Fall 2013 Legacy Project Complete -- World Premiere Today!

     We don't always manage to complete a "legacy" project each term...    
     Sometimes we just get too busy and we don't have the resources... This term, however, with a great group that really pulled together, we were able to complete an unprecedented TWO PROJECTS! The first one (our "Caroling Project") was published a couple of weeks ago. 
     The latest one, which has some educational value, was published today and is intended to help incoming students master the ETS Order of Draw more easily, using music, mnemonics (Order of Draw Nails and, for the first time ever, Order of Draw Henna!) and other types of cues to help students retain the somewhat arbitrary order of draw.
     Special thanks to everyone who participated in the video production. 
Starting with    Simone, who fueled the day with a surprise breakfast, 
                          Our enthusiastic "guy students," who boldly stepped up to the 
                          plate (some wearing PPEs!) in the spirit of learning and 
                          solidarity, 
                          A barista, who had a cameo appearance fixing hot chocolate,
                          A nail "fashionista" who thrilled many students with her 
                          incredible "swirling" technique, and 
                          A henna artist who came out of nowhere to surprise and delight 
                          the class with a new mnemonic for learning Order of Draw!
                          A class of enthusiastic learners whose "can-do" attitude and 
                          perseverance carried them through the program. 
     On behalf of Simone and myself, I would like to thank everyone for all of the efforts you made in the face of a challenging quarter! 

     Next stop, Clinicals and then, 
THE WORLD!  

Go get 'em phlebotomists!

                        

Warmest Winter Wishes from the Phlebotomy Technician Program!

'Twas sometime before Christmas and throughout the school,
Students went caroling, but it was all cool...

12092013 Lab Activities

Just two days to go! We had a visit from the AT (Anaesthesia Tech)  students as well as Sarah Redd's Biology Class, who dropped by for blood typing.

Here are the videos and stills from today's lab sessions.

Hemophilia Care Kit

In phlebotomy, we learn a little about COAG studies, how blood clots, but did you know that there are close to 30 factors and substances that help the blood to clot? Did you also know that there are many types of hemophilia each dealing with some particular aspect of the condition that interferes with your blood's ability to clot?
The friend of a phlebotomy student lives with "Type D Moderate" hemophilia and has an infusion kit that he uses when his condition is triggered.

Here are some images of one such kit. It's fascinating to consider that we all rely on the clotting ability of our blood to survive and that the process is made up of dozens of different steps!




To read more about hemophilia in Simple English, check out this link!

Simple English Wikipedia on Hemophilia

12042013 Lab

I got a pretty good assortment of stills and videos today. Please go through these and try to determine what aspects were good and what were not....

12022013 Lab

Just two videos from today's lab session...

Enjoy!

Phlebotomy Career Paths

Here are some career paths you can consider with an education in phlebotomy.

11262013 Mr. Grant "Thrills" the Class with his A/V Shunt

RTC Outreach Coordinator David Grant paid the class a visit so that they could see and feel what an A/V shunt or fistula is like. A/V in this case stands for Arteriovenous and the shunt is where an artery and vein are joined together directly. Normally, arterial blood must pass through the capillaries before returning to the veins. In the case of Mr. Grant's left arm, the blood from one of his arteries goes directly back to the heart at high speed and pressure. The location of the shunt means that his pulse can be felt right at the surface of the skin. That pulse, or "thrill," is something to hear about and to feel! Be sure to watch the video of the students' impressions at the end of the slide show.


P.S. Good luck with your procedure tomorrow!


Thank you for visiting on such short notice today, Mr. Grant!

11262013 Family Phlebotomy Day

After Liliana's lecture, the class retired to the lab to see how procedures can be adapted for pediatric patients. We had patients ranging in age from 8 months to about 10 years old.




Thank you everyone for sharing this opportunity!

11262013 "Pre-Fessor" Liliana's In-Class Debut!

Today we had a "family day" in the classroom. Many of the students brought their children in and the students had a chance to practice pediatric procedures (without poking!) on small children.
We started the day with a guest presentation from Simone's Niece Liliana, who gave the class some pointers about proper vein survey palpation, tourniquet location, application and safety.
Thank you for visiting our class today Liliana!

11252013 In-Patient Draws

Today, we worked on in-patient draws, among other things. Here are a few of the draws that I got on video.

