A day with the phlebotomist.

Salam wbt.

Sorry girls for the late update. So much has been going on and sadly to say that updating this blog has not been kinda at the top of my to-do-list. Huuu. :P I’ll definitely try to give it the special attention it deserved in the future. ;)

I seriously have no idea what to talk about so I’m just going to share with you guys my beautiful experience with the phlebotomist (as suggested in the title) last Friday.

* Phlebotomist: qualified technician trained at drawing blood. (Wiki)- in case there are non-medic-readers. :)

Well as you girls know, I am horribly terrible at drawing blood. Heee. Hence the reason for signing up to this session. Ok, so before we started the session, I had a bit of a conversation with the phlebotomist.

P: So, how far are you in drawing blood? Have you practiced a lot?

A: Urm….yeah2. I’ve done quite plenty but have not done much for the past 6 weeks.

A: And, oh yeah, I’ve ONLY kinda managed to draw blood from VISIBLE veins. (Uhuh, I think)

P: Hmm…You’re NEVER going to get visible veins here.

ERRRR….huuuu.

Well, anyhow, the nurse started off by drawing blood from 2 patients and taught me through the hows and whys. And then it was my turn. I still needed some reassurance from her on certain things especially the part where I need to find the vein, but I’d say it was a success. I did get better as I get along and I’ve only failed on 2 patients out of 10 (can’t remember exact no., maybe more) and even the nurse said it was a difficult vein (the moving veins). She said I just need more practice to be able to tackle those kinda veins. All in all, it was a success. It is really about understanding the technique and being able to apply it in practice. So I’m just going to jot down a few tips that I got from her that I find very useful. :D

1. When searching for vein, make sure that you always have the patient make a tight fist.
2. If you’re right-handed, always feel for the bounding vein with your left forefinger and vice versa. Always use that same finger so that you will get very familiar with the sensation.
3. Never ever take your eyes off the site of the vein. If you did, track it again with your finger and only then you proceed with the needle.
4. When the needle is in, make sure you anchor the needle very firmly. If not, you may lose the vein.
5. Time to draw the blood. If there is no blood coming out, Don’t freak out! (like I always did,uhuh) just gently and slowly draw the needle back slightly, you should be able to get it. (yes, I did this a few times during the session, it really worked)
6. If however you still do not get the blood, it is time to call for some help. J
7. Lastly, always have a plaster/cotton pad ready in your left palm so that it’d be a smooth act when you want to take out the needle.

Ok, so that’s it. And oh yeah, do not forget to start of with Bismillah. :) It is Allah after all that makes the hard, easy.

Leyya and xati I’m sure you girls are already experts on this. Hehe. But I just thought I’d share cause this is the only thing that is still fresh in my mind.heehe. OK, cant wait to hear from you xati. :)

Ps: received a lovely msg from a lovely girl Nurul Izzati Izyan Hamdi. Hehe. Thanks dear. :) Just thought I’d mentioned you here.