Talk about it

WILLISTON, N.D. – Twenty-year-old Justin Day moved to North Dakota with no oilfield experience.

A month later, Day has a job that could pay him six figures this year.

But getting that job took research. And a lot of persistence.

Day, of Salem, Ore., is trained as a phlebotomist but couldn’t find steady work at home.

He knew of someone who worked in North Dakota’s Oil Patch, and he began researching opportunities.

Day spent more than a month working the phones and making contacts before arriving April 11 in Williston.

While Day was looking for work, he lived in his orange 1979 Volkswagen Riviera camper bus he and his dad restored.

“I sleep in it, cook in it, everything,” Day said. “It’s great.”

Day applied for his job online and drove to the office to submit a resume in person. He also had an interview on the spot, and followed up with several phone calls to human resources.

“It takes a little bit of work,” Day said. “It’s not easy anymore to get a job around here, that’s for sure.”

Cindy Sanford, customer service office manager for Job Service North Dakota in Williston, said workers with oilfield experience are finding jobs immediately.

For those without experience, they will be more successful if they try to educate themselves on the industry and the job openings, she said.

“Do some research and come out prepared, instead of just showing up,” Sanford said.

That’s exactly what Day did, and a little more than two weeks after arriving in Williston he got hired as a floor hand for a workover rig, or service rig.

The job is in Dickinson, where Day is living in a hotel for now but will be provided man camp-style housing.

The job is hard work – he worked 16 hours his first day. But he’s happy that the guys he’s working with are helping him learn.

“I think I lucked out with the crew I’m with,” Day said. “If you’re willing to work hard, they’ll treat you right.”

If he continues to work 70 to 80 hours each week, Day expects his income will hit six figures. After taxes, Day estimates conservatively that he’ll take home about $80,000 this year.

Day plans to take a week off after he’s worked for three months to go home to see his family and buy a car.

Other than that purchase, Day plans to save money for college and for his future.

“Maybe I’ll find a career out here. Maybe I’ll go into petroleum engineering, who knows?” Day said. “But I’ll be out here for a while.”

AMY DALRYMPLE is a Forum Communications Co. reporter stationed in the North Dakota Oil Patch.

Tags:
news, energy

Article source: http://www.dl-online.com/event/article/id/67560/

Oswego County BOCES Director of Adult Education Paul Gugel announced the addition of two evening programs to its catalog of health occupation offerings.

A 730-hour evening Certified Medical Assistant program and a 395-hour evening Certified Administrative Health Assistant Program are now available for adult learners who have been displaced, are considering a career change, interested in re-entering the workforce or who are looking to increase their employability.

Gugel cited local demand and current job growth trends as the driving motivators for the additional two offerings, saying, “We are continuously trying to align our program offerings with the needs of local employers. As a result of these efforts our graduates from the Medical Assistant and Certified Administrative Health Assistant Programs are in demand. They receive excellent training in the classroom and then gain invaluable experience during their intersnhips with local employers. By the time they graduate they have very marketable skills. With the addition of the evening programs many people whose schedules [child care, other employment, etc.] might prevent them from taking our Monday – Thursday daytime program will now have the opportunity to pursue careers in this growing field. According to the [United States] Department of Labor the demand for Medical Assistants is projected to grow 34% by 2018.”

Gugel indicated that his department is currently accepting applications for the two new evening courses and that the courses are slated to begin in September. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible in order to complete entrance testing and pursue opportunities for potential funding.

In addition to the two new evening programs, the Adult Education Department will continue to offer the following daytime health occupation programs: Practical Nursing, Certified Nurse Aid, Dental Office Receptionist, Certified Dental Assistant, Certified Medical Assistant, Certified Phlebotomy Technician, Certified Administrative Health Assistant, and Medical Billing and Coding.

Two of these daytime courses, the Certified Medical Assistant and the Certified Administrative Health Assistant, will begin in early June with applications due on May 28.

