As a cancer survivor whose been poked more times than I care to remember - the patient will always feel something. With that said though, the difference between a nursing student and a trained and experienced phlebotomist is night and day. One pokes 4-5 times missing the vein and digging around. The other is so gentle and precise you barely even feel it. Love me a good phlebotomist!
I'm that nurse. Worst case scenario is the other nurses destroyed your arms before calling me, and I'll just use the ultrasound. I won't say I never miss, but it is an exceedingly rare occasion.
That’s awesome. And thanks for being that ONE nurse!
I’m curious if you think you have an innate talent for finding veins or if you could teach other nurses so they’d be just as good? Do they just not emphasize it in school or training?
I got a 15 minute class in the Army and was then told to start an IV on my buddy. I was the only one to get it on the 1st try. I obviously have a natural ability. I do teach tips and tricks to my fellow nurses to help them get better. Plus, I have a rule: Don't come get me unless you've at least tried once. You can't get better just handing it off to me every time. I don't work every day after all. Some just never get past the mediocre level of ability. School gives you a basic concept and teaches you how to not kill someone in the real world. Clinicals and that 1st year of being a nurse is where the average person with no medical background starts to truly develop skill.
U r loved! Having a few heart attacks, and my mother Having cancer. After, my father died of the same. You, are golden, in that small space of watching someone suffer less.... I appreciate you! I also love ur work ethic! Ur skills, make the pain of every instance small. I'd clap, but u wouldn't hear it. Keep it up! Ur the single reason I go to a certain hospital. Looking for people, just like u. If you can hear my clap from PA, keep it with you, u, are a treasure!
Ive always wondered why pros don’t use the “flagging” technique a lot of people who IV themselves use; after the needle is under the skin you draw back a bit to create a vacuum, then when you pierce the vein the blood surges in so you know you have a vein.
I figured it’s probably somewhat risky of drawing something into the syringe and clogging up it, ir injecting it into the bloodstream, and it does require a bit if finesse to do. But as someone who has IV’d tons of drugs its helped keep my veins and intact and arms without a mark.
The way IV needles are set up, that isn't possible. Used to be. Drawing blood using a butterfly, that is possible. However, it is typically unnecessary because with a tourniquet, you have enough back pressure to get a flash of blood in the tubing. Many times, even without a tourniquet, you'll still get a flash.
This reminds me of when I was younger. We were in the emergency room, my sister had something wrong I don't remember, they tried and tried to get a vein but left to get someone else. My dad who was a crna just did it quickly while the nurse was gone and came in with a panic seeing my dad finish up before he told her that he was a crna who worked in that very hospital.
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u/Heffe3737 Jun 10 '25
As a cancer survivor whose been poked more times than I care to remember - the patient will always feel something. With that said though, the difference between a nursing student and a trained and experienced phlebotomist is night and day. One pokes 4-5 times missing the vein and digging around. The other is so gentle and precise you barely even feel it. Love me a good phlebotomist!