11222103 Order of Draw Nail Salon (Now with Henna, too!)

Today was a really fun day to end the week with! Simone brought breakfast for the whole class and we reviewed our order of draw by opening our in-class nail salon. One enterprising student (thank you Vilena!) had the idea to introduce henna hand/arm designs into the mix, so some students were sporting order of draw nails and henna!
It was a great day and I think some students even learned the order of draw while having a great time!

11212013 Lab Stills and Videos

Here are some of the stills and videos that I captured in the lab today.

11202013 Lab Activities

Today, we had a sort of "open lab" day. Industrious students were able to get as many as five draws!
We also saw several students earn their "500 μL" badges, our first "Teachable Moment" badge and a number of "Order of Draw" badges.
We will be coming up on the "25th Draw" badges soon as a class. Of course, if you were someone that drew five others today, you will be there pretty darn quick! Tomorrow, I hope to capture more of you on video. All in all, today was a super busy day...

11192013 Videos

Today we did Capillary Blood Draws (Fingersticks) in the morning and then butterly dorsals in the afternoon. Here are some videos...

11182013 Videos

As you can see in these videos, our skills as phlebotomists have really grown! Good thing, because we're now half-way through the program! Just three weeks left until we're done with the lab and theory portion...

11152013 Stills

Here are some stills taken from today's lab activities. Remember, if there's one that you like, you can download it and print it yourself!

11142013 First Aid Training Stills

Here are some stills of everyone practicing tying a sling and immobilizing a victim/patient's arm. CPR and First Aid training is an arduous process, but, when done correctly, it is a valuable skill set that will stand you in good stead for a career in Allied Health!

Lovely Nails by Order of Draw...

Today we had some free time in the classroom, so we reviewed the order of draw for each of the three types of devices that we draw blood with: ETS (butterfly or straight needle), Syringe and Capillary. The order of draw changes for each method, so we did our nails in ETS order of draw and then learned the hand shapes for the other two.
(Alexander used a purple glove to get the full value of the learning experience without any repercussions... Could be the start of a new fashion!)

Here are some pictures of our first nail salon attempt!

11072013 Videos (Butterflies!)

Today was the first day for some of the students to use a butterfly needle. Some like the "flash" of blood that lets you know that you're in the vein, others thought they were hard to work with. We will have more opportunities to work with this system, but watch the videos to learn and perfect your skills.

11072013 Tubes and Tests Activity

Here is a short video of Simone's "Tubes and Tests" lab activity. This is toward the end of the first session, when more and more students were choosing the correct tubes... Have your skills improved since then? Remember, we will be revisiting the Tube Chart when we have our mid-term!

11042013-11062013 Blood Draw with the CNAs and RNs

Here are some more videos with the CNAs and RNs.

11042013 Fall 2013 Class Photo!

Remember the fire drill? Here are the class photos that I took that day...
Let's vote on the best one!

11012013 BBP Education with Beverly Sims

Here are a few classroom shots of our BBP Education session.

11012013 I-BEST Testing

First Day of Fall 2013 Phlebotomy Technician Program

Here are some stills taken around the classroom today during the first day of our program.

10282013 First Week, Fall 2013

Here are some stills and videos from our first week of phlebotomy.
Hope you enjoy them!

10282013 WELCOME TO THE FALL 2013 PHLEBOTOMY TECHNICIAN PROGRAM!!!

Hello Future Phlebotomists! 

     Welcome to the on-line presence of the RTC Phlebotomy Program! We have an archive of phlebotomy-related video and images that goes back 5 years! Feel free to look around and get to know our web site and our resources!
     This blog should be very useful to you throughout your phlebotomy studies. Here we have links to our on-line Quia classroom, links to useful educational games and other resources and lots of information about how to become a phlebotomist and how to find a job when you finish the program. Miss Terrell and I are looking forward to meeting all of you on Monday, the first day of the term! Please check your RTC Student E-mail every day and use the Quia Link to visit our on-line classroom and try your hand at the "Intro to Quia" Quiz. Look for your QUIA USER NAME and LOG IN in your RTC STUDENT E-MAIL!