A catalog of all health occupation training opportunities as well as trades, technology and driving programs available at Oswego County BOCES will be mailed to Oswego County residents near the end of May.

If you did not receive a catalog or would like more information about training programs offered by the Oswego County BOCES Adult Education Department, visit www.OswegoBOCES.org/AdultEd or call the Adult Education Office at (315) 963-4256.

Article source: http://oswegocountytoday.com/?p=87463

• Martins Bike Shop Inc.
• Woman’s Exchange of Reading
• Exeter Family Restaurant

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A former phlebotomist in the Berks County DUI Center was sentenced Tuesday to two years of probation for stealing a total of $840 from a detective and two drunken-driving suspects.

Kimberly K. Bennethum-Heffner, 31, of Newmanstown pleaded guilty before Judge Stephen B. Lieberman to three counts of theft.

“We do not want to have these kind of thefts taking place in the legal system,” Lieberman said. “This has given Bennethum-Heffner a permanent record.”

Lieberman also ordered Bennethum-Heffner to perform 50 hours of community service and pay $840 in restitution. She has paid $210 so far.

Bennethum-Heffner declined to comment. Officials said she could no longer work as a phlebotomist.

She was employed by St. Joseph Quality Medical Laboratory, a subsidiary of St. Joseph Medical Center, which provides phlebotomists to the center in the courthouse where blood is drawn from drunken-driving suspects.

The sentence was based on a plea agreement between Assistant District Attorney Igor Litinov and Bennethum-Heffner’s lawyer, Michael Bechtold of Lebanon.

District Attorney John T. Adams said Bennethum-Heffner’s actions caused some attorneys to challenge cases in which she took blood, but none of the prosecutions was hampered.

“We are glad we discovered this crime as quickly as we did,” Adams said. “It could have been a very huge embarrassment if it continued.”

Adams said he does not hold St. Joseph Medical Center responsible.

Michael B. Jupina, hospital spokesman, said Bennethum-Heffner was fired Oct. 5.

According to court records:

Jason Wert, 45, of Reading and Leopoldo Sanchez, 19, of Wyomissing were separately arrested by state police and taken to the center to be charged with drunken driving on Aug. 13.

Troopers seized the men’s belongings and gave them to center employees. Afterward, Wert noticed $340 was missing, and Sanchez found that $400 was missing.

Wert and Sanchez have since been placed in special probation programs for drunken driving.

County Detective Christopher Schott told troopers $100 was stolen from his belongings while he was working in the center in July.

Bennethum-Heffner was working when each of the thefts occurred. When troopers questioned her about the thefts, she confessed.

Contact Holly Herman: 610-478-6291 or hherman@readingeagle.com.

Article source: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=386353

A FLEETING look of horror then resignation flashed across the elderly patient’s face as he spotted the phlebotomist heading for his bed.

But it’s a reaction which Anitha Baiju, who has been taking blood samples in Gloucestershire for 11 years, is used to as she takes blood from around 50 people every day.

1. ​

   FOCUSED: Senior phlebotomist Anitha Baiju

Introducing herself to the man, on a ward at Cheltenham General Hospital, she asked his permission to take a sample.

After gently placing a tourniquet around his arm, she selected the appropriate ‘kit’ to do the job. Surprisingly, phlebotomists have four different options according to the type of vein.

Muttering “it has to be done”, the elderly man averted his eyes as Anitha offered words of reassurance, before uttering “just a sharp scratch” as the needle went in.

While this process went smoothly, the same cannot be said of all patients.

As Anitha, who takes blood samples in hospitals, GP surgeries and medical centres, explained: “I would say the majority of people who walk through the doors are really scared of needles. There are even people who have tattoos who are really scared.”

But Anitha’s job isn’t always straightforward.

“We have had people come in, straighten their arm and then pull it away. Then they’ll do it again,” she said. “Some people say ‘I can’t do this’ and have to walk away.”

