Taylor E.

March 5, 2024

I always have a great experience with the doctors, nurses, and front desk staff during my appointments! No complaints or notes there. Two things I don’t love- maybe it’s just my luck or bad timing but I always seem to get inexperienced phlebotomists in the blood draw lab. Totally appreciate that they may be learning, but drawing blood is a pain/anxiety point for me (and I think many people) and it helps a lot to have the process go smooth and quickly, and not have to be pricked multiple times. My first blood draw went fine but they didn’t take the correct labs so they called me to come back the next day. When I came back for the second draw, the phlebotomist drawing my blood was being trained and I sort of feel like I should have been asked if I was okay with that (especially since this was my second blood draw in two days due to the lab’s error). She had to stick me twice and the whole time she was drawing blood it was very painful and I bruised after. For my most recent blood draw the phlebotomist also did not seem very experienced. It was quite uncomfortable, the blood came out really slowly, and she had to wipe blood from my arm at the poke site in the middle of it. I also bruised again this time. I have really good/prominent veins for this, I swear! My second note is that on the two occasions that I’ve had to call the nurse line I’ve sort of felt like my concerns were being dismissed. I really try not to call unless I’m feeling really panicky about something and to be in that state and receive anything less than a compassionate response is a little disheartening. I wouldn’t say the nurse was rude, I just feel like if I asked more questions to try and really understand her response, she became a little bit annoyed. On the contrary, I can also appreciate that she probably hears so many of the same questions it may feel redundant to her. It’s just not the interaction I expected, considering the exceptional level of care I have received in the office.