10192012 VIDEO

Only captured one draw today. A "wall of fame" attempt. See what you can learn from someone trying to draw Simone!
Who's going to try next?

10182012 Stills "Mini Clinic"

Today Simone turned the lab into a clinic complete with all personnel! Later, we had some student visitors that let our students draw their blood for testing. (Blood typing, glucose and hematocrit levels.)

10182012 Videos

Here are some videos from the lab on Thursday... Enjoy!

10182012 Coffee Break Sponsors

Today Bana brought sugar cookies and Samantha brought some white chocolate mousse creamer! Both went quickly! Thanks for sponsoring our break and helping to keep our energy levels and morale high!

10172012 Video Wall of Fame Attempt!

Today was another very busy day and I was only able to record one draw, but it was an important one. Crystal was attempting a Wall of Fame draw on Simone. Watch the video to find out how she did...

10172012 Class Outreach

Today Trevor and Julie and I visited Michele Lesmeister's class to talk to students about the phlebotomy program. We took a portable kit with a sharps container and Julie did a demonstration draw on Trevor in front of a big crowd! Talk about grace under pressure! She did great and got the draw! Here are some shots and a video of Julie's draw.

10162012 THANK YOU Juana, the lab looks beautiful!!!

Juana, I wanna thank you for taking the time to make the beds and straighten up the lab before you left today! It looks FANTASTIC and it made us feel proud and made our day!

10162012 Phlebotomy is Phun!

One of the perks of having laboratory beds right next store is the chance to study comfortably! Although the "helping hand" in some of these pictures is reminiscent of the Addams Family!

10162012 Video

One lone draw today.... Susan drew an AT (Anesthesia Technology) student. Here it is:

10122012 Out-of-Town GUESTS!!!

Today we had a group of 15 to 20 visiting dignitaries who were learning about Allied Health Programs at RTC. Talk about poise under pressure! You guys carried yourselves very professionally and left a great impression on our guests. It's hard to believe that it has only been four weeks since you started!!! The program moves quickly, but you have been rising to the challenge. I don't know if you were more nervous for the guests or for Simone's "dry run" 10 minutes before their arrival, but everyone did very well. (Some of these photos are out of focus, but I uploaded them anyway. (I think my camera is on its last legs!))

10122012 Lab Stills --Guest Preparation

Here are a few shots of Simone getting each group prepared to host our out-of-town guests.

A few procedures.....

Simone did in-services in procedures today, in preparation for the lab skills testing during finals week! These clips can also be found with other procedure in-services on the
In-Service Page!

10122012 Lab Videos

Today was a busy Friday with testing, blood draw, procedures and special out-of-town guests. Here are some videos from today's blood draws.

10112012 Videos

I only got a handful of videos today... Here they are:

10112012 Capillary (Dermal) Punctures

Today we were in the lab learning capillary punctures (fingersticks). Here are some stills.

Coffee Break Sponsors Surprise with Coffee and Cookies!

Today Jinyi brought in 3 lbs of coffee and Alla brought more cookies! Thank you both for helping to energize the phlebotomy program! Feast your eyes!

10092012 Small Group Rotations (Group III)

...And the third group....

10092012 Small Group Rotations (Group II)

Here is the second group...

10092012 Small Group Rotations (Group I)

Today Miss Terrell broke the class into three groups for lab/classroom rotations. Today's phlebotomy pairs were in "survival mode," meaning that they were being denied all outside help. The students were forced to apply everything that they have been learning in a "baptism by fire" moment. Here is the first group's attempts followed by Simone's commentary.

10082012 Videos

Here are some videos from today's work in the lab. The students were trying their hand at butterflies (winged infusion sets) in the A/C.

10052012 Early AM Blood Draws

Here are the draws from our session before the First Aid Class. Next week, back to regular programming!

10042012 Pre-CPR draws B/F, A/C

Here are videos of many of you doing two draws this morning. It took extra effort to be here to do that before class... GOOD JOB!

1003 ~ 10052012 CPR TRAINING!

This week, Captain and Mrs. Bell were on hand to provide CPR and First Aid Training. Here are some stills from our three-day training sessions. Enjoy!

10032012 How to make an Oh Yeah Vein

The first photo shows a dorsal after being prepped by a student. The second one after Simone had worked on it. Don't cheat your steps!  You need to make every step count to be a good phlebotomist!  Let's see how well you draw tomorrow!