It’s not just a person’s state of mind that can be difficult, the 60 phlebotomists who work at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals face plenty of physical challenges due to the diversity of their patients. “We get some very difficult veins and it can be hard to get a sample from them,” said Anitha.

“There are people who come in with learning disabilities, drug users and patients on medication which makes their veins more difficult to find because they are hardened by chemotherapy and constant needle use.”

Duncan Stevenson, from St Mark’s, Cheltenham, isn’t afraid to admit how much he hates needles.

The 25-year-old, who works in graphic design, has passed out when having blood taken.

He said: “I hate needles and will do anything to avoid them. I instantly feel nervous and very hot and bothered. It helps when the phlebotomist talks to me and calms me down. Taking my mind off it and talking about something else helps.”

Article source: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Life-phlebotomist-woman-takes-blood/story-16086594-detail/story.html

Published: Monday, May 14, 2012

Article source: http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2012/05/14/news/doc4fb1099ed58fb807319295.txt

SPARTANBURG, S.C. –

Upstate residents have the chance to be involved in the American Cancer Society’s research study called Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3).  Organizers say the project is designed to collect information that may lead to a world with less cancer. 

The study is open to anyone who is willing to commit to the study long-term which means completing periodic follow up surveys at home for the next 20-30 years, is between 30 and 65 years old, and has never been diagnosed with cancer (not including basal or squamous cell skin cancer).

Participation comes in two forms.   The first is to sign up at one of the enrollment events below.  When you enroll you will be asked to read and sign an informed consent form, complete a brief written survey, provide a waist circumference measurement and a small blood sample (similar to a doctor’s visit – 7 teaspoons total). The blood sample will be taken by a certified, trained phlebotomist.

The second step takes place at home, where you will complete a more detailed survey. This survey will ask information on your lifestyle, behaviors, and other health related factors.

In addition, you may receive a survey at home to update that information.

Enrollment appointments taking place:

Gibbs Cancer Center
380 Serpentine Drive
Spartanburg, SC 29303

Tuesday,
May 15, 2012
7:00am-12:30pm

Thursday,
May 17, 2012
2:30pm-7:30pm

For more information click here.
Organizers say a community enrollment in Greenville is planned during the week of September 11-15, 2012.

Article source: http://www2.wspa.com/lifestyles/2012/may/14/american-cancer-society-launches-research-study-sp-ar-3787853/

• 
  Faces of the Boom

Talk about it

WILLISTON — Twenty-year-old Justin Day moved to North Dakota with no oil field experience.

A month later, Day has a job that could pay him six figures this year.

But getting that job took research. And a lot of persistence.

Day, of Salem, Ore., is trained as a phlebotomist but couldn’t find steady work at home.

He knew of someone who worked in North Dakota’s Oil Patch, and he began researching opportunities.

Day spent more than a month working the phones and making contacts before arriving April 11 in Williston.

While Day was looking for work, he lived in his orange 1979 Volkswagen Riviera camper bus he and his dad restored.

“I sleep in it, cook in it, everything,” Day said. “It’s great.”

Day applied for his job online and drove to the office to submit a resume in person. He also had an interview on the spot, and followed up with several phone calls to human resources.

“It takes a little bit of work,” Day said. “It’s not easy anymore to get a job around here, that’s for sure.”

Cindy Sanford, customer service office manager for Job Service North Dakota in Williston, said workers with oil field experience are finding jobs immediately.

For those without experience, they will be more successful if they try to educate themselves on the industry and the job openings, she said.

“Do some research and come out prepared, instead of just showing up,” Sanford said.

That’s exactly what Day did, and a little more than two weeks after arriving in Williston he got hired as a floor hand for a workover rig, or service rig.

The job is in Dickinson, where Day is living in a hotel for now but will be provided crew camp-style housing.

The job is hard work — he worked 16 hours his first day. But he’s happy that the guys he’s working with are helping him learn.

“I think I lucked out with the crew I’m with,” Day said. “If you’re willing to work hard, they’ll treat you right.”

