I used to come here and stopped because they give preferential treatment to people who have certain blood types so the wait times were long. I went elsewhere that treated us all equally. That place closed so I came back to Octapharma. And nothing has changed. Now people get blue passes. I've been standing in line for over 30 minutes because people keep coming in a getting blue passes to cut the line. So why are the rest of us matter so much less than others? One day I got here before it opened and stood 10th in line and 7people came in and got blue passes making the wait time doubled. So why are the rest of us "less than " and have to wait until all possible people who clearly matter more have come through? I'll probably do my new donor stuff and then go elsewhere. This is the only plasma place that does this and it pushes people who can consistently donate to other places. It's ridiculous and there's no process change. 2 people to check us in.... And they are pretty much dedicated to all the people they give blue passes to so the rest of us just stand and wait until everyone who matters is done... like we are the dirt of the place... bottom of the barrel for trying to donate at this place above others. It has taken 3 times donating again to realize why I stopped going here. read more

Pros: - Nice and friendly employees who respond well to positive interactions - Some staff members are fun, improving the donation experience - Financial compensation for donors - Opportunity to contribute to a good cause - Ongoing renovations to improve the facility Cons: - Often busy, which may lead to longer wait times - Currently not very clean, though renovations are addressing this issue Overall, it seems Octapharm Plasma offers a decent experience for plasma donation, with the staff being a significant positive factor. The upcoming renovations should address the cleanliness concerns, potentially improving the overall experience. Would you like me to elaborate on any specific aspect of this review or provide additional information about plasma donation?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ read more

Staffing is great they're very disorganized including the manager they leave 1 person in the front while there's 10 people in line the bigger lady with black hair and glasses will leave the front and she ends up doing other things I just think that's very unprofessional they need a better system read more

I went in today and was stuck three times, the sending time I was stuck the guy says and I quote "I'm not supposed to do this but we won't say anything" then proceeds to pull the needle out and reinsert it into a different vein next to the one he pulled from. That's when the water workd started and blood was literally pouring from my arm into the chair I was in and onto the floor and all they said was come back tomorrow and we can try again, then said I'd be reimbursed for the HOUR AND A HALF I was there...$10...it's not about the money it's about the Inexperienced staff doing things they know they aren't supposed to and then fucking everything up...I have bruises on both arms from three different people trying to get the blood flow going read more

Octapharma Plasma - Des Moines - This was after he got a bandage on it to stop the bleeding from the second needle stick - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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The staff was so rude!! They refused to use my proof of local address because it did not match my license address. Im a cosmetology student and I'm only temporarily staying in Des Moines. read more

This goes against EVERYTHING I stand by as a Yelp reviewer. I typically wont take the time to write a review less than 3 stars because its usually just a waste of my time, but when It comes to someone sticking a huge needle up my arm, what im about to say needs to be heard. First and foremost, I would not rate this place a 1 because there are a few good things about Octapharma. Their bonuses, referal incentives and payout is unmatchable which is why I chose them in the first place. Its nice that they also offer $50 for your first 5 donations. Now that ive started out on a positive note, here is what I have to say about their staff. You either know how to stick a needle up someones vain or you dont and a lot of them dont. Even their senior staff who seem to gloat when they stick a vain on their first try STILL arent doing it right. I get it, my vain jumps and its not an easy task getting it right the first time. I can tell right off the bat if Ive got a good stick and that only amounts to 10% of the time which means the other 90% I get stuck in the red the entire dontation which makes it take twice as long. Or *cringe* I HAVE TO GET MY OTHER ARM STUCK. If your staff doesnt do well with this task dont just throw them on the floor and hope theyll learn eventually. Give them a different job at your center. Also, why is it that when something is wrong and you put the red sad face sign above your head it legit takes them 5 minutes to get to you? If you put that sign over your head you should he top priority. One time my arm turned to a deep purple and started hurting and it took them far too long to get to me. The last straw was when I overheard two employees who clearly did not like each other yell "Do you want to take this outside" across the floor. So unprofessional. Management yelling any sort of dissiplinary remarks across the floor is incredible wrong, and I can see why this employee was quick to defend herself, although it was the wrong place and time. All this being said, Id love to give praise where praise is due. There are a few staff members that are exceptional. Ive never had a single problem with Stef. She has gotten my vain every single time and has corrected what someone else who didnt know what they were doing has done. I also really appreciate another staff member who I cant remember his name, but hes a shorter male whose name starts with a B. I secretly hope that these two are there when I donate cause its a matter of getting done in 40 minutes or an hour and a half. Overall, this place really just needs to get all the kinks worked out. Maybe its a matter of adding a few more weeks on training or having a system of knowing which people have vains that are harder to stick and utilizing your best employees for these people? Get it together folks. read more

They are just plane rude and wouldnt help me with donating blood, I will not be coming back to this place, I'm switching donating places