SEE YOU SOON!
Simone and John

08142013 Class Potluck with the CNAs!

Today was our last day of class and because the CNAs were going to be collaborating in our lab with us right around lunch time, we gladly included them in the festivities!
It has been a great term and it looks like everyone will be advancing to clincals in the fall! (Very exciting!) We will be meeting again on September 16th at 9:00 AM to brush up on our drawing skills. Meanwhile, work on the practice tests for the national exam!
Also, be sure to check out the cookie bouquets that Jennifer brought! They were awesome. One of "toasted marshmallow" apple spice cake pops and the other a heavenly flowerpot of cookies!
Thank you Jennifer! They were awesome!
See you around!

08132013 Our Fifth Collaboration with the CNAs!

Here are some stills from today's collaboration with the CNA class.

08072013 (Videos)

Here are some videos of today's draws... Enjoy:

08072013 (Stills, Collaboration with CNAs)

Today the CNAs were on hand to practice blood draws with the phlebotomy students. Later, the phlebotomists went to visit the CNAs in their lab to have their vital signs taken.
Here are some stills (and a few "animated stills" automatically generated by Google) from today...

Lab Skills Testing Schedule

Here is a copy of the Lab Skills Testing Schedule for tomorrow.
See you soon!
(Click on schedule to view better image.)

08072013 (Lab Skills Testing Schedule)

08062013 More collaborations with the CNA students!

Today was the third of six collaborations with the CNA students. Here are some stills...

08052013 (Videos)

Here are just a couple of videos from today's draws.

08052013 (OMG... Tube Chart COOKIES!)

Who knew that there could be yet another fun and engaging way to learn the tube chart? Jennifer turned the challenge of learning the tube chart into a deliciously delightful, delectable delicacy with these cookies!
I'm going to want to stock the lab with these, Jennifer, are you ready?
Don't forget your sterile tubes (blood cultures) will be drawn first!
Learn the ETS order first (Sterile, Red, Lt. Blue, Gel tubes, Lavender). Then swap the Red and Lt. Blue for Syringe Order of Draw. Lastly, Capillary draws (for microtainers) are not used for blood cultures or coag studies. Because of clotting considerations, the Lavender tube is drawn first, followed by the gel tubes and lastly by the red, where the blood would clot anyway... If you're still struggling, try doing your nails again at the Order of Draw Salon!

08012013 (Procedures: ABO (in 3 parts) GTT)

Today Simone offered a couple of in-services. The first was the ABO procedure and the second was the GTT. You'll want to learn these completely before next Thursday!

07302013 (Videos)

Here are some draws by some sleepy phlebotomists just before CPR and First Aid.

07302013 (Coffee Break Sponsor!)

Well, Jennifer did it again! This time, with Piña Colada Cupcakes (with a grapefruit gummy wedge on top!). Just what you need to start the day. Healthful food, made with eggs, milk, flour and don't forget about the citrus fruit and the fifth food group: frosting!

07292013 (CPR/First Aid)

Here are a few images from the CPR/First Aid training with Johnny and Dot Bell.

07292013 (Videos)

CPR and First Aid Training with Johnny and Dot began this morning. The phlebotomists arrived early to get their blood draws in (and take their exams!) before the training started. Here are some of the draws:

07252013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from today's session with the CNAs.

07252013 (Stills)

Today we hosted the CNAs again working on blood draws together. Here are some stills from our joint session.

07242013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from the lab today.

SUMMER 2013 CLASS PHOTO!

We had beautiful weather today and the students were all "gussied up" for their ID photos, so we decided to take a class picture today, too! There are several, we'll have to study them closely and vote on the best one. (Susan, we'll have to try to photo shop you in or take a second picture again when the stars re-align!)

07242013 (Coffee Break Sponsor Jennifer!)

She did it again!
Jennifer surprised the class with her "Coffee and Donut" cupcake creations!
Thank you!!!

 

You can see more of her edible art at: Life is Sweet Creations

07232013 (Stills) Teachbacks with the CNAs!

Today the students had their first teachbacks with the CNA students. We will be meeting with them five more times for one hour each time. It's always great to work with students in fellow RTC programs. Thanks for coming today and see you again soon!

(Please note: We at RTC try to be discrete. We like to share what we do in our class with the community, but if you see a photo that you want removed for any reason, please let us know and we will remove it!)

07222013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from today's blood draws.

