Things a phlab… flebot... blood taker should not say to a tired, cranky, fasting woman about to get her cholesterol tested, especially after said woman warned her about not liking needles and a past episode that may or may not have resulted in blacking out in front of her entire high school:
– Wow, those are small veins.
– Let’s see if we have better luck in the other arm.
– Want me to give it a try?
– If this doesn’t work, I can send you over to the hospital and have them do it.
– I’ll have to try a smaller needle. It’s the one we use for babies. But it will take longer.
– We need to collect A LOT of blood from you. And it’s going to take A LOT longer with this tiny needle.
– Do you think I should try?
It worked out in the end and I managed not to faint onto her floor, but c’mon! Rule one of needle sticking school should be: exude confidence. Never let them see you sweat and never, EVER ask a nervous person about to get stuck by you if they want you to “give it a try.”
So many books...
10 years ago
1 comment:
wow. that's got to be a compliment, right? kind of like "wow, you're thighs are so small..."
i feel your pain. whenever i have blood taken, they actually take it out of the top of my hand in this completely misnamed procedure they call a "butterfly" which sounds so cute and pretty. until you realize that they're sticking a needle in the top of your hand.
it's gross. and you know how sensitive i am to things like bodily fluids. particularly blood. and my own blood at that. escaping my body through a tube. i'm getting lightheaded now and need to sit down.
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