This place is a joke. My husband goes here twice a week to donate plasma for extra cash. It used to be that he'd be in and out of that place in less than an hour. Now the people working here can't get him out in less than 2.5 hours. The amount of money made per donation went down, but the time he sits there went up! And when he mentions that it's taking forever the employees tell him he can leave? That's not how you do any business. You have plenty of employees and when you see someone sitting to be hooked up but you just walk away from them you should be fired. Either you want to do your job or you don't. You people make me sick what a horrible business you run. read more

Takes 2 hours for the whole process. Staff is friendly so I give them a star for it. Machines are always malfunctioning. They have one good Tec young guy with glasses. The rest don't put the needle in the right way so the flow of blood always stops the machine. Overall just go somewhere else. Unless you got time to spare an like being shank more then 2 times with the needle then it's the place to be. read more

Octapharma, is a great way to make an 2nd income. The location is perfect not to mention the staff is very friendly as well.. I will spread the Fabulous news to co-worker and friends. read more

I haven't donated in 6 months and came back to be a return donor just to find out they permanently deferred me after I stopped donating. They said it was behavior issues that had already been delt with in May when they let me donate for another month after. I had asked another employee why a worker was always giving me the cold shoulder when I come in and say hi to everyone and he won't speak. Was told that he doesn't like people. So I said maybe this isn't the job for him. I was deferred until I spoke to a manager. I spoke to Sarah and she un-deferred me and told me to stay in my place because I don't work for octapharma anymore. I wasn't acting like I worked there I was upset for being treated so rude by their staff. So I continued to donate for one more month and then took a 6 months break. Only to find out they would go back in and reopen the same issue and permanently defer me. I've been spit on by manager there while working and even had to talk to Deena because of another employee making remarks to me about being gay. Octapharma hasn't been very kind to me at all but because I want to donate to save lives since it is what almost saved my mom's life I take it seriously. Very disappointed with octapharma. read more

The staff members are super friendly and efficient at their work! Awesome environment

As a long time donor I've seen loss of employee turnover but seems like they have a solid staff on board now. Some people have "Cheers" were everyone knows you name I have Octapharma. I enjoy the helpful staff and how management will jump in and catch up the floor if it is getting behind so that everyone gets thru as quickly as possible. I feel good knowing donations make lifesaving medications for many people plus puts a little cash in my pocket. I really have been enjoying added bonuses the last couple months. If you are looking for doing your part in the world and making a little money check out Octapharma today! read more

After donating for months at Biomat, there are several reasons I prefer Octapharma. First, the processing times are much more reasonable. Biomat was taking me anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, with an average of about 2.5 hours. So far, the longest it's taken me at Octapharma is an hour and thirty five minutes, when they were busy. I've been in and out in as little as an hour and ten minutes, and the average is about an hour and a half. Octapharma automates the screening process with computer terminals. You walk in, do your screening questions online, then go directly to the secondary screening queue, where they take your blood pressure, weight, do blood analysis, etc. After that, you just go directly out to the donation floor, and get on a table. Also, the machines at Octapharma take twice as much plasma per draw, as at Biomat. Biomat was doing 8 to 12 smaller draws, while Octapharma does only 4 - 5 per donation. The process is significantly quicker at Octapharma, which is a huge plus. Octapharma is open seven days a week, and stays open late Monday through Saturday. This makes it much more convenient if you're trying to donate after work. At Biomat, they were closed on Sundays and Mondays, closed early on Saturdays, and were only open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then, you had to make an appointment if you wanted to donate after 3:45 pm, and if you missed it by more than 10 minutes, your slot was cancelled. Octapharma is first-come-first-serve all day, every day. It's more convenient if you're working a full-time job and donating on the side. Next, I love that they have a graduated pay scale at Octapharma. Biomat pays you the same whether you donate the minimum or maximum amount. That's a great deal if you're in the light-weight category, but totally sucks if you're heavier and have to give the maximum amount. If you spend more time on the table and give more plasma, you should get more money. Octapharma pays significantly more to the maximum donors than to the minimum donors, which is how it should be. They did recently elevate the mid-level donation amounts to the same as the heavy-weights, which I don't like, but it's still better than getting paid the same as a lightweight who spends 15 or 20 minutes less on the table every time, and gives significantly less plasma. Guess I'll have to lose about 30 pounds and get into their mid-weight category. Also, Octapharma has an new donor incentive (for 880ml donors) of $50 for the first 5 donations. They don't try to claim exclusive rights to you either. As long as you haven't donated at another plasma center for at least a week, you're good to go. Biomat warned me that if I donated somewhere else more than a few times, I would be permanently deferred. After a couple weeks at Octapharma, I'm down with that. Buh-bye Biomat. read more

They know why. Friendly, but inexperienced staff. Another needle falling out, blood everywhere. bad first impression, well my 2nd impression, but my 3rd bad story about them and all have been bad about the staff's skills. I suggest to try the other plasma centers in Des Moines or Ankeny. read more

The center is very clean and the staff is friendly and helpful. It normally only takes me about 45 minutes from start to finish. Things have really improved and everyone seems happier and they work more as a team. The evenings can get busier, but I go in the afternoons and there is no waiting on most days. I really appreciate how helpful the staff is! read more