How do I know the correct vial for blood draws??

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Hello! I jus started a new job as an at home infusion nurse. They have asked me to draw some labs while I am there. My question is: how do I know which vials to use and how many I need? I have drawn blood before but lab always gave me the vials at my other job. The labs being drawn are a CBC, CMP, ALT/AST

Any insight would be appreciated :)

Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

A couple that you don't see as often: BNP, ESR: Lav. CRP: light green. D-dimer: light blue. Ammonia: lav on ice. All of these are the colors for the lab at my hospital, but, as others have mentioned, you need to check with the lab running the sample (for example, a year or so ago, my hospital's lab went from running BMPs/CMPs in a gold tube to doing them in a light green tube).

In addition, for our lab, we have a sheet with each lab test (probably approx 100) and what tube it goes in. Some have a preferred tube with 1, 2, or 3 "secondary" choices (i.e. something should go in a light green tube, but it can be run if it is in a lav tube). And as soon as I think I have the correct tube(s) figured out, they change or I encounter a test I have drawn for before.

Again, ask the lab in question.

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Yea, our labels tell us what colors to use.

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