If he continues to work 70 to 80 hours each week, Day expects his income will hit six figures. After taxes, Day estimates conservatively that he’ll take home about $80,000 this year.

Day plans to take a week off after he’s worked for three months to go home to see his family and buy a car.

Other than that purchase, Day plans to save money for college and for his future.

“Maybe I’ll find a career out here. Maybe I’ll go into petroleum engineering, who knows?” Day said. “But I’ll be out here for a while.”

Dalrymple is a Forum Communications Co. reporter stationed in the Oil Patch.

Tags:
faces of the boom, oil field, justin day, job market, oil, news, williston, dickinson, experience, employment

Article source: http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/57980/

NEW HAVEN — Services at Yale-New Haven Hospital’s main location on York Street are supplemented by a number of facilities throughout the region. Among them are blood-drawing sites. All must be staffed. And that’s where ConnCAT comes in.

A new community program housed in a refurbished second-floor facility at 4 Science Park, ConnCAT — or the Connecticut Center for Arts Technology — will devote some of its resources to training unemployed New Haven-area residents in marketable job skills. Initially the focus will be on medical coding and phlebotomy.

“These are two market-relevant job training [areas] indicated by Yale [YNHH] as a need for them immediately,” explains Erik Clemons, ConnCAT’s executive director and president. The program formally opened its doors last month with a festive gathering of community leaders who, according to reports of the event, met the city’s latest effort to aid job-seekers with wholehearted enthusiasm.

That wasn’t always the case.

Four years ago, when the idea for what would become ConnCAT was first made public, many observers doubted the enterprise would be successful, and some even met it with resentment. Fanning the flames of doubt was a $150,000 Community Foundation for Greater New Haven-funded feasibility study. A popular sentiment was that the money would be better spent on needy programs and projects already in the funding channel.

“Coming in I knew there was a lot of skepticism, given the number of competing resources,” says Clemons, “and also given the scope of what we were trying to do.”

What helped quell much of the criticism were the program’s fit with other city initiatives and the can-do attitude of area businessman Carlton Highsmith, says Clemons.

The “fit” is with the idea of a jobs pipeline, a proposed collaboration of training, educational and business entities touted by both Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and the Board of Aldermen as a way to reduce local unemployment. ConnCAT fits that blueprint, says Clemons.

“It was timely,” he says.

As for Highsmith, the founder and former CEO of Specialized Packaging Group, came out of retirement to spearhead the $5 million fundraising effort needed to get ConnCAT up and running.

In addition to employment training, the program also has an arts component geared towards at-risk New Haven-area youth. That is set to start this fall. The job training will begin within weeks, says Clemons, as soon as ConnCAT receives the necessary certification as a private occupational school by the state’s Department of Labor. This first class will consist of 40 adult trainees.

“We’re interviewing now,” says Clemons. Preliminary requirements for residents include New Haven County residence, possession of a Social Security number and high school diploma or GED, and passage of a criminal background check as well as a numeric and literacy exam.

For potential trainees who can’t meet all the requirements, there’s help, at least in some areas. For example remedial reading instruction is available for those who don’t pass the literacy exam (a tenth- to 11^th-grade level is required).

“We’ve built a literacy classroom in the facility,” says Clemons. “We’ve partnered with Literacy Volunteers, and volunteers will tutor those who don’t meet the threshold.”

Going the extra mile to aid out-of-work local residents is a principle handed to ConnCAT by its progenitor, the Pittsburgh-based National Center for Arts Technology. ConnCAT is the fifth affiliate of that program. All affiliates fall under the auspices of the Manchester Bidwell Corp., created as a parent organization in 1999.

Founder Bill Strickland wanted CAT to be an oasis for Pittsburgh’s underserved — and perpetually unemployed — population. In addition to New Haven, other CAT programs have been established in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Grand Rapids and San Francisco. A sixth program will be launched in Buffalo, N.Y., next year, Clemons says.

