Phlebotomy lab

This morning, as part of the Blood and Lymph block, we learned how to draw blood by practicing on each other. I didn't allow myself much time to get nervous about the prospect of tearing up one of my classmate's veins - or having my own veins stuck. Medical school is a series of new experiences, some of which are kind of intimidating because someone else has placed their trust in me to handle their body and do them no harm. I've found that the best way of coping with these types of new experiences is to first acknowledge to myself that I'm a little nervous, think clearly through what must be done, then to jump right in and do my best.

We were given a 5 minute introductory video, a page of instructions, all the necessary supplies, and one instructor per dozen students, then we were set loose on each other. I was fortunate to pair up with my dear friend Dreas, who is perhaps the most chill medical student I know.


I drew his blood first. I surprised myself by how steadily I was able to hold the butterfly needle, despite my nervousness. I hit his antecubital vein (the one in the middle of the crook of his arm) on the first stick and drew two tubes of blood.

But as I was getting ready to take the needle out, my hand accidentally caught on the tubing and yanked the needle out of Dreas's arm. "Oh no! Oh no! Are you alright?" Luckily, the nurse instructor was nearby and calmly told me to get some gauze and put pressure on it. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it!" Dreas laughed after we got the situation under control. The nurse was laughing at this point, too: "Oh, that was a good one!" The terror of almost shredding Dreas's vein gave way to embarrassment and then to humor. It's a good story to tell, I guess. Now I know to always keep my hand on the butterfly needle, and I won't ever make that mistake with a real patient.

Dreas drew my blood next and did an excellent job. I didn't even bruise.