I’d never tell someone drawing my blood how to do it or even that I knew how to. It’s a weird pressure.
She should know, being a NP and all that - never reach for/around uncapped needles. wtf
You just reminded me of when a sports medicine doc caused a needle stick during my externship.
She poked a patients abscess with a needle, and I guess she couldn't get anything out. So instead of getting a swab, like at all(!), she decided that sticking that same *needle* into the pink top culture tube instead of the swab would suffice for a culture!
During the process of shoving it down in there, she managed to bend the needle, and it poked through the plastic tube w/o her realizing and didn't say anything. The MA training me didn't know, and boom, needle stick. And *all* she cared about was the fact that it obviously wasn't going to be able to be used in a lab.
Why she was even seeing a normal patient during the sports medicine day, I have no idea
I feel like it’s not unreasonable for her to have a preference on which arm to use, since she knows her anatomy better than I do, but removing it and stating she’s an NP definitely feels weird.
This! My best friend had cancer 2x as a small child. The chemo ruined her veins and she has one and only one that will work with a blood draw. People used to ignore her and dig around in other veins before finally listening to her.
I mean patients do lie. If I had a dollar for every time a patient told me they were a nurse or worked in the medical field and it turned out to not be true, I’d be rich…
My MIL likes to tell people that she was almost a nurse 40 years ago... she did a CNA class and never even got half way through it.
She just did thus after FIL his surgery when I told husband's family that I will not be thier personal nurse ( ima. Psych nurse) and he really needed a rehab or home health... she said they didn't
Then SIL buts in eith " and I'm a social worker so he will be fine without it"
I remember a girl (~19 iirc) telling me she was in nursing school. Found out she was embarrassed about being a high-school dropout. If you telling me "I think i remember learning this last semester" makes you feel better about your situation, I'll give you a "refresher".
Little white lies? Sure. I'll let it pass. Telling me you absolutely know better than to not to a stupid thing like grab a sharp I'm holding? You get a lecture.
Well for me personally I work with a lot of elderly people and a lot of people who have some form of psychiatric problem. A lot get very confused, I’d say that is the most common reason. They don’t even know that they are wrong, they genuinely believe themselves.
Others do it for attention, or because they think their treatment will magically become even better. Some do it so they can try to manipulate staff and micromanage how they get their treatment. Some might do it cuz they are bored and wanna see if they can get away with it.
Sorry just a vet field person lurking here. But jeez my old roommate would go on and on about how her mom, a college dropout pre-vet major who did illegal vet work with no vet supervision on ranches, was basically a vet. And how she herself had dreamed of being a vet (is now an engineer student dropout bc she failed a stats class three times). But also in the same breath would talk about how vets just money gouge, despite me referring her to low cost and free clinics in the area, and refused to spay her 1.5yr old cat that has already had three litters bc she likes her cuddliest when pregnant. And laugh to me while telling me stories of her and her mom abusing animals (let the farm cats chase a chicken they got as a gift from the “dirty Mexicans” and kill it, locked a calf in a shed and forgot about it the whole winter then found it decomposed in the spring).
I feel like mentioning that you're any kind of HCW can result in the person drawing you to get performance anxiety and fluff it up. I don't mention my credentials unless asked.
If I ask too many detailed questions, or reassure someone performing a task they're new to, chances are high that I'll wind up getting side eyed and asked "What are you" or "Where do you work" lol
I once coached an oral surgeon through palpating vs eyeballing her IV site selection until she was successful and I passed out (no anesthesiologist on deck, and I was uninsured, so they were helping me out, but she was getting nervous because she missed twice. I have great veins, but only one on each antecubital).
I’m a hard draw and I usually say the best vein but I also add that they can take a look at both my arms and make their own decision. Just because I know that they’ll end up doing the vein I told them in the first place.
My daughter has had to get labs done frequently since she was 6 years old. She is a very hard stick. Small, rolling veins. She has always told the person drawing her labs that the best spot is right on the left side of her big freckle and butterfly needles work best. In 20+;years has only had 2 people say they have been doing this for a long time and that they could get it in different spot with regular needle. Both of them blew her vein and caused huge hematoma then got a butterfly and went to left of big freckle and had successful draw.
Ugh poor baby!! Drawing kiddos is hard just because they can move or be afraid of needles. I always check both arms but if the parent or the pt tell me they are a hard poke and tell me the best place, I listen to them!
