Do you draw up blood on your own?

Yep, rarely have a tech available in the ER.

In ICU we always have to draw labs, whether from art line, central line or by venipuncture. And, if the patient doesn't have an art line we get to stick for the ABG, also. The lab never comes to the ICU to do lab draws. It's part of the fun of having only 2 patients!!

I am a nurse tech, its one of many job requirements to draw blood, and glucose test on our patients, except if they have picc line or a port RN draw blood from them.

In my ICU we do our own lab draws and accuchecks. Respiratory does the ABGs. If the floors are filled and we take overflow (non-ICU) patients then we may request a phlebotomist to draw labs but most of the time we do them to.

Med-surg here. Lab draws labs, IV Team places lines and draws PICC/Central labs, and the techs do the glucose checks unless they are busy then we do them.

Tait

I am a nurse tech, its one of many job requirements to draw blood, and glucose test on our patients, except if they have picc line or a port RN draw blood from them.

Well I'm sure that you will be ahead of your game when you start working as a RN!

Med-surg here. Lab draws labs, IV Team places lines and draws PICC/Central labs, and the techs do the glucose checks unless they are busy then we do them.

Tait

Please let me work there LOL!!

Please let me work there LOL!!

It's all fun and games until someone misses a PTT! Sometimes I think the waiting and paging isn't worth the convenience.

Tait

I work in a pediatric rehab/medical unit. RNs do accuchecks, blood draws from central lines, and place PIVs. Lab does routine blood draws. For stat blood draws, either the RN does it, or we have to bring the pt down to our lab, which is on another floor -- and we can't do that if the pt is on any kind of isolation precautions.

i'm curious to hear how many nurses out here are obligated to draw up labs on their own and do glucose checks on their own?

requesting clarification: is the question asking whether nurses decide on their own judgment or standing protocol, to sample a patient without first getting a medical order; or is it asking that once a medical order is written, who is ultimately responsible to physically do the scut work?

in the ed, we routinely draw per protocol according to chief complaint. this is done generally with an iv insertion, bedside glucose, troponin i, k+, na+, & creatinine; hemacue; along with five basic tubes to be held or processed by the lab as needed. up in the units, routine 0500 draw is by bedside personnel, and bloods from lines can only be drawn by bedside personnel (rn, np, pa, md), but typically the rn.

I work on a short stay unit... RN's typically draw all of the labs because of the many central lines we see in the oncology population... We usually do our own accuchecks too... There is only one PCA for 15 to 20 patients... And, I was once a nurse tech and became really good at drawing blood, so I like to keep up the skill...

I work ICU and we do all of our own draws.. and accuchecks too. It really stinks when you are replacing potassium all day and redrawing coupled with hourly accuchecks on two pts.