10032012 Dorsal Draws During I-BEST Hour

The rest of the week will be CPR and First Aid, so we are drawing during I-BEST hour. Today was dorsals, tomorrow will be one dorsal and one ETS. Be ready everybody and try to arrive no later than 7:45 tomorrow morning!

10022012 Is anybody watching?

When I got home from work, I saw a deer eating apples in the neighbor's yard.  Thought I'd post it to see if anyone really looks at this blog! (Please say YES!)

10022012 Still

Just one still today... Susan drawing Trevor. I had the camera on the wrong setting!  To watch her draw, please check out the videos for 10/02/2012.

10022012 Video

Here are some videos from the lab from today. Enjoy!

10022012 The "thrill" of it all....

Today Mr. David Grant stopped in to talk to the phlebotomists about his A/V shunt or fistula. The students all had a chance to palpate his arm, which has a fistula that was used during 11 years of kidney dialysis! Thank you for sharing your story Mr. Grant!

10022012 More Coffee Break Sponsors!!!

Today, Rachael brought dozens of donuts, Samantha brought coffee and creamer and Simone brought in fresh fruit!  It was quite a banquet!

10012012 Coffee Break Sponsor!!!

Today Tatiana brought in some delicious chocolates to enjoy!  They were awesome, but didn't last very long... (sigh...)

10012012 Stills

Simone was away today, so here are some stills of lab rotations that we did. A CPR worksheet station, CPR hands-on station, Chapter 6 worksheet station and a video about avoiding lawsuits.

--

09282012 An especially auspicious day!

Today we were just about to begin the I-BEST hour (and have the Free Sharpie Challenge), when Simone directed everyone's attention to the bright rainbow forming out over the library. Everyone went to the windows to look and then everyone started taking pictures. It wasn't long before the sunlight grew more intense and a second rainbow formed outside the first one!
One other auspicious event was the arrival of another coffee break sponsor! Today Mahtab arrived with coffee cups! Now we have something to put our coffee in! Thank you Mahtab! (!خوب هستی)
We're now almost 40% of our way through the program, so I'm taking the double rainbow as a sign that things are going well!

09282012 The Free Sharpie Challenge!

The Free Sharpie Challenge finally arrived this morning to an auspicious DOUBLE RAINBOW! Definitely a good omen! We had the most students ever (21) complete the challenge successfully, so I gave away a lot of free pens and sharpies! Those same students will now be spared Simone's follow-up tube test!
CONGRATULATIONS! But remember, passing the tube chart is just the first step. We will be applying that knowledge in lab every day when we draw so be sure to use the Quia Activities to keep what you know now and add to it.
Your hard work now will make you a better student and a stronger job candidate!

09272012 Cookies!

Today another coffee break sponsor came forward with COOKIES!
They were crispety, crunchety, chocolatey and then... they were GONE!
Thank you Alla for boosting our morale (and our blood sugar!)

09272012 Stills -- Lab Rotations!

Today we broke up into groups for Lab/Theory rotations.

09272012 Videos

Finally! I captured more than just a handful of videos. Here they are, please view each other's and try to pick up new tips and incorporate them into your own draws!

09262012 Video

Just a couple of videos today. I know that everyone drew, I'll just have to be more vigilant!

09262012 Stills

There was a lot of activity in the lab today! Here's proof:

09252012 Video

I only captured one video today, but it was a good one! ....it was a bit hectic, but we got a lot done. Here is a video of Alla drawing Trevor.

09242012 Record-Breaking Video Day!

Today I took more videos than ever! About 40 in all! I think that there were a lot of "Teachable Moments" in today's draws, but that is to be expected. It was only our second day of drawing and it was Monday, which means we had a two-day break from phlebotomy! Please try to watch them a few at a time (it's going to take several hours for all of them to upload) and try to learn from each others mistakes. Tomorrow, we will try to incorporate some lab time into our I-BEST hour! Make some popcorn, get comfortable, it's time for a Phlebotomy Film Fest!

09242012 Just a handful of Lab Stills today...

I only got a few stills in the lab today, but wait until you see the videos! I got nearly everybody drawing today! You guys are really starting to look like phlebotomists!

Coffee Sponsor Yevgeniya Gives us her BEST (Seattle's Best, that is)

This morning, camera-shy Yevgeniya brought in some coffee to share with the class, making her Fall Term's first coffee break sponsor! I made two pots of coffee to celebrate! It was delicious! Thank you Yevgeniya!