Useful A&P and Circulatory System Links

Here are some links to useful Youtubes about A&P and the Circulatory System.
BASIC A&P the
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM and
BLOOD TYPES

ETS Order of Draw

Here's an image to help you remember the ETS Order of Draw:

&&&&&&&

From 07182013 (Nails by Order of Draw)

Remember: Sterile (blood cultures), Red (serology, toxicology, chemistry), Lt. Blue (COAG), Gel (chemistries, panel tests) & Lav. (CBCs/ABOs)

We will also be learning the order of draw for Syringe and Capillary blood draws.

FREE SHARPIE CHALLENGE MONDAY!

DON'T FORGET! Monday I will be hosting the FREE SHARPIE CHALLENGE, so be sure to review the tube chart while you study for the Chapter 3 and 4 tests. Be ready when you arrive! See you soon!

07182013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from today's lab session. The challenge of the butterfly draw!

07182013 Coffee Break Sponsor CHANTHY!

Chanthy surprised the group today by bringing in a two-week supply of creamer!

07182013 (Coffee Sponsor)

Thank you Chanthy!

07172013 Coffee Break Sponsor Jennifer!

M-m-m-m-m... Can you say Twinkie Cupcakes? Jennifer surprised (and delighted) the class today with two dozen "Twinkie Cupcakes!" Cream-filled, dream-filled delectable delights (can you tell I had more than one?). Here is how they looked at the half-way mark. Thank you Jennifer!

07172013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from today's lab sessions. (Included are a couple of in-services by Simone as well as a rare glimpse of John being drawn by a student!)

07172013 (Stills)

I only got a handful of stills from today's lab. There are a few butterfly draw set-up shots and some tube-chart review pictures...

07162013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from today's lab session.

07152013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from today's sessions. (There is one butterfly draw mixed in!)

07152013 (Stills)

Here are some stills from today's lab.

07112013 (Videos)

Here are some videos from day two in the lab (and our first blood draws!)

07112013 (Stills)

Here are some stills from today's lab activities.

07102013 (Videos)

I only managed to capture a few videos in the lab today... More tomorrow!

07102013 (Stills)

Today was our first day in the lab. Here are some stills of student activities. Enjoy!

05132013 Lab Videos

Here are some videos from our lab session today! You guys are looking really professional now!
Just one week left to polish and perfect our skills!

05102013 Lab Videos

Just a handful of lab videos today. We worked on capillary draws... It's HARD (but not impossible) to fill those microtainers! We should give them another try again on Monday!

05092013 Lab Videos with CNAs

Here are some of the draws I captured from our sessions with the CNAs.

05092013 Blood Draws with the CNAs

Here are some stills from today's session with the CNAs. Enjoy!

05092013 Blood Draws with the RN Students

Here are some videos of our time with the RN students from today's lab session. Enjoy!

05082013 Pre-Class Blood Draws -- B/F Reviews

Today, ahead of the RNs and CNAs who were planning to come in to practice drawing blood, the phlebotomy students practiced their butterfly draws on each other in preparation. Here are the videos that I captured.
Enjoy!

05022013 Class Photos!!!

Today, we had great weather and remembered to take our class photo. We have several to choose from! You can download and print your favorite!

5022013 Coffee Break Sponsor!!!

Today, Leah treated the class to "Peaches and Cream" muffins and Iced Lemon Poundcake! A nice way to start the day! Thank you!

05022013 Lab Stills

Here are some shots from today's lab activities.

Who's in the Half-Way Club?

Students are expected to have performed 50 blood draws before they leave for their clinical externships. Today, five students reached the half-way point. Congratulations to Victor, Devika, Shalini, Kim and Rachelyn!

It won't be long before they are joined by the rest of the class in the "Silver Circle."

05012013 Blood Draws with the CNAs

We also had our second day of blood draw with the CNAs. Here are some pictures from today's drawing session.

05012013 Blood Draw with the RN students

Today we had Day 2 of our blood draws with the RN students. Here are some pictures.

Hue Sponsors Today's Coffee Break!

Thanks for the Chocolate Chip Cookies and the creamer for our coffee, Hue! Just when we were running low on creamer, Hue steps in with a big bottle of creamer (and a huge container of Chocolate Chip Cookies! Thanks a lot, from all of us!

04302013 Blood Draws with the CNAs!!!

Shortly after our "Draw Fest" with the RN students, we were joined by the CNA students who underwent the same sort of "teach-back" training as the RN program.
Here are some stills of what went on in the lab between 10 and 11 this morning!

