Financial struggles are a heavy burden for most college students, and many of them are putting their bodies through extreme measures just to earn an extra buck. Plasma donation is an easy way for students to earn some cash, but since plasma is such a key component of the body, not all students react to donating plasma in a positive way.
AJ Ashley, a level three registered nurse at Covenant Children’s Emergency Room, said plasma is a major constituent of blood.
“It’s like a suspension that holds everything that the blood is, kind of holds it all together,” Ashley said. “It’s the main carrier protein in the blood.”
Ashley said plasma donation is like a regular blood donation, but they spin the blood once they have taken it to separate the blood from the plasma. Once the plasma is received, he said, the donor gets back his or her blood product.
According to the Donating Plasma website, blood plasma performs tasks like blood clotting and even helps fight diseases.
Nathan Haggard, a mathematics major at Texas Tech, said he donated plasma up to two times per week for a year straight. Because he is in the highest weight bracket, he said, he was paid more to donate more than others who may be smaller.
Picture by Matt Dotray.
Along with the high amount donors like Haggard get paid, the price tag for hospitals to buy the plasma is also expensive.
In 2014, University Medical Center bought 2,686 bags of plasma at $62 each. The overall cost of plasma that year was $166,532.
“The only thing that comes negative is you get track marks, and they stay there,” Haggard said. “They’re there forever.”
The Health Research Funding website states multiple side effects may occur when someone donates plasma. Nausea, bruising, extreme hunger and dizziness are all side effects, according to the site.
Haggard said he didn’t suffer any other side effects. He said he has stopped donating plasma now because he has two jobs that provide him with a steady income, but he encourages others to donate.
“It helps them fight diseases and stuff like that,” Haggard said, “so plasma donation is actually really helpful for us, for humans.”
Heather Hernandez, a junior anthropology major from San Antonio, Texas, said she did not have a positive experience when she donated for the final time because the nurses had trouble finding her veins.
“They had to bring me the cold packs, give me Sprite to drink to make me feel better,” Hernandez said. “I got queasy, and that was probably the last time I donated.”
Hernandez said she began donating when she was a freshman but stopped because the money was not worth the negative side effects.
Ashley said Hernandez might have had a negative reaction because of her body’s initial response to compensate for the missing plasma.
A study by Ingrid Veldhuizen and Anne van Dongen, published by the American Association of Blood Banks, asked first-time donors to fill out a survey before they donated. The study surveyed both whole blood donors and plasma donors.
Picture by Matt Dotray.
The authors found all donors have some sort of motivation before donating, but plasma donors had a higher intention and less anxiety about donating.
Ashley said Covenant Hospital uses plasma more often for a certain type of victim.
“Burn units use it a lot because the protein is destroyed by the heat,” Ashley said. “Burn victims use more than any trauma patient.”
If a student is planning to donate, Ashley said, the individual should be clear about his or her medical history to rule out any underlying issues the individual may be unaware of.
The American Red Cross website lists some key elements for individuals who are planning to donate. According to the website, people who have type AB blood, which is 4 percent of the world’s population, can give their plasma to be received by anyone who is need.
The Donating Plasma website states a donor must be at least 110 pounds, pass a medical examination, and test negative for viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis.
Ashley said he does not believe donating plasma should be used as a reliable source of income, but students looking to help out by donating either plasma or blood could make an impact.
“Blood donation and plasma donation are definitely needed; there’s always blood shortages,” Ashley said. “There’s just a wide need for blood and blood products.”
About Shelby Kimball