From Coffee Sponsor Steps Up to share Seattle's Best!!!!

Miss Terrell's Birthday! (The Movie)

We celebrated Miss Terrell's Birthday as a class today! We had a blast with donuts, a princess cake and two tiaras! Here's a little movie...

09212012 (Stills) First Blood and Lab Rotations

The students drew each other for the first time today. I think that nearly all of the draws were successful and we were able to get through any "first-time jitters" under Miss Terrell's watchful eye! I will be in the lab more next week, and I hope to get video of everyone doing a draw!

09212012 Class Photo

I took several pictures of the class today right after Simone's birthday celebration... Which one do you like best? If you see one that you like, you can print yourself a copy by double-clicking the image, redirecting to PicasaWeb and downloading the image to your own computer.

09212012 Miss Terrell's Birthday!

We observed Miss Terrell's birthday today (one day early!) as a class. We had the usual donuts for our first day of blood draws and a PRINCESS CAKE to celebrate!

New Dream Door Participants

A few of the Phlebotomy Students participated in the Dream Door photos during Welcome Wednesday. They join past Phlebotomy Students whose images can be viewed from the home page of our Class Blog. The new scrubs look great against the blue and white of the door and of course, the great weather didn't hurt one bit either.

09182012 Simone's Inservice (Blood smears/diff)

Here is Simone demonstrating how to make a blood smear (differential). Take a look to review!

09182012 Stills

A new crop of phlebotomy students finds their way into the lab today for some lab activities. Enjoy!

09172012 (Stills) New Crop of Phlebotomists!

Here are a few shots from our first day of the Phlebotomy Program at RTC!

08022012 Commencement

Here are some shots from RTC Commencement 2012 at the ShoWare Center in Kent! Congratulations Everybody! You are AWESOME!

07312012 Wall-of-Famer Tanya!!!!

Way to go Tanya! She kept at it and finally drew Simone successfully, joining a very elite group of pre-clinical phlebotomists that have been able to draw Simone in the A/C and get blood! Good job!

07312012 Isolation + Blood Culture Procedures

Today Simone offered an in-service in Isolation + Blood Culture procedures. (Don't forget to alcohol the tops of the blood culture bottles with their own prep pad!)

07312012 Videos

Here are some videos of today's draws.

PKU In-Service...by Popular Demand!

Simone demonstrated the proper PKU procedure in the lab today. Should be handy to review before tomorrow when we have our procedures exams!

07302012 Videos

07302012 Stills

07272012 Video

In today's video, Lindsey drew Alecia.

From 07272012 Videos

07262012 Stills: Blood Draws with the Medical Assistants

Here are some stills from the lab today. The Medical Assistants visited to practice blood draws with us! Here are the images:

07262012 Videos

Only two videos today. One wall of fame attempt and one regular draw.

07202010 Videos

We have now finished our third week in the lab. Just two and a half to go! Are you feeling ready?

07192012 Videos

Lots of draws today.... lots of GOOD draws today! Can you believe that we're half-way through the program?

07182012 Video (BF)

Today we were drawing mostly with butterflies. Simone also did an in-service to review butterfly drawing techniques.

Ladies and Gentlemen.... A Dorsal Diva Debut!

Becky had a good dorsal butterfly draw today! Take a look!

07172012 Videos

Here are some draws from the lab today. Included are a few dorsal draws done with the butterfly!

07172012 Stills

Here are some assorted stills from the lab today. We had visitors to the lab and students from other programs working on plaster casts out in the hallway. Enjoy!

07172012 Student Visits

Today we had students visiting from Highline Community College and Renton High School. Here are some photos.

It's a wrap! (Anatomy of a cast)

Lola volunteered to have her arm in a cast today as the MA and Surge Tech Students practiced their skills wrapping casts. It starts with a sleeve, which is cut to fit, followed by padding and then the plaster, which wraps on like an ACE bandage and is smoothed over with wet gloves/hands to finish it off. The casts take a while to cure and Lola's remained green for quite a while. Soon, her friends were signing her cast and, later that afternoon, the Surge Tech Students removed it. Here are some visuals...

07162012 Videos

Another day in the lab! You could definitely see signs of phlebotomists owning their draws today! Watch as Jessica slips up and then... self corrects! Takes a lot of presence of mind to do that while you're going through an actual draw with the camera running! Others also had to deal with the stress of being filmed. Remember though, dealing with distractions like cameras and activity all around you in the lab will help make you stronger phlebs when you hit clinicals in a few more weeks! I meant to remind everyone that we are now 40% of the way through the lab and theory part of the program! Can you believe it? It's true! Here are today's draws.