04302013 Blood Draw with the RN Students!!!

Today we were visited by the students in the RN program for stage one of our drawing practice. Here are some stills from that visit!

04232013 Mid-Morning Blood Draws ... later that same day....

Shortly after our guests from the MA program left, the phlebotomists were back doing what they love to do: Drawing blood! This time, they were working in the A/C with ETS or multisample needles. Here are the videos that I captured today. You guys are really doing great for such a short time and from the look of things, CPR and First Aid should go well for you too! See you soon!

04232013 Butterfly Blood Draws with the Medical Assistants!

This morning, the phlebotomists traded draws with the medical assistants! We drew blood for the better part of two hours. There were lots of teachable moments and many, many successful draws! Good job everyone!

04232013 April Birthday Celebrations

Happy Birthday to our April Celebrants: Rachelyn, Jordan, Colleen, and Meagan! Jordan sponsored the party with two CAKES FROM B&R! Oreo and Butter Pecan. M-m-m good! Leah also brought pumpkin spice bread and cookies! Delicious, you guys ROCK! Here are some photos

Persistence Pays!!!!

Hi All, Last week I was having a sense of humor failure when I was unable to upload videos from my phone to PicasaWeb easily! I worked on it over the weekend and finally succeeded! It took a couple of lengthy work-arounds, but the videos are uploading now. Here's a link to where they can be viewed! Enjoy!

04192013 Visit to the Ophthalmic Assistant Program

We had a busy day today. I-BEST testing, blood draw and a visit to RTC's Ophthalmic Assistant Program! We formed three small groups and rotated through our day. Here are some photos of one group's visit to the Ophthalmic Assistant Program. We like to visit their program and see what they do and then they come visit our program to see what we do! It's a good opportunity to practice what we're learning!

04192013 Lab Videos

Here are some of the blood draws from our busy day today! Good job everyone! Thanks for putting a nice finish on the week!

04182013 Lab Videos

Here are the lab videos that I captured during lab today. Don't forget to check out Jennifer's L-O-N-G A-N-D D-E-L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E inversions!

04172013 In-Lab In-Fant In-Service -- LIVE!

It isn't every day that we get to have an in-lab in-service with a live baby! Today, Camden was on hand to help teach the class about tourniquet tying, PKU and capillary blood draws on the "under-one" set.
Camden was a very patient patient and even seemed to enjoy being the star of his own film!

Enjoy!

04172013 Lab Videos

I was able to catch most of you on video today doing a blood draw! I try to get as many as I can each day, so if I haven't recorded you yet, I will soon! Meanwhile, why don't you watch some of the draws and see what good points/bad points you can spot!

04162013 -- Study Tip from Victor!

Victor came up with an idea for learning the tube chart that he shared with me today! He makes a lot of good points and he even incorporated ETS order of draw into his method!
      Why not give it a try yourself?

04152013 Lab Videos

Here are some lab videos from Tax Day (April 15th)! Enjoy!

04152013 Lab Stills

Here are some lab stills taken in the lab today! Enjoy!

04112013 Lab Stills

Here are some stills that I took around the lab today. Enjoy!

04102013 Coffee Break Sponsors -- Victor and Leah!

Today Victor brought in some donuts and Leah (camera shy!) brought in some lemon pound cake and muffins to share with the class. They were all awesome! (Yes, I tried some of all three!) Thank you Leah and Victor!

04102013 Lab Stills

Here are a few pictures that I took during our lab time today.

04092013 -- A handful of Inservices

Today Simone led several inservices in the lab at the centrifuge: Hematocrit, blood smear (slide), differentials, blood typing and... the penny! All will make you more effective (hirable and desirable) phlebotomists in the lab.

04092013 Lab Stills

Here are some shots from the lab from today. Simone led an in-service on blood smears and centrifuging.

04082013 WELCOME SPRING 2013 PHLEBOTOMY STUDENTS!

Hello Future Phlebotomists!

Welcome to the on-line presence of the RTC Phlebotomy Program! We have an archive of phlebotomy-related video and images that goes back 4 1/2 years. Feel free to look around and get to know our web site and our resources!

This blog should be very useful to you throughout your phlebotomy studies. Here we have links to our on-line Quia classroom, links to useful educational games and other resources and lots of information about how to become a phlebotomist and how to find a job when you finish the program.