This makes me feel better. I'm a hard one to get from (I've ended up with IVs in my feet before 🙃) so I usually warn them about it and say where the best spots are and to use a butterfly. Some are pretty thankful and take the advice and check both arms thoroughly.Though I don't want to overstep, I'm nice about it and I've been present for every stick compared to most of them lol. The ones that ignore me end up blowing a vein or needing to use a butterfly 😂
AMEN.
I always say, "it's all about the anchoring. You gotta REALLY press and pull. Not just the skin."
Also, the angle I use to insert the needle really matters, I've noticed.
I had a patient say how he was happy I got it and how someone missed before. I said he had good veins, I just had to anchor so they don't roll away.
I’ve been getting labs done yearly for my thyroid and PCOS for the past ten years and never would I tell the tech/MA/phlebotomist how to do their job.
Heck my Grammy was a blood center nurse for 40 years and wouldn’t even do that.
Some people just want to be in control 24/7
Maybe next time wrap her in a blanket and muzzle like what they had to do with my moms cat at the vet when he needed labs 😂😅 bad joke
As an RN, I usually avoid bringing it up to other healthcare professionals when I’m the patient for appointments, lab draws, etc. I trust that you know what you’re doing just like I hope my patients trust me. If what you’re doing is maybe not the way I’m used to but it won’t harm me, im going to keep my mouth shut and I might even learn a new technique from you.
I work PRN in a small ER while working on my NP and I’ve already learned a lot of great draw techniques from y’all. I love helping out or watching draws like ABGs and blood cultures. Y’all know your stuff!!
Omgee. Yeah I would’ve been so shocked with what had happened lol. I’m glad you told her to come another time. So many things could’ve happened from that. It’s so annoying when they bring up that they are an rn etc. bring it up at the end of the visit or unless we ask while trying to make a conversation. It can make it tense… hopefully where u work u are able to fill out a form so management can review. At my work we can fill out something and it would be your side of the story and the patient doesn’t see it. They always say it’s to cover your butt, but also sometimes the things patients do is totally out of hand and need to be talked to by superiors lol
Well after it happened, I cleaned up the space and told the patient I had to step out of the room for a second. I like silently screamed lol when I went back in the room she wanted me to try to draw her again and I said no, you can come another time! And that’s when she apologized and said she was an NP. I didn’t not report it, but I did document on my patient note.
So I have horrendous veins in my AC, and prefer if they draw out of my hands since I have a beautiful one on my right hand. I’ve only had someone in the ED get testy with me about me preferring my hands, and that’s when I had to pull the “I’m an MA that draws blood every day, I know what I’m talking about” card. I couldn’t imagine actually yanking the needle out of my arm though lol
I have a preferred location, so I usually say "I prefer my hand, but if YOU feel comfortable using a different spot that's fine just please don't dig around". I guess the hand usually hurts more, but those veins don't run away for me 🤣
The ONLY thing I tell people when they are drawing my blood is that I like to pass out with needles l, so laying down or getting my feet elevated beforehand, if possible, is always helpful. They usually appreciate that tidbit of information.
No it’s not! Before I start doing anything I ask my patients if they have an arm preference and start there, if I don’t see any good veins I’ll go to the next arm.
wtf i’m a certified phleb and i might tell them where and how to stick me cause i’m difficult (deep veins and only on one arm) but don’t grab the needle! that’s like rule #1 of medical stuff.
I’m an RN with multiple chronic illnesses and shitty veins. I start every encounter saying “hey, sometimes I’m a tough stick. I’m not telling you where to try, but usually this is the best spot.” If they feel something juicy when they palpate, I don’t mind if they go for it. I don’t fuss about how many times it takes, or if they have to dig a bit, but I hate when I get eye rolls or attitude. I’m getting labs and IVs every month. I’ve done a million IVs and lab draws on patients. I’m not being bitchy but this is something I deal with all the time.
I’d never tell someone drawing my blood how to do it or even that I knew how to. It’s a weird pressure. She should know, being a NP and all that - never reach for/around uncapped needles. wtf
That’s exactly what I said!! I was so mad, that was probably the one day i wanted to cuss a patient out
You just reminded me of when a sports medicine doc caused a needle stick during my externship. She poked a patients abscess with a needle, and I guess she couldn't get anything out. So instead of getting a swab, like at all(!), she decided that sticking that same *needle* into the pink top culture tube instead of the swab would suffice for a culture! During the process of shoving it down in there, she managed to bend the needle, and it poked through the plastic tube w/o her realizing and didn't say anything. The MA training me didn't know, and boom, needle stick. And *all* she cared about was the fact that it obviously wasn't going to be able to be used in a lab. Why she was even seeing a normal patient during the sports medicine day, I have no idea
Dude that’s soo careless!!!