ZOMG FOBT (GUAIAC)!!!!

ZOMG may be Internet slang, but FOBT (AKA GUAIAC) is not! Those of you who were brave enough to go home and bring in your "don't ask, don't tell" samples, now know first-hand what FOBT (Fecal Occult Blood Testing) is all about. There's nothing occult about it! Occult in this case means hidden, as in "invisible." Here are a few stills from today's lab activities.

07122012 DRAW FEST!

Today we had visitors from the Medical Assistant Program come in to practice drawing with us! We saw some really great draws (especially when you consider today was just the fourth or fifth draw for many of our phlebotomists!) Here are the videos that I captured today!

07112012 Lab Videos

I captured a few more blood draws in the lab today, but I don't think that I have everyone yet. Please let me know if you haven't been videoed and I'll make a special effort to film your next draw! Remember, if they have Internet access, your friends and relatives all over the world can see you in action!

07112012 Lab Stills

July 11 = 7/11... It's gotta be a lucky day today! At least it has been weatherwise! Here are some stills from the lab today. Remember, now you can download both stills AND videos to your own computers if you like! Enjoy!

07102012 Blood Draws

I've been seeing some very good draws considering that we are only on our third day of draws! Keep up the good work. Don't forget to review your steps for the best skill and SAFETY!

07102012 Lab stills

You guys are looking better and better in the lab each day (and your SKILLS are improving too!) Here are some stills from today.

Remember, you can download these from the Internet to your computer/printer. (Double-click and follow the link!)

07102012 The perfect feather... Simone's "mini" in-service

Today Simone was showing the students how to make blood smears and I caught the tail end of her in-service. Her last smear was the best (grace under pressure!) and here's how she did it!

You might want to consider trying these when there is a lull in your time in the lab. It's a useful skill to develop!

07092012 Blood Draws Day 2

I was able to capture a few of the blood draws that students practiced today in the lab. Here they are:

07062012 Basic Blood Draw, Final Run-Through

Here is a video of the last time that Simone went through the blood draw procedure before you guys did your first-ever blood draws!

07062012 Which goes first, the tourniquet or the alcohol?

In this video, Simone explains the thinking (rationale) behind the order used for tying the tourniquet and applying alcohol (using concentric circles!).

07062012 Basic Blood Draw with Commentary (More Detail)

Here are a few videos that show the class leading Simone through the steps of a basic blood draw, while Simone adds more detail and rationale for certain procedures.

07062012 Basic Blood Draw

Here are a couple of videos you can watch of Simone performing the steps of a basic blood draw.
(Great for review!)

RTC Phlebotomy Now has a Facebook!

Hello Everybody! We now have a facebook page, where I think we can contact each other more easily and form study groups, etc. Here is our page: http://facebook.com/RTCPhlebotomy I sent out invitations to everyone to join facebook. Due to privacy and other settings not everyone was sent the same invitation. Please visit our facebook page and friend us if you are able and willing! See you in Cyberspace! John

07032012 First Aid Epi-Pens

After we learned to tie bandages, we learned how to use an epi-pen! Be sure to hold the pen against the SIDE of the thigh and count to 10 slowly.

07032012 First Aid -- Tying bandages

Today Dot and Johnny taught us how to "tie one on!" Be sure that the bandage is snug. Not so tight that circulation is blocked, but the bandage cannot slip and slide either.

CPR VIDEO 07/02

Here are some videos of the students learning CPR. They may be useful for review before tomorrow's exam or even later for review! Enjoy!

Summer School is ON!!!

Summer Term began for the Phlebotomy Students today and they jumped with both feet right into CPR and first aid! Here are some stills from today's class!

Dream Cloud Project 05112012

Ahead of RTC's 2012 OPEN DOOR FESTIVAL, the Phlebotomy students shared their opinions about what the phlebotomy program meant to them. Why they were considering phlebotomy as their career path. Some are serious, some humorous others inspiring, but you'll find all of them interesting. Maybe one of them will resonate with you..... (Hint: Double click the image here to redirect to our on-line album of stills and video to see the pictures in a larger, more legible size!)

Phlebotomist or Photographer?

So, ...is he a nationally certified phlebotomist that can take good pictures or is he a talented photographer that can draw blood?

