Medical Journey: Phlebotomy

July 23rd.

I have been MIA for about three weeks.

Three reasons:
1) Vacation Bible School 7/6 - 7/10
2) Hang out with friends
3) Phlebotomy Class 7/6 - 7/22

First of all, vacation bible school was a BLAST this year. God truly worked in our hearts and helped us reach out to a lot of children! Two little kiddos received Jesus Christ as their Savior, and everyone had so much fun with the camping theme this year.

day 1 of VBS & Phlebotomy

Secondly, I have only had a couple hang outs with my friends the past three weeks. Not only has my schedule been packed, but my friends also work or have been going on family vacations. 

I went to my friend's house on July 10th, and I accomplished two things that day. The most important one is that I LEARNED HOW TO RIDE A BIKE. 

Yes, someone as uncoordinated and unbalanced as I am FINALLY learned. Yes, it took 18 years. Yes, I feel very accomplished. Yes, my friend recorded it because we all knew that none of our other friends would believe us if we simply took a picture.

The other thing I accomplished that day is to get over my fear of little puppies. Believe it or not, even the tiniest puppies make me nervous because they are more hyper and louder than the big, old ones. I was once bit on my butt by a dog as a young child, so I really wouldn't call this fear "irrational." My friend has two dogs: one that is calm and one that is loud. We had to hide the loud one in the bathroom while I was there, but my friend got fed up with my fear, and eventually forced me to become friends with the loud puppy. I have got to say, they're a lot cuter when you know they like you.

Other than that day, I have been able to spend a day with my two best guy friends, two of my friends from Navy JROTC in high school, and babysit some of the little kids from church.

Last and definitely not the least, my PHLEBOTOMY CLASS.
This is the main thing that has been keeping me busy the last three weeks. Many people do not know what phlebotomy is; it is the puncturing of the vein in order to withdraw blood. We learned how to do venipuncture, fingerstick/heelstick, and winged infusion set (butterfly needle) methods. We also learned all about the cardiovascular system, and the purpose of having different colored vacutainers (tubes).

vacutainers & centrifuge

I am taking this class because my mom and dad both thought that it was a good way for me to enter the medical field while I am in college.

It was a 10 day course, from 9am to 1pm, Mondays to Thursdays. The class was about half an hour away from my house, so I technically, it took up 8a - 2p of my daily schedule. We had a uniform - scrubs, wipeable white shoes, tattoos covered (not like I had any), nails short and natural, and hair must be in a ponytail, bun or braid.

The long hours and homework were definitely worth it because 1) my best friend took it with me, and 2) this class was so useful and knowledgeable, not only in the phlebotomist's point of view, but also in a patient's perspective.

first day of class

I cannot emphasize enough at how fun this class was for me. Yes, at first it freaked me out that we were working with different sized needles. It also scared me that, as first-timers, we were not allowed to practice on mannequins.

Yes, you heard me. We practiced on each other.

venipuncture method

fingerstick method

Eventually all the poking made my class of 11 closer to each other. Of course, my best friend and I stuck by each other everyday, but we were forced to pick different partners to experiment on the next day. We were able to become friends with one guy who works at Disneyland, and a couple EMTs, some moms, and even some guy who just moved from Nebraska. My best friend and I were the youngest ones there, and they called us and treated us like babies (in a good way).

Day 3 of Venipuncture

They thought everything we did was cute, especially because when they found out we were best friends. We were "young, fresh out of high school" children, while most of them are in their late 20s. I think the oldest one was a mom of 7, and she was in her 50s.

Yeah, crazy.

The benefit of being the youngest ones there was that everyone taught you something. I cannot tell you just how much more I learned that were non-phlebotomy related. I learned so much about growing up: being a parent, working and studying at the same time, the different things that change in the body over time. Some of them even told us stories of "when gas used to be a dollar," and when "fifteen years ago, [some guy] become a hairdresser." Even the ones in their 20s gave us advice and motivation and some inspiration to do well in college, and to choose the right path, and to think about the consequences of everything we will do.

Another benefit was that whenever we were partners with an older classmate, they would be extremely patient with us and tell us how good of a job we were doing. It was awesome to hear all of these adults tell us that we were proactive and productive.

pre-exam bonding with the adults

The main thing I was extremely thankful for was my instructor. I took this course in Phlebotomy Training Center in Westminster, and the 9a - 1p session teacher is Ms. Watson.

Ms. Watson is simply amazing. No, she's not some superwoman, and she's not a world renown phlebotomist. However, her last fifteen years of experience has truly made her something extraordinary. Her niche is truly teaching.

Ms. Watson is patient, and fun. Lectures were not boring because she had a sense of humor that kept us awake. Her stories about her kids, her experience, her other teaching gigs, and even just her rants about current news while we were writing down notes made those long lectures worth paying attention to. She helped us relax during the lab, especially on the first day we did venipuncture. We could not do it on a mannequin, which made everyone insanely nervous because we did not want to hurt a stranger. She definitely used her motherly instincts with us, especially with me and my best friend: reminding us to wash our hands, stay hydrated, sleep early, do homework, be on time, what to eat and not eat, safety first, handle the needle that way and not this way, and keeping us motivated and determined to be well-trained phlebotomists.

I am telling you - I have never had such an amazing teacher (and I have had a lot of awesome teachers). I hope that once I get to university, many of my teachers at nursing school will be just like her.

Ms. Watson

Of course, there were downsides to this class.

One of the downsides is that if you bruise like a peach, then expect major bruising on your antecubital fossa (back of elbow) and callouses on your fingers. There are also chances of having hematoma, since your blood is being drawn by amateurs. If you're a naturally busy person (maybe you're a single mom or a full-time worker), then you are going to need to put some time aside late at night or super early in the morning to do your reading and homework.

Other than that, there is nothing else that I could think of. My class was amazing, and I could not have asked for a better group than the one I had.

We took our exam today, and it was not difficult at all (once again, thank you, Ms. Watson for "over-preparing" us). I find out in a week whether I passed or not!

My first step was obtaining my Basic Life Support for Healthcare Workers certification by American Heart Association. Phlebotomy training is my second step. After I pass the exam, I will start working on a 40-hour externship at a clinic or hospital. After this, all I have to do is file for my license, which takes about three months!

While I am waiting for my phlebotomy license, I will already be on my third step in my medical journey. I will already be starting on my nursing career, and on my way to becoming a CNA, then LVN, then RN, then obtain my BSN in Nursing.

I still have a long way to go, but I can already see God working on my future. I am so thankful to have such a strong support system, and especially thankful to have been blessed with parents who are in the medical field.

27 more days until college move-in day! I cannot wait to officially become an Aztec and start my official adventure on becoming a nurse.

VBS & Phlebotomy in one picture :D

Much sun,

Annika.