Medical Malpractice

medical and law ethics?

i am a second year veterinary technician student at a state university in New York, and currently am taking a clinical techniques course to learn how to do collect samples from animals and run tests on them. so my problem, my professor requires the students to perform an intravenous blood draw on a human partner, and have that same person obtain a sample from you the same way. I have never drawn blood on an human being, nor has my partner. like many people I have a certain "fear" of needles, when I have to get blood work done for medical reasons ,I force myself to do it and I always end up passing out and getting a migraine from getting all worked up. i do not understand why it is okay to let an untrained, unlicesned person stick a needle in my arm to obtain a sample when it has not been ordered by my physician to do so, and my professor tells me if i do not take part in this i will fail the course. if anyone has any advice, or knows anything about the laws that might pertain to this situation, i would really appreciate it. *** I can understand this procedure for nursing and other medical programs, but I am 2 months away from becoming a VETERINARY technician, i will never, ever, need to know how to draw blood on a human being.

Public Comments

1. He should be required to teach proper techniques you are in a medical class.
2. You can buck up and deal. It's a common practice in many schools to train people by using classmates. We did it in nursing school - we gave injections, started IV lines, and drew blood on classmates. You can either choose to deal with it for one day, or you can give up a life time dream because of it. No one likes to be "poked"....sometimes we just have to deal with it to reacher the greater goal.
3. Go to the head of the dept or school administration and discuss your medical reasons for not participating. Make it clear that you consistently pass out and suffer raised blood pressure and migraine from needles. If they persist, remind them that for liability reasons, you will need the policy in writing and will advise your lawyer in case you are injured in the process of compliance with course requirements. I would pretty much guarantee they'll excuse you without prejudice from having blood drawn. You will still have to take the blood of your partner though. Keep in mind this sort of practice is common in even rudimentary medical programs.
4. i know how you feel, i'm in nursing school, so we have to practice on each before we go out and practice on our patients, but they give you techniques and sometimes they have ''dummy'' arms to practice on beforehand, if your uncomfortable with needles, try it at least once, and if you really can't go through it, tell your teacher he/she might understand.
5. To learn how and be certified as a phlebotomist is simple, easy and inexpensive. It seems like a good interim solution for a veterinarian tech student. Check it out.