“I am a lab assistant, or a donor care associate. We monitor the donors, make sure that they're not having reactions, and make sure that they're comfortable.
The most rewarding part of the job is knowing that the people coming in are coming voluntarily to save lives. I also donate because I know the importance of it. I get to hear personal stories about why donors are coming in, and a lot of people have family members that have really needed it. So it's a very personable and connected job with people.
Sometimes our clinics do take a long time if we're busy or short staffed. Our wait times are longer. Because people are coming in on their own time, they can get frustrated that it takes too long, so we have to be extra nice.
Before the pandemic we used to take walk in donors. Now we're appointment only. We’ve increased the sanitization protocols too. I feel like since the pandemic, everyone is running short. Now nobody has enough staff.”
Jennifer, Lab Assistant, part of the health care team