...if I told you I knew someone who can draw and shoot like nobody's business, would you think I was talking about a gun-slingin' cowboy or a photographer/phlebotomist?

You've all seen the d.n.r. photo that is framed in the phlebotomy lab at RTC, right? Ever wonder where it came from?
It was taken and later generously donated to the Phlebotomy Program by Russ Byrne, who will be hosting the opening of his solo photography show at Liberty Cafe on 3rd St. in downtown Renton on Friday, July 6th (one week from today) at 7 PM.
If you're interested in seeing more right now, Russ has a photography blog at: aquieteye.blogspot.com.

A Delicious Surprise!!!

Today the class surprised me with a BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!! I innocently left the classroom for Registration to pick up the program certificates and when I got back.....SURPRISE! I could hardly stand all the excitement...the cake! ...Indiana Jones!!! ...the salute!!!! Thank you everybody for making it FUN to get OLD!!!! Here are the images!

Phlebotomy Students Host A&P for ABO!

Today, Sarah Redd's Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) class stopped in to hear what the students had to say about bloodtyping. Later we played a blood typing game and raised our awareness of CPR! All in all a good time.  Here are some images and thanks for visiting!

Dream Door V Featuring Spring 2012 Phlebotomy Students

0511 Videos

0511 Stills

OMG THE SHOES!!!

Check 'em ou!!

0510 Sprucing up for the 2012 Open Door Festival

Here are a few shots of phlebotomy students cleaning up and decorating the classroom in preparation for next week's Open Door Festival.

Class Photo

0508: Phlebotomy Program Visits the RTC DREAM DOOR! (Class Photo)

Yesterday we went to visit the RTC DREAM DOOR
ahead of the RTC OPEN DOOR FESTIVAL May 17th (Next Thursday).
Here are some photos from the visit!

0507 Lab Stills

Here are some shots from activities in the lab today.

05022012 Stills

Here are some lab stills from today. Lookin' good people!

05012012 Stills

Here are some stills from the lab today. Enjoy!

0427 AM Blood Draws

Today the lab was open in the morning. Here are a few of the draws from this morning.

0426 Class Visit from Gerry Cazinha, Career RN in Dialysis

Today we had a visit from Gerry Cazinha, a career RN with more than 30 years of experience in the field of dialysis. He brought along some cannulas (cannulae) with very large needles! The smallest needles that they use in dialysis are several gauges larger than our largest size needle, so they were impressive. He also had along a blood filtration system and lots of information about dialysis, which is a field where phlebotomists can find work, because both need to be able to find veins effectively, work with patients and handle needles safely. Thank you very much for sharing with the class, Gerry!!!

0424 AM Draws

04232012 Lab Videos

I captured a lot of blood draws in the lab today (not as many as Friday, but...) Here they are:

DRAW FEST PART 2

Here are the rest of the photos from today's Fest! Enjoy!

DRAW FEST PART 1

I took over 80 photos today during the Draw Fest. We had plenty of support from all over campus, programs, faculty, staff, students, etc. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT!!!!!!

SPRING 2012 DRAW FEST!!!!!!

Would you trust these five to draw your blood? Well, even if you wouldn't, we had about 20 other phlebotomists at Simone's DRAW FEST today and a lot of volunteer drawees who came in to help support the Phlebotomy Program! Thank you everyone (including faculty, staff and students!!!!) You guys really ROCK! Pictures at the link above.

DNR/DNAR

A friend of a friend.... The other day I was telling the class that some people, in addition to having a living will, go one step further and a tattoo DNR/DNAR (Do Not Resuscitate/Do Not Attempt Resuscitation) on their chest, just to drive the point home. One of the students in the Spring 2012 class has a friend who did just that following a quadruple bypass operation. Here is the image. Very sobering. However, as a phlebotomist, we would still call a "code" (alert the doctor or nurse) that someone was failing ("crashing" or "coding") if their heart stopped beating while we were in their room to draw them.

0418 Videos

Today we were back in the lab early in the morning, with some students working on inpatient draws. When we include the syringe draws that we worked on yesterday, we are now reaching all of the areas we will need to master before leaving for clinical externships. Outpatient, inpatient, lancet, ETS, butterfly and syringe draws! Keep polishing your skills! We will be working on procedures next!

0418 Stills First Aid -- Bandaging

This was CPR/First Aid Week and today the students worked on tying bandages with Johnny and Dot. Here are some stills from the classroom.