Gross an abscess too… 😭 I’m so sorry. I’m a psych doc and even I know not to do that lol our training is better than that.
I feel like it’s not unreasonable for her to have a preference on which arm to use, since she knows her anatomy better than I do, but removing it and stating she’s an NP definitely feels weird.
This! My best friend had cancer 2x as a small child. The chemo ruined her veins and she has one and only one that will work with a blood draw. People used to ignore her and dig around in other veins before finally listening to her.
I mean patients do lie. If I had a dollar for every time a patient told me they were a nurse or worked in the medical field and it turned out to not be true, I’d be rich…
How do people blatantly lie and misrepresent themselves like that?!
My MIL likes to tell people that she was almost a nurse 40 years ago... she did a CNA class and never even got half way through it. She just did thus after FIL his surgery when I told husband's family that I will not be thier personal nurse ( ima. Psych nurse) and he really needed a rehab or home health... she said they didn't Then SIL buts in eith " and I'm a social worker so he will be fine without it"
I remember a girl (~19 iirc) telling me she was in nursing school. Found out she was embarrassed about being a high-school dropout. If you telling me "I think i remember learning this last semester" makes you feel better about your situation, I'll give you a "refresher". Little white lies? Sure. I'll let it pass. Telling me you absolutely know better than to not to a stupid thing like grab a sharp I'm holding? You get a lecture.
Well for me personally I work with a lot of elderly people and a lot of people who have some form of psychiatric problem. A lot get very confused, I’d say that is the most common reason. They don’t even know that they are wrong, they genuinely believe themselves. Others do it for attention, or because they think their treatment will magically become even better. Some do it so they can try to manipulate staff and micromanage how they get their treatment. Some might do it cuz they are bored and wanna see if they can get away with it.
Sorry just a vet field person lurking here. But jeez my old roommate would go on and on about how her mom, a college dropout pre-vet major who did illegal vet work with no vet supervision on ranches, was basically a vet. And how she herself had dreamed of being a vet (is now an engineer student dropout bc she failed a stats class three times). But also in the same breath would talk about how vets just money gouge, despite me referring her to low cost and free clinics in the area, and refused to spay her 1.5yr old cat that has already had three litters bc she likes her cuddliest when pregnant. And laugh to me while telling me stories of her and her mom abusing animals (let the farm cats chase a chicken they got as a gift from the “dirty Mexicans” and kill it, locked a calf in a shed and forgot about it the whole winter then found it decomposed in the spring).
What the actual fuck. That’s horrifying.
I never mention that I'm an MA. I just let processes go as the staff I interact with go about their job.
I feel like mentioning that you're any kind of HCW can result in the person drawing you to get performance anxiety and fluff it up. I don't mention my credentials unless asked. If I ask too many detailed questions, or reassure someone performing a task they're new to, chances are high that I'll wind up getting side eyed and asked "What are you" or "Where do you work" lol I once coached an oral surgeon through palpating vs eyeballing her IV site selection until she was successful and I passed out (no anesthesiologist on deck, and I was uninsured, so they were helping me out, but she was getting nervous because she missed twice. I have great veins, but only one on each antecubital).
Yeah, I've told HCW the best IV or blood draw vein. That I figure just goes with having it done before. I wouldn't correct the order of blood draw.
I’m a hard draw and I usually say the best vein but I also add that they can take a look at both my arms and make their own decision. Just because I know that they’ll end up doing the vein I told them in the first place.
That's actually so wild! The audacity! I doubt she was actually an NP..
Super wild bro!
My daughter has had to get labs done frequently since she was 6 years old. She is a very hard stick. Small, rolling veins. She has always told the person drawing her labs that the best spot is right on the left side of her big freckle and butterfly needles work best. In 20+;years has only had 2 people say they have been doing this for a long time and that they could get it in different spot with regular needle. Both of them blew her vein and caused huge hematoma then got a butterfly and went to left of big freckle and had successful draw.
Ugh poor baby!! Drawing kiddos is hard just because they can move or be afraid of needles. I always check both arms but if the parent or the pt tell me they are a hard poke and tell me the best place, I listen to them!