Each program aims to reduce unemployment by training local residents to be market-relevant by filling positions needed in the local economy. Thus it’s fitting that New Haven’s initiative begins with the medical coding and blood-drawing needs of the city’s second-largest employer, YNHH. ConnCAT also is looking to establish future partnerships with employers having similar needs, such as Quest Diagnostics and the American Red Cross, says Clemons. In addition, he says that ConnCAT will expand to include a culinary program within the next two years.

Students who participate in the arts component of ConnCAT also could eventually benefit from the job training program, Clemons adds.

“Our main goal [with the arts component] is for young people to go to college,” he says. “But for those who do not go to college, they can just walk across the hall and start job training.”

 

—  Felicia Hunter

 

Article source: http://www.conntact.com/news/12513-job-training-for-real-marketplace-needs.html

STEPHEN THOMAS | Posted: Friday, May 11, 2012 2:52 pm

LifeShare Blood Center Phlebotomist Ciara Johnson facilitates a blood donation May 10 from Liberty County Attorney Wesley Hinch. The blood drive, which was held at Liberty’s First United Methodist Church, was for Liberty business leader J.C. Burnham, who has been recuperating at St. Luke’s Hospital after having undergone two surgeries aimed at correcting a heart ailment. There were 87 donors.

Article source: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/dayton/news/community-backs-burnham-at-lifeshare-blood-drive/image_c2d5051b-62cf-571b-b3bd-0d4dfe796c5d.html

Published on Friday 11 May 2012 10:44

CONCERN is growing over plans to shut the pathology lab at Stamford Hospital.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals Trust is considering closing the department and moving blood and urine analysis services to Peterborough City Hospital.

The trust is consulting with staff on the proposals, which could see 10 people lose their jobs, and has repeatedly insisted that patient-facing services will not be affected.

The busy phlebotomy service would be retained, so blood tests would still be taken at the hospital.

But some people are still worried about the impact of the closure.

They say services to patients will inevitably be affected and they fear the closure is just the latest cutback to hit the hospital.

Mike Dronfield, chairman of the Friends of Stamford Hospital, has outlined concerns that the loss of the pathology lab would lead to more services being taken away.

In a letter to the Mercury he said: “We are concerned that the loss of the lab will lead to further erosions in the services on offer and impede the development of any new services.

“There has in recent times been a considerable erosion of services at Stamford, each perhaps justifiable in isolation but together they may seriously undermine the hospital’s future.”

Mr Dronfield called on the trust to make clear its intentions for the hospital as a whole.

The Friends of Sheepmarket Surgery have also written to the Mercury saying the hospital needs to retain its pathology service to maintain services and cope with any proposed developments

Other readers also questioned the effect the loss of the lab would have on services such as blood iron reviews and tests during surgery.

But trust and hospital staff again moved to reassure patients that they would not be affected. Consultant haematologist Dr Kanchan Rege said: “There is no reason why the pathology service should look any different to patients if the laboratory is closed, as the popular and successful phlebotomy service is to be maintained.

“A frequent transport system for samples to Peterborough City Hospital will be continued and the results will be available electronically.

“Where results are needed immediately, as in a haematology clinic, a ‘point-of-care’ machine can be set up – a blood testing device which provides a good quality result within minutes.

“A fully validated result is available after being tested in the main laboratory later that day.”

Dr Rege said it would not make financial sense to run two labs when one could to the work of both without disrupting services. Closing the Stamford lab would also reduce the number of inspections the trust had to prepare for.

Regarding the future of the hospital as a whole, the trust’s interim chief executive Dr Peter Reading added: “We are in discussions with local GP colleagues regarding the future of Stamford Hospital, which is being developed through a clinical strategy for investing in services and improving facilities.

“We will very much welcome the views of local people on this future strategy once we have drawn his up with GPs and local commissioners.”

The trust’s consultation with staff about the proposed closure ends today. It is not known when the trust will announced its final decision on the plans.

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Article source: http://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/health/health-news/patients-voice-conerns-over-plans-to-close-stamford-hospital-pathology-lab-1-3831251