(note: I'm fairly sure that Plasma donors are referred to as just that, "donors", but from here on out I may refer to them as "bleeders" just for my own twisted bit of humor.)
The place where I am currently signed up is BioLife in Bellingham (near Whatcom Community College). I'd expect there are many different places all around the United States and probably in other countries, but I'm only knowledgeable at the place I'm currently at; at BioLife, the bleeder get $20 for about an hour of sitting there with a needle in their arm. If they go a second time in the same calendar week (Monday through Saturday) the bleeder get $30 dollars for the second session.
Also, there are many other ways to get money, such as a recently offer that added an extra $5 per visit if an appointment was made and the bleeder was on time. Recruiting is another way to make some extra extra cash. If a bleeder tells someone else about the program and that other person signs up and donates at least twice, the recruiting bleeder gets $10 added to their card.
(note the second: If you sign up at the BioLife in bellingham...and have no one else to say recruited you...help a starving college student out and give them my name? That'd be awesome. Thanks.)
Speaking of the card, I'll explain that a bit. It's a regular debit card, they give you a PIN and it can be used anywhere they'll take debit cards. When you sign up as a bleeder they give you all the information about the card though.
The first time also requires a pretty long appointment for painless paperwork and an even more painless "physical". The physical pretty much consists of marking on paper any tattoos and piercings and also checking eyes, nose, ears and a couple glands (in front of ears, down neck, along collar bone, etc.). Once that appointment is over with, you donate for the first time and can from then either on come in by appointment or just show up.
The only down side I can think of is that I can no longer donate whole blood because I'd have to wait two months to donate plasma again...and I was only one donation away from one of those cool little pins. :, (
It's pretty cool. I'm helping people out medically by donating something that my body can simply make more of. Of course, it's also a reminder to me to stay healthy. I've been eating healthier and recently started an aerobics gym class. I know myself well enough to know that I need to give myself a reason to guilt myself into being healthier, and this is a pretty damn good reason.
Soon I'll type out a walk through of what all happens in one donating session, but for now I've got to go to a middle school talent show to support the local kids.
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