What do you do when you can’t find the right workers for a job? You create them. That is the approach taken by the clinical laboratory at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with assistance from The Skills Initiative and Philadelphia Works.
Facing a shortage of phlebotomists and high unemployment rates in the surrounding area, CHOP initiated a program to train its own phlebotomists. Participants are paid during the eight-week training and offered full-time employment upon completion, although there is no obligation to remain at CHOP after finishing the program.
Eligibility requires candidates to have a high school diploma or GED, be unemployed, and reside in Philadelphia. No medical training or experience is needed.
C’Yani Powell was part of the first phlebotomy training cohort. She had been let go from her job as a pharmacy technician after her son fell ill with pneumonia. “He was hospitalized the weekend of his third birthday,” she said. “I had to stay with him. My job didn’t approve of me missing so many days.” Her mother sent her information about the program. “I never imagined being a phlebotomist, but I figured, what’s the worst that could happen? I’m so glad I took that step because I love it,” Powell added.
Now employed full-time at CHOP, Powell appreciates more than just financial benefits from the program: “My experience with The Skills Initiative and CHOP was and still is phenomenal.”
The demand for phlebotomists across the United States is high, particularly in pediatrics. “A lot of phlebotomists don’t want to stick and draw labs from children,” said Dana Lyall, senior clinical lab manager.
During the pandemic, shortages led CHOP’s lab to rely on temporary workers which resulted in high turnover and costs. Elizabeth Margolskee, MD, MPH noted that new hires required significant on-the-job pediatric training regardless of their certification: “We were hiring trained phlebotomists and still needing to train them anyway.”
Over eight weeks at CHOP’s program, participants learn pediatric phlebotomy essentials—beginning with healthcare foundations like medical terminology—and eventually gain hands-on experience with patients.
Margolskee tracked data indicating The Skills Initiative trainees performed better than traditional hires: “The people we trained ourselves had lower rates of inadequate samples compared to traditional hires.”
Organizational partnerships have been crucial for this initiative’s success. The Skills Initiative handles recruitment while Philadelphia Works provides funding support covering 50% of participant wages during training periods.
Thanks to collaboration efforts between these groups two cohorts have completed their training; another began in June.
For Lyall choosing participants without medical backgrounds has been rewarding: “This really opens doors for them they might not otherwise have.”
Powell echoes this sentiment saying: “My life has really changed beautifully since starting.”
