Monday, February 12, 2007
Believe it or not, the thing that has troubled me the most in my new job is streaking the slides. The photo attached is of my better-than-shitty slides after I'd already practised on half a box of them already (about 30). I think the method that has worked best for me so far is streaking with the slide horizontal so I'm simulating flying a toy plane off a slide runway. Does anyone else do this method?? Why am I having so much trouble?
BTW, I did my first venipuncture with a patient today. My first was quite successful but my second was a total bomb (not in the cool sense of the phrase). Not only was the patient nervous and needed to lie down for the procedure but I hit a superficial vein (so the tube filled like molasses) and yanked the needle out when replacing the gel tubes. Argh! Luckily, my supervisor, the doctor was watching over me and he quickly took my place. Poor girl. She was SO nervous and we had to prick her twice. Any suggestions for distracting patients so they don't jump as much when we are piercing?
