and even challenging. To combat this bug, I’ve been consuming gallons of orange juice and chicken noodle soup, coupled with plenty of rest. Still, even through all the migraines, phlegm and congestion, there is work to be done here at Incept.
During my recent time serving on the front lines of blood donor recruitment, I’ve noticed that I’ve been chatting with many people who are under the weather. I’ve also been asked, “Can I donate blood with a cold?” One of the common practices and steps involved with donating blood is a confidential medical questionnaire, as well as a check of your vital signs.
If you have the cold, flu, or some variant, you may not be eligible to make a blood donation if one of the reasons listed below applies to you:
- Not feeling well for any reason at time of donation
- Taking antibiotics during time of donation
- Have a throat or viral infection
- Have persistent cold or flu-like symptoms
- In regards to automated red cell donations, if you have taken aspirin days prior to donating
If one of the above reasons applies to you – and you aren’t feeling physically well – most donor centers prefer that you simply call them back and reschedule your donation for a later date. It should be noted that most medications will not disqualify you as a blood donor. Your eligibility is based on the reason that the medication was prescribed in the first place. Usually, if the condition is under control and you are healthy, blood donation is permitted.
This is a link to a great FAQ page from the site giveblood.org. If you scroll down, there is information on the types of medications and conditions that will defer you from donating blood.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m gonna go make some hot tea or some chicken broth. I actually wanted to ask you, though: What makes you feel better when you are sick with a cold? Any suggestions? Put it in the comment box!
Social media has given your business an opportunity to talk to your customers as if they were sitting right beside you.
Answering concerns, addressing new promotions, and appreciating your returning and future customers are the name of the game. Conversational marketing allows you to get up close and personal with the people that fuel the success of your organization.
As is the case with the message in every conversation, there may be noise (or interference), an incorrect channel or possible miscommunication as you try to deliver your message. Whether the noise signifies your customer service line being busy or ringing without an answer, the incorrect channel being trying to reach teenagers via the newspaper, or miscommunication through mistyped event information or incorrectly hitting the caps in a way that could REALLY confuse your audience, it takes a significant amount of discipline to be able to listen and lead in a manner that will strengthen the relationship with your customer.
Luckily for us, that’s what they train us to do here at Incept. All of us. From the Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) to the Conversational Quality Managers (CQMs), we all listen between the words for missed opportunities and ways to strengthen relationships.
I’m sure we all remember back in high school, as soon as students started “clique-ing up,” that people were going to begin talking about you. With or without you. It was quite possibly the birthplace of gossip and rumors. Sometimes, this can work in your favor, especially when someone gossips that you excel in a certain area that many may not know. However, more often than not, the conversations refer to something negative, usually never fact-based and very heavily opinionated with each passing messenger. This not only defines our culture, but it will also take place in defining your organization. It’s a heck of a lot easier for me to tweet the great or terrible customer service I had (sharing it with hundreds of people) than to answer a customer service survey (sharing it only with that hidden part of the organization).
People want to share stories, knowledge, facts, tips, how-to’s and opinions with others that will understand and most likely appreciate it the most: other customers. I can personally say that the first time I went to the A-1 Japan Steakhouse near work, I told everyone in my family how amazing the food was, with generous portions and a substantially lower cost than the other local hibachi restaurants. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when I returned again, this time with four additional members of my family in tow, ready to see and experience this customer service extravaganza for themselves. Add that I posted about it on my Facebook page and Twitter account and the number of people who may have been impacted by my opinion could be much larger than even I am aware.
That means just through my personal opinion of this experience, I may have impacted the fluctuation and likelihood of their customers in the future. The same goes for amusement parks, hospitals, photographers, schools, vehicles, movies and even blood centers and blood donations. As a matter of fact, it’s especially applicable to blood donations. With such a large portion of the population unable to donate – and with only a small percentage of the total actually donating – any bad experience a donor may have with a phlebotomist or the blood center can have a substantial impact on future donations should their concerns go unaddressed.
All right, so what’s the key to all this?
That’s easy. Become a part of the conversation. Immerse yourself within the opinions of your customers and be there to respond to their issues, questions and concerns. You will be amazed at just how beneficially you can impact someone when you take the time to show that you truly care about their satisfaction with your organization. This rings especially true for businesses and organizations who are often categorized as part of non-customer-caring corporate America. Develop an online presence, become a part of the conversation going on around you, and show your customers that you are taking charge of any evolving method of conversational communication to ensure that all of their issues are resolved.
What would it take for you to become a part of the conversations that are happening without you?
donating blood.