Miss Terrell and I are looking forward to meeting all of you next Monday, the first day of the term!

Please start checking your RTC Student E-mail every day and use the Quia Link to visit our on-line classroom and try your hand at the Intro to Quia Quiz. Look for your QUIA USER NAME and LOG IN in your RTC STUDENT E-MAIL!

SEE YOU SOON!

Happy Valentine's Day! Donuts by the Truc-load.

Today's coffee break sponsor was Truc, who brought in two dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme! Our final and Valentine's Day are going to go better because of these!

Thank you Truc!

02132013 Coffee Break Team Nicole and Brittany!

Today's coffee break sponsor came as a team (one buying one watching). This team was camera shy, so we've only captured the cookies. --A Valentine's Day theme on Valentine's Day Eve!

02122013 The OH-YEAH vein of the day!

Today the students discovered an incredible "Oh-Yeah" vein! It belongs to Jonathan, who was visiting the Open House. Take a look.... Oh Yeah! Very nice!

02122013 Open House!!!!

Today Simone hosted an Open House in the phlebotomy lab. Guests included classes from Basic Studies and Allied Health programs as well as the friends and family of the current phlebotomy students. Here are some stills from that day! It was great to meet everyone and to see the phlebotomists really step up their game! You guys are looking great!

02072013 Lab Videos

Here are some videos from today's lab.

02072013 You say Frittata, I say Renata....

It was bound to happen, she treated the class so many times to so many succulent fried pastries that her name changed from Renata to Frittata... She is setting a new world record for coffee break sponsorship in the program! She has also singlehandedly elevated the serum glucose levels (you phlebs know what I mean, now, don't you!) of most of the class!

02062013 Lab Videos

Here are some videos from today's draws. Look, listen and learn!

02042013 Coffee Break Sponsor Iryna!!!!

This morning Iryna came in with some HOMEMADE CREAM PUFFS to share with everybody! It was hard for me to leave the classroom for the computer lab to help people with their resumes, but there were still some cream puffs left when I got back one hour later! Thank you Iryna! They were delicious!

02042013 Tough Love Clinic

Today Miss Terrell opened her "Clinic of Tough Love," where students learn under "real clinical conditions" in a slightly higher-pressure, slightly more chaotic environment. There were some tense moments, but in the end, I think that everyone realized what a valuable tool this sort of clinic can be. Here is a mix of videos, some are activities, some are blood draws and some are "teachable moments." I'd like to take a moment to recognize and thank our "teachable moment sponsors," the students who precipitate events that ultimately benefit everyone in the lab!

02012013 Coffee Break Sponsor Renata!

It seems like Renata is on track to establish some sort of record for sponsoring coffee breaks with doughnuts!! I uploaded this picture to the wrong folder, so it didn't get much airtime on Friday or over the weekend. Here it is now in its own little folder! (I think that this is the first term that I have ever gained weight during phlebotomy and I have Renata to thank (?!) for that!) The doughnuts were awesome (from Chuck's Donuts on 4th). Thank you Renata!

01312013 Levanuia draws Simone!

How does it feel to draw Simone successfully? Just ask Levanuia, who drew Simone today successfully and added her name to the Wall of Fame! Congratulations Levanuia!!! (Next time let me know before you try so I can get the video documentation!) Good job!

01302013 Syringe In-Service

Today I filmed Miss Terrell's in-service about syringe draws. I didn't get the first few seconds, in which she reminded students to "prime" the syringe (push and pull the plunger several times so that it will move easily when the needle is in the patient's arm) before use.

01292013 Videos

Here we have a handful of draws from earlier today! Please view them and use them to further your knowledge and understanding!

01282013 Video

Here are some of the draws that we performed today in lab. If I missed you today, I'll try to capture you tomorrow!
Meanwhile, keep practicing!

01282013 Lab Stills PROCEDURES!

In the morning, we worked on perfecting our procedures and in the afternoon, we evaluated each other's performances. Remember, phlebotomy is part performance, part art and part science! Speak confidently and give your patient confidence in you and your ability! It was a good day for polishing our lab skills. Look for similar exercises during the next couple weeks leading up to the Lab Skills Test!