0417 Pre-CPR Drawing -- Syringe Draws!

Another busy day, but there was time to learn about and try syringe draws. We have now gone over all four of the devices that we will use in the lab: lancets, ETS needles, butterflies and today, syringes. If you didn't get a chance today, be sure to stick up for yourself tomorrow and get in there and learn how! It's a lot like the ETS draw you already know so well.
Now you'll be able to tailor your drawing to each patient based on vein size, vein quality, etc.

PRE-CPR Draws, ETS and Butterflies

This morning early, we had a pretty good turnout for early morning, pre-CPR blood draws. Some of the students went for two! (ETS & B/F) There were some very skillful draws and many students are completing within the requisite five-minute time limit.

Good job all and we hope to see even more of you in there tomorrow!

EVERYONE PASSES WINTER 2012 NATIONAL CERTIFICATION EXAM!!!!!

Wow!!!
Everybody passed the NHA certification exam this time around!!!
This is BIG NEWS! We've come close before, (missed it by one person in the fall...) but this is the first time that everyone that took it passed! (23 out of 23!)
Congratulations Everyone!
Thank you Simone!

Library Orientation/Living with Hemochromatosis

Today we met with RTC librarian Debbie Crumb for her very entertaining library orientation and to hear about hemochromatosis, a condition for which phlebotomy is a form a therapy. Thank you for sharing your unforgettable story and for offering to share your cupcakes!

0413 AM Video

Here are some videos of blood draws this morning early!

0413 AM Stills

Friday the 13th turned out to be pretty lucky for some today! Grace, a student from last term's phlebotomy program, found out that she passed the National Phlebotomy Exam!
Simone opened up the lab during the early morning hour and we had a lot of really good draws. You guys are really stepping up you game! It's awesome!

0412 Videos

I have 31 videos to upload, so it's going to take a while. I tried to get everyone doing some sort of draw, but there is so much going on, that I may have missed a student or two, or not captured the full draw. I will keep trying, so keep practicing so that when I get to you, you will be ready (poised, comfortable, polished, successful!)

Enjoy!

(To be uploaded gradually all night...)

Check out the SIMONE'S IN-SERVICES LINK at left to view today's in-services!

I videoed parts of Simone's butterfly needle in-services today, which can be found at the link at left. Check 'em out! (There are also a number of past in-services you can watch to step up your phlebotomy game!

0412 Lab Stills

Today we started with a couple of butterfly needle (winged infusion set) in-services, followed by lots of hands-on practice, then capillary, ETS and butterfly draws (not necessarily in that order!) as we broke into six groups for a total lab day.

Here are some stills from our practice today.

BILL leaves program to take job.

Bill came to the class after searching unsuccessfully for several months for a position as a medical assistant. Hoping to get hired instead as a phlebotomist, where there seemed to be more work, Bill joined the Spring 2012 RTC Phlebotomy Program. Not two weeks into the program, the phone finally rang! Bill was hired full-time as a Medical Assistant! Congratulations Bill!
We admire you for moving forward and persevering until you reached your goal successfully!
THAT'S AWESOME! Best of luck from all of us!

0410 Some videos of our draws today

I captured a few of you drawing blood in the lab today. You're looking better and better!

Take a look a see what you can learn from yourself and from others in the class!

Be Safe 'n the 'Hood, Dipstick!

Today Simone demonstrated proper safety and handling of UA dipsticks working under the hood! Here are some stills from that in-service. Be sure to try and repeat these procedures on your own in the lab over the next few days.

0410 Stills -- Warm Up and Lab Exercises

Here are some stills from today's lab... Enjoy!

Spring Term's First Coffee Break Sponsor!

Today Mandy surprised (and delighted!) the class by voluntarily stepping up to sponsor our coffee break with TWO DOZEN DOUGHNUTS! They were thoroughly enjoyed by the class!

Thank you Mandy! It was an awesome surprise to go with our great weather!

From

0406 More Lab Stills

Here are some more stills from our day in the lab, including virtual phlebotomy. If you see photos that you want to print, download or share, you can access them by double-clicking the image, going to PicasaWeb (which is where our online albums are) and following the download instructions. Unfortunately, only the stills can be downloaded at this point. If you want to share your video with someone, please give them the link to that video. (If you don't know how to do that, please let me know. I can show you how to do it.)

