What's In a Name? Why "Median Cubital" Doesn't Always Mean What You Think
Position, not name, is what keeps a stick out of the danger zone.
Center for Phlebotomy Education
Everything phlebotomists need to know about safe blood collection practices, industry updates, and the history behind our profession.
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From Lancets to Lasers: The Evolution of Capillary Punctures
Tracing capillary puncture from bloodletting's brute force to today's push for painless sampling.
Shift Notes - Who's Really Qualified to Train Your New Hire?
How to Give Real-Time Feedback on the Floor Without Embarrassing Your Trainee.
Case Study - The Bruise That Solved the Mystery
How a routine blood draw was mistaken for a surgical complication — and what the anatomy actually shows.
Ink, Piercings, and Eyelashes: What "Professional" Actually Means Now
Tattoos, piercings, hair color, and lashes are more accepted in the lab than ever — but here's why fake nails still aren't. A phlebotomist's take.
Gloved Up: The History Behind OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
The story behind why gloves, sharps containers, and exposure protocols aren't optional
Teacher Tips: The Skill Employers Can't Fix After Hiring
Building soft skills and professional habits students need before they ever meet a real patient.
Not All Blood Is Created Equal
Capillary vs. venous blood — same patient, different results. Know the analytes, the risks, and when each collection method is the right call
A New Study on Blood Culture Diversion Just Dropped. Here's What It Means for Your Lab.
A new ISDD study just dropped. Here's what the data says about blood culture contamination — and why compliance is the real problem.
Shift Notes: When a Department is Eating Its Young
Workplace bullying is driving new phlebotomists out of your department. Learn how to recognize it, stop it, and build a floor culture worth staying for.
Case Study — Patient Identification
When a label goes on the wrong tube, who catches it? Two real patient ID case studies show what happens when the protocol fails — and what CLSI requires.
Teacher Tips: The Student Who Argues — And What to Do About It
Staying Grounded When a Student Challenges Your Authority
Gone in 60 Seconds: Your Specimen's Point of No Return
The tourniquet's one-minute rule isn't a suggestion. Learn what happens when it's ignored — and what to do when sixty seconds isn't enough
The Tool That Needed No Inventor
From medieval barbershops to the modern draw station: the unexpected history of the phlebotomy tourniquet.
"Honey, That's Not Your Name"
Calling patients "sweetie" or "honey" is common in healthcare — but it's not professional. Learn how phlebotomists should address patients with respect and warmth.
Hemolysis You’re Causing Without Knowing It
A closer look at the technique choices behind your lab’s most common rejection.
Our Friends in the Lab: A Lab Week Tribute
Celebrating Lab Week and the people who make sense of what we collect
Teacher Tips: Why Simulation Practice Isn't Optional
What simulation practice does for students that no lecture ever can
Hold Still, Sweet Pea: The Ethics and Reality of Restraining Children During a Blood Draw
Why Keeping a Child Safe Sometimes Means Keeping Them Still
The Tube That Changed Everything
A History of the Evacuated Blood Collection System