For my STEP Signature Project, I took a Phlebotomy certification course. During this course I learned through hands-on experience how to correctly perform a blood draw. I also took BLS and CPR courses in order to prepare to work in a healthcare setting
Before I began the course, I was very anxious to draw blood because I was afraid to hurt anyone. This was something that I had never done before, and I didn’t have any experience in a medical setting. These fears were quickly resolved because throughout the course, my peers and I practiced on a you-stick-me-I-stick-you basis. Evidently, this was very important because it allowed me to empathize with either side of the situation. Once I realized that drawing blood and giving blood was not actually painful or scary, as long as the phlebotomist was properly skilled, I knew that my training would be very important. Through this experience I have learned how to regulate my fears during the process in order to make my patients feel as comfortable as possible during a process that not many people find easy. I now know that I can be the comforting presence working in the healthcare field to help my patients have a good experience.
Within my phlebotomy course, I had about 15 peers who were all going through the same thing as me. We were all of very different origins and ages so I did not assume that I would make any friends. It was very interesting to see that we all were so different, but we were all practicing with a similar goal in mind. The first day of class was only lecture, but we were all very surprised when our instructor stated that we would be stabbing each other with needles the very next day. This began the bizarre experience of getting to know these 15 people in the most unique way possible. Each day, we would walk in for a few minutes of lecture and then head over to the tables with our tourniquets and needles.
The woman who had sat next to me the first day became my partner. She was middle-aged and told me stories about how she used to work as a CNA in a nursing home but now she travels the country in a camper with her 5 kids while homeschooling them. It was so interesting to hear about her life and how different it was from mine while we were sitting there taking turns drawing each other’s blood. She had terrible veins which made it difficult, but only more rewarding when I drew blood my first try.
Throughout the class, we did finger pricks, hand draws with butterfly needles, and straight stick arm draws. We often switched partners to get extra experience. We had a wide variety of veins in the class due to our diversity, which offered good practice for real healthcare scenarios. One younger girl had very thin veins that would only take butterfly needles, another older lady couldn’t give hand draws because her skin was too thin, and we had three people with easily stuck pipelines. It was important for me to practice on a variety of people so I knew I would be prepared to work as a phlebotomist.
Although the goal was always to draw blood, I also learned how important it was to miss and readjust. It was difficult to not get discouraged after a failed stick because they are very common. I learned from my mistakes and used them to help me in the future. Overall, this was certainly an experience that I will never get again, and it is probably not one that I thought I would seek out beforehand. I thoroughly enjoy the entire three weeks of the course and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I even ended up being very sad to say goodbye to the friends I had made because we had bonded over our bruises and hematomas. I will most definitely carry these experiences and relationships with me as I work as a phlebotomist in the future.
This transformation as already been incredibly valuable in my life. I have so much empathy for my future patients, and I will strive to be a skilled phlebotomist to comfort any fears or anxieties which I have felt myself. It is so important as a healthcare worker and just as a human being in general to care for and show kindness to others. I believe that this course and this experience has given me a growth that I don’t think I would’ve found anywhere else. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in working in healthcare. The experience that I will continue to gain through this project as I work as a phlebotomist will aid in my career goals as a dentist by allowing me to form patient-physician relationships.