0406 Lab Stills -- Again

Here are some more shots of classroom and lab activities and capillary draws. A few stills of A/C draws and CPR practice. Next week I'll be taking videos of your draws. Be sure to mock your technique while munching on Easter candy this weekend!

0404 Lab Stills -- Lab Stations and Capillary Draws

Our first day in the lab. Here are a few photos of what your activities were, including a few capillary sticks.
Things will be settling down more next week and I should be able to get some videos of your mad drawing skills!

Welcome Spring 2012 Phlebotomy Students!

Hello Everybody!

     My name is John Falconer and, on behalf of Simone and myself, I'd like to welcome all of the students that will be joining us in the Phlebotomy Program this spring. Please spend some time checking out our links and watching the videos of last term's students drawing blood. (Our archive goes back several years, so if you know someone that came through Simone's program, you might be able to find them. Our blog is searchable, so give it a try!) Looking for some inspiration? Click on the STUDENT TESTIMONIALS page and visit those links. We have had a number of very determined, hard-working students graduate right into jobs from this program. Watch the videos and find out how you might be able to as well!

02152012 Videos

Only videoed a few draws today. Here they are.

Happy Valentine's Day, Part II!

Here is the video footage from the lab on Valentine's Day. A steady supply of chocolate and goodies kept blood sugar levels and spirits high the entire morning!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Could this become a Phlebotomy Technician Program Mascot?

From 02142012 Stills

02092012 Videos

Just two draws today (that I recorded)....

Thanks Everyone!

It's Here, the CPR Awareness Video!!!

0209 Potluck and Premiere of CPR Awareness Video

Today we had a great time with blood draws in the early part of the day, segueing into our CPR Awarenees Video Premiere and potluck! Here are some stills!

0208 Matt Frames Simone!!!!

Simone got framed by Matt for something his dad did! Hard to believe, but it's true! Here's the proof! (You can check it out in more detail below!)

From 02082012 Matt & Simone

0208 Detail of Matt's Dad's Caricature of Simone

Matt's father did a beautiful job caricaturizing Simone! Here's a close up!

From 02082012

0206 Teach Backs Revisited!

Today we had Teach Backs with the MA program! The lab was full and everyone learned a great deal.

0206 Snack Sponsor!

Grace came through with some more Rice Cracker Treats today!

Thanks Grace!

02062012 Snack Sponsor!

0202 Saturday Session Videos

We had 10 students again at this week's Saturday Session. (Right on phlebotomists!)
We are still awaiting delivery of our butterfly needles, so today we reviewed ETS, syringe and lancet (capillary) draws. Simone also did in-services on the procedures, which we will be performing PERFECTLY for credit on Wednesday after the final. Remember, with the procedures, it's all or nothing, so review all four of them thoroughly!

Real Men Wear Pink! (If it's a Hello Kitty Bandage, that is....)

How can you coax a fellow student to pair with you for a blood draw? Sevda had the right idea, offering Hello Kitty bandages with every draw. Obviously Karan was quite taken with the idea as he lined up repeatedly to be drawn! (At last count, he had three: A/C, dorsal and capillary.) Sure they look good on, but what's he going to tell his buddies later this weekend?

Saturday Session Snack Sponsors: Rachel R-C and Sevda!

Our Saturday session snacks were sponsored by Rachel R-C and Sevda! Thank you both for the donuts, creamer and cookies! M-m-m-m-m good! (Karan is just in the photo to help "enhance" it!)

Tying One On with Johnny and Dot (First Aid!)

The students finished up their CPR and first aid training today with first aid. In addition to scenarios, the students learned to tie arm slings. Here's how it looked:

The Hat Pin Story and Open Mic Warm-Up Meeting Videos

 The link below goes to a couple of videos that came out of the recent Diversity Meeting.

The next meeting will take place in our phlebotomy classroom (B-206) on next Friday, February 10th, for a practice session. Meanwhile, you can relive the stories shared at the first planning meeting.


The Hat Pin Story - Jackie Terrell and the Open Mic Warm-Up Meeting

0203 A few AM draws in the lab...

Today we had Johnny and Dot visit the class to finish up the CPR/First Aid training. We only had time for draws before 8 AM, so it was definitely a case of the early bird getting the worm! Matt drew me today (thanks for filming us Elsa!) and did a great job. We have just two class days left and no one has come forward for a wall-of-fame draw! (successfully draw Simone's A/C with the ETS system).

...just sayin'...

Without further ado, here are today's draws.