I wasnt sure to revive an old thread but basically while shadowing this past week I realized I have a slight fear of drawing blood and having others draw blood on me. I wanted to know in med school is it required to draw blood on each other (which I cannot handle) or do you practice on mannequins (which I can handle). Anybody know which med schools dont require this? I know its looking far ahead when I am still a pre-med but this thought has definitely been stuck in my head for a while.
Drawing blood required in med school
- Thread starter Mskincer
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C'mon now....you're a pre-med, willing to defy all odds, work hard, and become a small percentage of the physician population, but you're scared to draw blood. I think your going to find it is actually very easy to draw blood on patients. As a doctor you will be be required to draw blood in the toughest situations as well as conquer things that are much more intense...think it through. You'll be fine.
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Hmmm, you're probably going to be expected to do this on a real patient 3rd yr, 4th yr, or intern year.
We practiced on each other and I did it a few times intern year. It may be best to try to work on being able to handle it.
We practiced on each other and I did it a few times intern year. It may be best to try to work on being able to handle it.
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Oh man, if this is true I'm gonna rock the house
I must have 5,000 sticks by now
Gogo phlebs
I must have 5,000 sticks by now
Gogo phlebs
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Keep in mind that drawing blood is easy peasy compared to placing lines...which you'll also most likely have to do unless you go into Path or do a Cush TY year.
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We drew blood on each when I first started med school. It may not technically be required, but you definitely should be comfortable with blood. Think of it this way.... I would imagine if you can't handle blood, you won't be able to handle dissecting a human cadaver. You're going to have to endure much more difficult situations than drawing blood to be a doctor.
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Double like. Phlebotomist chAmps!
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Drawing is all volume though. I never saw 150 patients lined up for IV lines, but that was the drawing schedule every morning... Gotta be done by 0700 or they get fiesty
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You don't have to have your blood drawn by other med students, if that's what you're trying to ask. And you don't have to draw blood on other students.
You will have to do procedures on patients as a student and as an intern, unless you go into pathology, in which case you'll have to do the same thing on dead bodies.
As a healthcare professional, you will have to get annual flu shots and various other vaccines, and you'll also probably have to have your blood drawn to show that you're immune to Hep B after you get the vaccine.
As a normal human adult, you'll have to get your blood drawn many times for your own healthcare. It probably hasn't happened much yet if you're young, but that's part of adulthood in a developed country.
You will have to do procedures on patients as a student and as an intern, unless you go into pathology, in which case you'll have to do the same thing on dead bodies.
As a healthcare professional, you will have to get annual flu shots and various other vaccines, and you'll also probably have to have your blood drawn to show that you're immune to Hep B after you get the vaccine.
As a normal human adult, you'll have to get your blood drawn many times for your own healthcare. It probably hasn't happened much yet if you're young, but that's part of adulthood in a developed country.
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Off topic.
Do you get to practice physicals between classmates, like seeing them naked and more thorough exams like pelvic exams? I'm not trying to sound pervy here.
Do you get to practice physicals between classmates, like seeing them naked and more thorough exams like pelvic exams? I'm not trying to sound pervy here.
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And yet you are succeeding wonderfully...
I believe most schools use volunteer or paid models for PEs (yes, even rectal and pelvic).
Some non-awkward stuff you will likely perform on each other.
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Yep. We already have practiced full physical exams on each other, and we practice stuff like DRE and pelvic exams next year on models and mannequins.
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Now halfway through third year, an opportunity that even approaches me drawing blood from a patient hasn't come up. I don't think this is something you need to worry about - in an academic setting at least, all of these sorts of things will be done by nurses. It's a whole other matter if you end up working in a resource-limited area as that kind of support staff won't be there or will be very limited. In those situations you might be expected to do things like draw blood. Others more experienced than me say otherwise in this thread, but I've yet to see an intern or resident do a routine blood draw on a patient. I've seen them do ABGs but not routine blood draws.
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Triple
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Drawing blood is easy. Here are few examples for you to practice
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First time shadowing I saw the inside of a dudes hand that he got caught on barbed wire. The doc told me to take a step back and very slow deep breaths. You focus on either the anatomy and enjoy that or focus on the breaths, either way you will be fine. It worked when I saw an Ortho dislocate a hip to replace it, they said I was solid since I didn't throw up haha, I had HUGE eyes and was deep breathing haha, got me through it and now blood doesn't effect me like at all
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Drawing blood is an incredibly mundane part of medicine. You'll practice it as an M1 or M2, maybe do it at a volunteer clinic or something like that. You'll have to do it on occasion as a resident, more if you are in anesthesia or surgery. More often if you are in an understaffed hospital.
It is also approximately the 10000th least gross thing you will see, do, or experience as a part of medical school.
It is also approximately the 10000th least gross thing you will see, do, or experience as a part of medical school.
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Thanks, bud.
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jk
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We had a phlebotomy class a few weeks after the first day of med school, although I don't think it was required. It's useful to know how to do if you work at a free clinic.
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As a phleb most of the way through med school, I've only drawn blood on one patient, because the nurses had gone home for the day (it was a clinic), and none of the docs felt comfortable doing it.
I've done it to several of my classmates and allowed them to practice on me, giving them tips when they needed it. I think that was far more useful than the actual skill.
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Medical students do blood draws on patients at our school's free clinic, and we practiced on a partner at the clinic orientation, but that's all on a volunteer basis. Haven't had to draw blood from fellow classmates while at school yet, and we practice physical exams on standardized patients. You'll have to get comfortable doing procedures for 3rd/4th year and on, though.
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