01252013 "RTC Clinic" Stills

Today we asked a number of classes to come and volunteer to have their blood drawn and tested by our newest class of phlebotomists. I think that everyone had a great time and learned a lot. We did have some excitement, three fainters and one 911 call, but we also performed a lot of safe blood draws in a very controlled environment. Volunteer drawees were treated to orange juice and crackers in a special "recovery area." Well done everyone!

01242013 Lab Stills

Here are some stills from today's lab activities.

01242013 Videos

Here are several videos that I took during lab today.

01242013 Breakfast!

Today, Simone brought breakfast in the form of doughnuts and orange juice! It was a very nice way to start the day!

01232013 Videos

Here are today's videos from the lab. Please watch them and learn from them!

01232103 Stills

Here are some stills from lab today.

01232013 Videos

Here are the videos that I captured in the lab today! Please watch them and learn from them!

Coffee Break Sponsor Terry!

Today Terry brought croissants to share with everyone! It added a certain "Je ne sais quoi" to our usual morning fare. Thank you Terry!

01182013 Videos

Here are videos from today's draws in the lab.

01182013 First Aid

Here are some stills from our last day of First Aid training.

01182013 FOBT

Here are some detailed shots of the FOBT specimen holders and Miss Terrell giving an in-service about FOBT testing!

01172013 Class Picture -- Which one's best?

Here are the photos I took for the class picture.. Post a comment to vote for your favorite!

01172013 Bed and Breakfast?!?

I'm sure you've all heard of a bed and breakfast, but how about a "bed and lunch?" That's what I encountered as I headed toward our classroom today during the lunch hour. The first photo looks fairly innocent... Then the perspective changes and backs away to reveal four students enjoying lunch on a hospital bed in the hallway! I think that their lunches must have at least rivaled hospital food for taste, but where else but a school corridor would you find this atmosphere?

01172013 New Coffee Break Sponsor!

There has been a favorable trend developing in the phlebotomy classroom recently.... Coffee Break Sponsors that bring dozens of fresh doughnuts to share! Today it was Jamilla, with heart-shaped doughnuts and some that were reminiscent of Portland's world-famous Voodoo Doughnuts with bits of sweetened cereal on top! I guess this means that we should start running lipid panels, GTTs and HGB A1C (lavender tube, but chemistry department, right?) tests to monitor our health and vital signs, but who can resist a doughnut (or two), or, better still, half a doughnut? I know that I can't. I have been forsaking my brown-bag lunch of fresh fruit this week in favor of fresh doughnuts!

Thank you Jamilla!
     It was an awesome way to start the day. I recommend a whole doughnut to any phleb that has felt faint in the lab!

01172013 Lab Videos

Here are videos of most of this morning's "early bird" draws before CPR practice.

01172013 Lab Stills

Here are some stills from the lab this morning when we worked on dorsal draws using the butterfly.

01162013 CPR Stills

Here are some stills that I took during CPR practice today. Enjoy!
Remember: You can print these if you see any that you like!

01162013 CPR Video

Here are some videos of you guys learning CPR.

01162013 Renata sponsors another coffee break!

Apparently, it really IS better to give than receive. Today Renata treated the class to more doughnuts before CPR! A good source of energy before our first big day of CPR and First Aid. Thank you Renata!

01162013 Pre-CPR Blood Draws

Today we had early-bird draws during the I-BEST hour. Here are 20 videos from this morning's session.

01142013 Lab Videos

Here are the videos from our lab practice on Monday.

01112013 Videos

Here are the videos that I captured today.

Coffee Break Sponsor Renata!

This morning, Renata surprised (and delighted!) the class with two big boxes of doughnuts! It made for an auspicious start to a long day. Thank you very much Renata!

I only managed to capture one video today... Here it is! (If I haven't videoed you yet, please let me know before you draw and I will try to get you recorded for posterity.

01102013 Tube Chart Game -- How it's played...

Today during lunch, Miss Terrell challenged a group of students to a game of "Tube Chart" Poker. (They were rumored to be playing for PISTACHIOS!!!!)

1. Everyone took eight cards from the deck.
2. A random person threw out a tube color.
3. Everyone played cards that corresponded to that tube's additive, test, department, specimen type, rules and various other Tube Chart facts. It got very exciting at times!
4. Beginners use the colorful tube charts to help, but referring to the chart takes so long that you really have to have the information memorized to do well at this game...