The Ross Medical Education Center Knoxville, Tennessee campus recently visited Medic Regional Blood Center. Medic was established in 1958 and is the only blood center in the United States which has a Blood Coverage Program. This program takes care of the blood supplier processing fees for its members at any hospital in the country. Their support allows for life-saving blood to be distributed to all the patients and facilities that need it.
During their visit, students were able to take the journey from checking a patient in and gathering data, through the collection and storage process, and all the way to checkout. It was a great experience for students to experience the process through the perspective of both a collector and a patient to be more understanding and compassionate. Students were also given an opportunity to find out their blood type free of charge! “We encouraged them to donate or encourage others to help our community as well,” said April Thomas, Assistant Campus Director of Education. “We never know when we may need their services ourselves.”
The students were thrilled to have the opportunity to see a blood center in action. One Medical Assistant program student, Ms. Nix, stated about the experience, “I enjoyed learning how they put up the blood and what they do with it after collecting.” Another commented, “I thought the -32 degree freezer was cool. Also enjoyed learning and watching about the separation of plasma, blood, and platelets.” “I enjoyed learning about what happens to the the blood after it has been collected and how it is processed,” shared another. As phlebotomy is part of the medical assistant training at Ross, many of the students asked questions of the staff there, considering whether a facility like that may be a good fit for them as they pursue their healthcare career.