A very well rounded learning process, in and out of class. BUT!!!!...............While I feel extremely capable as a phlebotomist, the journey to get here has NOT been easy......Very unprofessional in how they handle their students. The first class I SIGNED up for, the building was a mile away from my home and after a month of waiting for information, I had to call the main location only to learn that THAT building was shut down at the same time I applied. NEVER HEARD A WORD FROM THE SCHOOL......SO I paid over $2,000 for classes in Ventura (An hour from my home). Those classes, while over priced, were smooth and efficient.
But then I had to deal with Alana, who seemed -she was recently fired or quit- to be the ONLY externship coordinator in all of SOCAL..... Seriously? The ONLY person who coordinates students? Myself and five other women paid OVER $2,000 each for class in one location and there is only 1 person handling externships? She was VERY unprofessional, after graduating top of my class I did NOT hear from her for six STRAIGHT AND SOLID months. Any emails that were sent in that time were met with an abrupt response telling us that she will get to us when she does..... When I finally receive some word from her, she sent a very vague email with NO information regarding my Externship except what days and what city it was in. She failed to tell me exactly WHERE I was going, and after sending a second and third email I had to beg her to respond to, she royally messed up on the time I was supposed to be there. I had no info on my externship until 1 week before I was scheduled to go and her responses were incredibly unprofessional and ZERO help. And trying to contact the teacher for a clinical evaluation -because they took so long to get you into an externship you have to go back to class to prove you're still capable- was another hassle seeing that he NEVER responded to me until Alana had to contact him and even then I still had to schedule with ANOTHER teacher. (Rosie is the BEST thing about CTI, period.)
My externship went smoothly, only issue is that the person they told me to contact at the hospital seemed to not exist. Never spoke to "her" once during the course of my externship. But I didn't need her in any case.
Afterwards, I complete all my externship paperwork and still need to take a state test and wait for my certificate....Alana contacted me on Feb 14th concerning my certificate that she was about to print....that day..... and that was the absolute LAST time I ever heard from her AT ALL, even after I sent an email back Right away...... Until TODAY, 3-13-2020. I had to send another email because I haven't heard a peep from her or the School in a solid 4 weeks.
Only to learn that ALANA DOESN'T WORK FOR CTI ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST LIKE THE LOCATION I SIGNED UP FOR THAT WAS SHUT DOWN, EVERYONE AT CTI SEEMED TO COMPLETELY INGORE ME AND FAILED TO INFORM ME THAT THE ONE SOLE EXTERNSHIP COORDINATOR IN ALL OF CA NO LONGER WORKS FOR THEM.
So now I have to keep waiting for this new extern coordinator to get back to me.
Unless you want to spend a lot of money, drive around to really inconvenient locations, and spend A LOT of time waiting for them to respond to you about things that extremely time sensitive and important, please take my experience into consideration. While I am grateful for all that CTI has helped me with up until this point, the rest of my experience has been a game of waiting and being 100% ignored.
One more time, I had to have someone else help me finance this endeavor to start a whole new life and career for myself, the school seemed to be more diligent on tuition payments I owed than the future needs of their student. Which is unfortunate because the in-class experience was great (they claim that they will help you every step of the way and they do but its an uphill battle and a long long game of waiting). So anyone considering CTI, please think very hard and consider ALL your phlebotomy school/training options.
I tried my best not to sound like I was slandering them, as my experience in class was great. I am just so very very frustrated with how they handle their students once you graduate classes. I have had to BEG them for info and help every step of the way and it doesn't make sense seeing how much money I paid to go to this school. I graduated classes in July 2019, did not heard from them until Jan or Feb 2020, and Just now- march 2020- learned that the person in charge of my file doesn't even work there anymore and NO ONE has gotten back to me or picked up my info in all this time. (Oh also, one more thing, as far as I am aware, the five other girls from my class, haven't even GOTTEN an externship yet.)
All I have said is a truthful account of my personal experience. read more