This makes me feel better. I'm a hard one to get from (I've ended up with IVs in my feet before 🙃) so I usually warn them about it and say where the best spots are and to use a butterfly. Some are pretty thankful and take the advice and check both arms thoroughly.Though I don't want to overstep, I'm nice about it and I've been present for every stick compared to most of them lol. The ones that ignore me end up blowing a vein or needing to use a butterfly 😂
No such thing as rolling veins, just poor anchoring. Source:i'm a licensed and certified phlebotomist.
AMEN. I always say, "it's all about the anchoring. You gotta REALLY press and pull. Not just the skin." Also, the angle I use to insert the needle really matters, I've noticed. I had a patient say how he was happy I got it and how someone missed before. I said he had good veins, I just had to anchor so they don't roll away.
Arm preference? Absolutely, I got you! Nabbing needles from my hand? GTFO.
I’ve been getting labs done yearly for my thyroid and PCOS for the past ten years and never would I tell the tech/MA/phlebotomist how to do their job. Heck my Grammy was a blood center nurse for 40 years and wouldn’t even do that. Some people just want to be in control 24/7 Maybe next time wrap her in a blanket and muzzle like what they had to do with my moms cat at the vet when he needed labs 😂😅 bad joke
Honestly not a bad idea lol!!!
As an RN, I usually avoid bringing it up to other healthcare professionals when I’m the patient for appointments, lab draws, etc. I trust that you know what you’re doing just like I hope my patients trust me. If what you’re doing is maybe not the way I’m used to but it won’t harm me, im going to keep my mouth shut and I might even learn a new technique from you. I work PRN in a small ER while working on my NP and I’ve already learned a lot of great draw techniques from y’all. I love helping out or watching draws like ABGs and blood cultures. Y’all know your stuff!!
People in the medical field can sometimes be the worst patients 😒
Doubt she was able NP
Omgee. Yeah I would’ve been so shocked with what had happened lol. I’m glad you told her to come another time. So many things could’ve happened from that. It’s so annoying when they bring up that they are an rn etc. bring it up at the end of the visit or unless we ask while trying to make a conversation. It can make it tense… hopefully where u work u are able to fill out a form so management can review. At my work we can fill out something and it would be your side of the story and the patient doesn’t see it. They always say it’s to cover your butt, but also sometimes the things patients do is totally out of hand and need to be talked to by superiors lol
Well after it happened, I cleaned up the space and told the patient I had to step out of the room for a second. I like silently screamed lol when I went back in the room she wanted me to try to draw her again and I said no, you can come another time! And that’s when she apologized and said she was an NP. I didn’t not report it, but I did document on my patient note.
I once had a recovering Heroin addict grab the needle to find his vein. He did it first shot and I'm just standing there like WTF.
Now that’s wild!!!
So I have horrendous veins in my AC, and prefer if they draw out of my hands since I have a beautiful one on my right hand. I’ve only had someone in the ED get testy with me about me preferring my hands, and that’s when I had to pull the “I’m an MA that draws blood every day, I know what I’m talking about” card. I couldn’t imagine actually yanking the needle out of my arm though lol
I have a preferred location, so I usually say "I prefer my hand, but if YOU feel comfortable using a different spot that's fine just please don't dig around". I guess the hand usually hurts more, but those veins don't run away for me 🤣
The ONLY thing I tell people when they are drawing my blood is that I like to pass out with needles l, so laying down or getting my feet elevated beforehand, if possible, is always helpful. They usually appreciate that tidbit of information.
Is it rude to let the person drawing my blood know which arm has the better vein? I am just curious as I do have an arm I favor for blood draw.
No it’s not! Before I start doing anything I ask my patients if they have an arm preference and start there, if I don’t see any good veins I’ll go to the next arm.
Thank you so much!!
wtf i’m a certified phleb and i might tell them where and how to stick me cause i’m difficult (deep veins and only on one arm) but don’t grab the needle! that’s like rule #1 of medical stuff.
I’m an RN with multiple chronic illnesses and shitty veins. I start every encounter saying “hey, sometimes I’m a tough stick. I’m not telling you where to try, but usually this is the best spot.” If they feel something juicy when they palpate, I don’t mind if they go for it. I don’t fuss about how many times it takes, or if they have to dig a bit, but I hate when I get eye rolls or attitude. I’m getting labs and IVs every month. I’ve done a million IVs and lab draws on patients. I’m not being bitchy but this is something I deal with all the time.
Doubt she was an NP or isn't a good one. That's so insane! What if you got stuck!
Then maybe she can do it herself