So I'm in the process of learning how to handle needles and stick people and change tubes for samples, right? Cause I'm headed off to nursing school in florida in a few days, and my lovely co-workers are teaching me the ropes of this phlebotomy stuff. Well, the blood center received these new trial vacutainers needles(which are used for popping in tubes for blood samples) and they are, no joke, spring-loaded needle. Everything's great if you go into the vein very carefully and don't have to adjust your stick in any kind of manner. If you move your hand even slightly to change out tubes...BEWARE!!!!!!!! Seriously, because before you even realize it your spring-loaded needle will spring back into the vacutainer and leave a gushing vein with no pressure on it.

You see, right after you remove a needle from a persons arm, you must quicker apply a small amount of pressure onto the injection site with gauze in order to prevent excess bleeding and a resulting hematoma (fancy word for bruise).